Helping organizations transform dreams into plans — and plans into reality.

Halle Heart Center | Halle Heart Children’s Museum

For over 25 years, the Halle Heart Center and its evolution into the Halle Heart Children’s Museum served as an inspiring space where children could learn about heart health, exercise, and nutrition. Designed to empower young visitors with knowledge and positive habits, the museum instilled a sense of hope and control over their health and future.

Throughout its years of operation, the museum reached thousands of children, leaving lasting impacts on countless lives. One particularly poignant story highlights the museum’s influence: after learning about heart health, a young boy went home and told his grandmother, “You don’t have arthritis; you have heart disease.” Trusting his learnings, she visited a cardiologist and discovered blocked arteries in time to receive life-saving surgery.

As science and health recommendations continued to evolve, making the cost of updates unpredictable, the decision was made to close the museum’s doors. However, its legacy and the power of unlimited thinking lives on in the lives of those it touched, serving as a testament to the power of education and awareness in shaping healthier futures.

Visioning Led to an Unrealized Dream of a Medical Mobile Unit
Crews’ Health Mobile

As the founding board chairman and later Chief Executive Officer of HomeBase Youth Services, Pat Leach championed innovative, life-enhancing programs for youth. When a survey of a significant percentage of the youth served revealed a strong interest in education, she sought available resources and opened an education center to help them achieve either their GED or further their education.

One vital program for the youth was a mobile medical outreach clinic, which began as a partnership between HomeBase Youth Services and Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Reflecting on this journey, Pat Leach acknowledged that without the initial visioning session, this impactful program might have been lost amid the daily demands of work. Instead, it became a reality, demonstrating the power of dreaming big.

During the initial visioning session, each leader was encouraged to share their biggest dream, with the playful caveat that anyone who shot down a dream would be squirted with a water gun. When the idea of a medical outreach clinic was conceived, Pat Leach remained quiet for fear of getting seriously wet. However, because the dream had been visualized, the organization began discussing how to overcome the obvious barriers and was receptive when Phoenix Children’s Hospital called to seek a partnership.

To help volunteers understand the plight of the youth, Pat Leach organized a weekend experience where leadership slept on the streets. Leaving the outreach center on a Friday night with only the supplies the youth would receive, both volunteer and professional leadership returned exhausted from the experience but with a renewed sense of urgency. This initiative also inspired the organization’s vision: “No Kid Sleeps on the Street.” The organization was subsequently nationally accredited by the Council on Accreditation.

Villa Montessori School, Arizona’s oldest charter school, celebrated its 50th anniversary with deep gratitude for the community and all those who contributed to its growth over the years. Inspired by the legacy of those before them, the board of directors aspired to “create a wisdom school, not a knowledge factory.” To turn this vision into a strategic plan, they enlisted Pat’s expertise. Beginning with a five-year strategic vision dedicated to dreaming their biggest dreams—they soon brought a vision to life that transformed the school’s facilities.

Central to their vision was a reimagined campus, including storytelling gardens to enrich students through nature. Guided by core values, they developed a five-year strategic plan that led to a fully transformed campus. Part of this plan included establishing a Center for Entrepreneurship, where students learned hands-on through the gardens they tended. Using the produce to create items like lotions and potions for sale, they gain practical experience in entrepreneurship—a fundamental concept in Montessori education, cultivating leadership and independence.

In a world where securing consistent funding while delivering top-rated programs can be challenging, organizations often face the dilemma of compromising on their facilities. This was true for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Arizona, serving Prescott and Prescott Valley. The City donated a building for the Prescott Valley location, which underwent significant renovations, including the addition of a new gymnasium. However, the remaining program space was glaringly inadequate for daily activities and had capacity limitations. Recognizing the need for improvement, the visionary CEO engaged Pat Leach to help reimagine a space that would be worthy of the youth relying on the Club’s programs.

As a result of the Club’s visioning process, the space was completely renovated, and a capital campaign was launched. Every square inch was thoughtfully evaluated to ensure that all areas served multiple purposes, effectively stewarding the available resources. During discussions, the team identified an underutilized and unattractive outdoor area, which was easily visible from key parts of the Club. This led to the conception of an outdoor theater, allowing youth to showcase their talents. Today, this transformed space fosters creativity and innovation among the children, enhancing their overall experience at the Club.