Several years ago, as a friend went through a divorce, Denise Jones heard about Fresh Start Women’s Resource Center, where her friend turned to for legal help.

The Fresh Start Women's Foundation is hosting a career fair on Nov. 8. The event will take place at the Jewell McFarland Lewis Women's Resource Center located on 1130 E. McDowell Rd. in Phoenix from noon to 4 p.m.

The Fresh Start Women's Foundation is hosting a career fair on Nov. 8. The event will take place at the Jewell McFarland Lewis Women's Resource Center located on 1130 E. McDowell Rd. in Phoenix from noon to 4 p.m.

Cup O' Karma is doing more than selling coffee at the shop that opened in June. It is also offering a new start for the women who run it. The people working the counters and whipping up organic cups of coffee are residents and volunteers with a local nonprofit agency that helps women escape domestic violence and sexual abuse.

A woman running for president. A renewed debate over abortion rights. A U.S. Supreme Court case over equal pay. East Valley feminists say these events indicate a political climate ripe for activism.

Mother’s Day is an important time of year at Fresh Start Women’s Foundation. We value moms in the highest regard and know they need to be taken care of. We believe that if you support the mom — with counseling, career services, legal assistance, higher education — you support not only that woman, but her family as well. If we can keep our moms confident, positive, and moving forward in their lives, their entire family will be impacted in a positive way.

The answers to some prayers come upholstered — in florals, in orange fabric, in black leather. And Jim and Donna Piscopo, working out of an old meatpacking plant in west Mesa, help bring those answers to people in need of a fresh start — and a fresh apartment.

Fresh Start Women's Foundation in Phoenix is reminding everyone that October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, one in four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime and 85 percent of all domestic violence victims are women.

Fresh Start Women's Foundation in Phoenix is reminding everyone that October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, one in four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime and 85 percent of all domestic violence victims are women.

Fresh Start Women's Foundation has partnered with WellCare Foundation to bring a health and wellness event to the Valley on Feb. 4. The free event will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Fresh Start's Jewell McFarland Lewis Women's Resource Center, 1130 E. McDowell Road in Phoenix.

Fresh Start Women's Foundation has partnered with WellCare Foundation to bring a health and wellness event to the Valley on Feb. 4. The free event will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Fresh Start's Jewell McFarland Lewis Women's Resource Center, 1130 E. McDowell Road in Phoenix.

Linda Hunt, CEO of Dignity Health Arizona, and Dr. Jack Dillenberg, dean of the Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health (ASDOH) at A.T. Still University in Mesa, have been named the East Valley Man and Woman of the Year by East Valley Fresh Start.

Dave Barry once said, "A person who is nice to you, but rude to a waiter, is not a nice person." As one who spends a lot of time scribbling in coffee joints and restaurant nooks, I can tell you this is one of the most astute character observations ever made.

The Fresh Start Women’s Foundation East Valley Center has started offering one-on-one career coaching sessions for women. The sessions are conducted by professionals who can help with career guidance, resume writing, interviewing skills and job searching. The coaching is available at 3 p.m. July 12, 13, 20, 26 and 27. Also, an interviewing techniques workshop will take place 1 to 3 p.m. July 26. The services are provided at the East Valley Institute of Technology, 1601 W. Main St., Mesa. Call (602) 261-7161 to confirm availability or to preregister for the workshop. For more information, visit phoenix.wehelpwomen.com

The women in the Matrix Model drug treatment program know about meth on the reservation. The drug took away their children, brought crime and death into their homes and threatened to take over their lives.

The women in the Matrix Model drug treatment program know about meth on the reservation. The drug took away their children, brought crime and death into their homes and threatened to take over their lives. But the Gila River Indian Community residents are working to regain control and to reach out to others. On Wednesday, they volunteered at the Gila River Behavioral Health Authority’s first methamphetamine conference. And they are speaking out.

Fresh Start Women’s Foundation has partnered with Paradise Valley Community College for the second year to offer a small business start-up certificate to support education and training in management, marketing, finance, internet marketing and general business. This certification is designed for those who wish to become entrepreneurs.

More than $80,000 was raised during the Fresh Start Women’s Foundation’s annual “A Night of Heroes” held last week. The event at the Hilton Phoenix East/Mesa in Mesa included a silent auction, dinner, live auction and presentation of the 2012 East Valley Man and Woman of the Year. This year’s honorees were Dr. Jack Dillenberg of A.T. Still University and Linda Hunt of Dignity Health Arizona. More than 300 people attended.

Calling all Arizona women looking for a fresh start at life: You could be the next star of the television reality show "Starting Over."

Massages, facials, chocolate and charity. This summer, the Phoenix-based Fresh Start Women’s Foundation teamed up with six local spas for a summerlong fundraiser called the “Summer Spaaah Series.”

PALO ALTO, Calif. - Arizona State was knocking around 14th-ranked Stanford inside — and out— for most of the game, but the 15th-ranked Sun Devils could never put the Cardinal away.