Gathering Grounds is a popular cafe in Patagonia, Arizona that provides quality food and service to the community and visitors to the region. Their menu features organic, locally roasted espresso and coffee, and a large variety of homemade sandwiches, soups, fresh baked goods as well as vegan and gluten-free options.

Audrey Doles, owner and operator of Gathering Grounds, supported Mat Bevel Company during its 2021 fundraiser because education is important to her. She said, “When I see this many children excited about science and math, I have no other choice but to offer my support!” Audrey is a Governing Board Member of the Patagonia Elementary School District. 

Owner of Gathering Grounds Audrey Doles with two of her three children on campus at Patagonia Elementary School.

When Audrey was 14, she worked for the then-owner of Gathering Grounds, Jenna Haugaard. She used to tell Jenna that when she grew up, she was going to buy Gathering Grounds, because she loved the cafe so much! Her dream came true in 2011, when Audrey and her husband, Brandon, purchased Gathering Grounds. 

Audrey’s family has deep roots in the Patagonia area. Her dad’s family was one of the first home setters in Elgin, a small community near Patagonia. Her grandpa and both of her parents attended Patagonia Schools. And so did Audrey and her siblings. Today, two of her children attend Patagonia Elementary School. 

Audrey loves art and creativity, so she volunteers in the Art Room at the school. One day when she was walking the kids from the Art Room to The Creative STEM Club, she learned how much they loved the creative activities in The Universe Within. 

More fresh cookies coming out from the kitchen at Gathering Grounds!

The common thread between Gathering Grounds and Mat Bevel Company is a commitment to serving the community for the better. She supports organizations that she believes in, and even more so when they are a local entity. She feels that one of the biggest things we are missing in this world right now is kindness, understanding, and compassion.  

Gathering Grounds, located at 319 McKeown Avenue, Patagonia, AZ, is open 7:30 to 2:30 seven days a week, offering a full service breakfast and lunch menu. 

MBC sponsor Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative’s Washington Youth Tour provides an opportunity for high school juniors to take an all-expense-paid week-long trip to see our nation’s capital.

Voted a 5-Star Electric Co-Op for 2019-2020, Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative (SSVEC) is a not- for-profit, member-owned distribution cooperative providing electricity to more than 60,000 services over some 4,100 miles of energized line. The cooperative’s service territory covers parts of Cochise, Graham, Pima and Santa Cruz counties in Southern Arizona. As with any cooperative member-driven entity, SSVEC is dedicated to community growth, quality of life and a positive vision for the future.

Marcus Harston, Community Relations & Youth Program Coordinator for SSVEC, manages three youth programs for the Cooperative: YES Fair, Washington Youth Tour and a Scholarship Program. He also oversees the Surge Protection Program, as well as coordinating events and product sales.

SSVEC supported Mat Bevel Company this year as a sponsor because of programs that empower youth to excel academically, emotionally and professionally. Delivering programs to local communities is a priority for both organizations. “Teachers or students should not have to drive hours to participate in programs, courses and training,” Marcus said. “This limits the number of students and teachers in rural areas who can attend.”

SSVEC’s YES fair is one of three regional science fairs that’s affiliated with the International Science and Engineering Fair. The Washington Youth Tour provides an opportunity for high school juniors to take an all-expense-paid week-long trip to see our nation’s capital and visit with our representatives and senators in Washington D.C. The Scholarship Program provides thirty $3,000 scholarships to students in SSVEC’s service area.

“These programs provide activities and opportunities for our rural members and families members,” Marcus said. “Much of what we do now is the result of either a national program or a need that our members worked with SSVEC to establish.”

In the future, SSVEC would like to provide a science camp during the summer for YES Fair teachers and students with a focus on STEM. Programs like “The Universe Within” world-building curriculum are in line with future goals of the YES Fairs student development ideas.

2019 SSVEC YES Fair Grand Prize Winner Megan Fox pictured with Advisor Beverly Adams.

“Our students at the YES Fair have presented many outstanding projects such as an electric jet engine, a portable solar water purifier and cyber security software,” said Marcus. “Many project ideas were based on needs in their communities or situations they found interesting. The teachers encourage students to do much of their own research online or interview people in the community.”

