Pat Petznick grew up on five acres at 47th Avenue and Bethany Home Road, once considered “out in the country.” There was nothing around, not even a grocery store. Her dad had a cattle business, and his feedlot stood right behind their little wood-frame house. Pat shared a room with her sister Beverly, her best friend. Their mother made their clothes and taught the girls how to cook.
“I came from humble beginnings; we didn’t necessarily have it to give, but my parents were thoughtful, generous people and they set a wonderful example. I remember my father giving people money for groceries or taking children of employees shopping for toys,” recalls Pat.
Pat and her sister would go on to lead tremendously influential lives founding Fresh Start, an organization that provides access and resources helping women achieve self-sufficiency.
“Through our award-winning Impact Program, Fresh Start offers focused programs, services, access to training and education, as well as employment and career services to help women reach their personal and professional goals,” she says.
As our November issue is all about gratitude and giving, we thought it fitting to connect with Pat who vows to continue her late sister’s legacy.
Here’s our Q&A with the Valley’s queen of philanthropy.
Tell us about your early days working in the salon and providing makeovers for people… what did that mean to you and your clients?
“Fresh Start at Rolf’s” was an opportunity for the entire salon to embrace the concept of helping women who were struggling. In those days, more than 30 years ago, there were few programs available. Everyone on staff took pride in their role and our clients appreciated what we were doing. It became an instrumental part of our internal culture, and I was exceedingly proud.
In 1992, you and your sister sought to start Fresh Start Women’s Foundation. Talk us through its conception.
I always knew I wanted to do something to help women. When Beverly and I became part owners of Rolf’s, this paved way for us to achieve that dream.
Upon learning that we were seeking to start a program of this nature, Arizona’s First Lady Ann Symington suggested working with Harriet “Hank” Barnes who headed the Governor’s Office on Domestic Violence Prevention. She introduced us to the Arizona Coalition for Displaced Homemakers which provided the foundation of women to serve through our monthly workshops. Through our initial fundraisers, we raised money to financially support the agencies within the coalition. None of us could have envisioned where we’re at now these decades later.
Your initial start was personally and professionally reaching out to women in need offering a day of pampering each month at the salon you co-owned. How did you feel fueling these women with confidence?
I was filled with pride when our first class of women completed their “Fresh Start at Rolf’s.” Everything about our initial concept for this program was a win. We involved our stylists and their assistants to provide the services. The women invited to speak each month loved the creative concept and opportunity. It was women helping women at its finest.
Later that year, Fresh Start Women’s Foundation was officially born. Do you have a particular memory that sticks out from the early years of the Foundation?
The strategy in building the founding board is standout for me. I clearly remember the excitement of doing research in identifying our first chair and our first board members. Several of the women involved from our earliest days are still active today.
In your eyes, how has the Foundation evolved over the past 30 years?
We’ve evolved thoughtfully, strategically and with relevance. We navigated through the Covid and launched Fresh Start on a renewed trajectory for our next decade and beyond. We have forged new partnerships with our corporate community and state leaders offering new and exciting opportunities for women to achieve self-sufficiency.
The Foundation recently released the book “The Fresh Start Story.” What does this book mean to you?
I am grateful that our story is captured forever in such detail. I find it quite remarkable. One realizes in reading the book that the very core of Fresh Start was done by volunteers.
Tell us about the Petznick Education Center.
I am proud of everything represented through the Petznick Education Center. It is an outward expression of my family’s involvement in Fresh Start. My sons and their wives have been part of the mission from the very beginning. My granddaughters formed a youth arm of Fresh Start in our early days… and my granddaughters-in-law are on the auxiliary board today. We are teed up for a fourth generation of family to continue carrying on the mission. The Education Center is a hub for everything that happens at Fresh Start.
How do you hope to continue your sister’s legacy?
Maintaining a laser focus on program delivery was always very important to Beverly. She was instrumental in forming our mentoring program which continues to evolve. We aim to stay true to our first mission statement in 1992: women helping women help themselves.
What’s your favorite quote?
“Follow your dream.”
If you could choose one song to motto your life and/or Foundation, what would it be?
The “Wind Beneath My Wings” because of all the heroes in our community who have come together to build and support my lifelong dream. Those involved would say the courageous women we serve are truly the wind beneath our wings.
For over three decades, Fresh Start has supported more than 60,000 Arizona women, serving approximately 4,000 women each year. FreshStartWomen.org
"We aim to stay true to our first mission statement in 1992: women helping women help themselves."