Marcus believes that what we put into our communities—the education of our students, and their activities—funds our future. He’s always pleasantly surprised when he meets someone who participated in one of SSVEC’s youth programs whose kids are also participating in these programs today.  “We have a teacher at Buena High School who won the grand prize at the YES Fair when she was in high school. Now she’s teaching at Buena and her student won grand prize last year,” he said.

Marcus encourages young people to follow their passion. “Who you are isn’t decided by where you live or what you see! Your dreams tell you a direction to follow, your research and education show you the path to follow, and passion will drive you there.”​

MBC sponsor Eric Herman collecting data on the Desert Tortoise in the Sonoran Desert near Lake Pleasant, AZ.

Eric Herman formally launched his biology career in 2004 when he became an environmental planner/biologist for an engineering and environmental company in Phoenix, AZ. But his passion for biology and nature began at a very early age when his family, who lived in a suburb of Chicago, would take backpacking trips out West.

Even in the big city, Eric had an affinity towards nature. He says, “I was always drawn to nature. Outside of Chicago there were ravines running into Lake Michigan. They were like big canyons. I was attracted to the mystery of nature. I would run around and explore rocks, water, birds, trees and plants. I’d see man-made and nature-made objects. In a word, I saw adventure! This set my pattern in life.”

Eric lives between Sonoita and Patagonia, Arizona. He gives to several local nonprofits, donating both his time and financial resources, because he believes that helping, giving and sharing is what keeps the system growing.

It was partly Mat Bevel Company’s (MBC) work with children that prompted Eric to recently become a sponsor. “Children are our future,” he says. “Any changes we need to make as a community come through educating our children. Mat Bevel Company does this in a super creative way that’s different. These kids may not even realize what creative problem-solving skills they’re learning until they’re older, but those skills will be vital to their success and ours as a society.”

Eric received his Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from Ripon College in a small Wisconsin town. He received his Master’s degree in Environmental Planning from Arizona State University and became a resident of the state he fell in love with as a child during visits with his family to the Sonoran Desert.

“I love the Sonoran Desert. She’s a fierce but gentle lover if you pay her your proper respects,” he says. “With the desert, resources are scarce, but she’ll provide enough water, food and shelter if you take the time to learn from her.”

Eric launched his environmental business AtoZec in 2014 first and foremost to share his passion for wildlife. If you ask him what his company’s mission is, he’d say: “Passion. Period.”

He says, “I saw in niche in the market for passion-oriented accurate science. Often decisions are driven from the business end, but I lead my business with passion. I start with no assumptions. This helps me find and implement solutions without biases.”

In his line of work, Eric understands that solutions are always a compromise between the environmental and development. This can only be achieved through communication. He says, “I find ways to communicate so that we can work together. That’s how we solve our problems. You will never solve the worlds’ problems without reaching out and communicating.”

As a scientist, Eric’s sponsorship supports further development and implementation of The Universe Within world-building course. Eric sees the curriculum as the intersection of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with super creative art which is really important to him. He says, “There is a massive artistic side of my brain that’s always trying to speak to me. I feel like an artist when I’m on the land.”

Eric’s Nature Board for the Greater Roadrunner using found-object art from Cochise Stronghold, AZ.

And like MBC founder Ned Schaper, Eric is also a found-object artist: “I enjoy crafting with repurposed wood. I love finding treasures in nature, sometimes in bizarre places. These relics have a story. I may not know the story, but my art provides a window to the past. I call these nature crafts, random projects that become functional walking sticks or decorative items.”

In retirement, Eric has a strong desire to create a wildlife rescue facility. He’s done a lot of raptor rescue volunteer work for Wild At Heart in Phoenix, rescuing and building habitat for raptors that were rescued with the goal of releasing them back into the wild.

Eric also enjoys a simple wonderful lifestyle. He says, “I like to kick back and enjoy the quiet. I like feeding the birds. I try to make sure that I’m living that simple life, keeping the noise low so that I can hear the quiet.”

As far as what advice he’d give young people, he says, “I would say, love your self, love your life and enjoy it. Kids are driven into career and the system too much and too early. If you find what you love, then your career will follow.”