A smile you couldn’t help but return, a bag covered with pictures of her grandchildren, bright colors that matched her outlook on life, but most of all...an incredible, all-encompassing love for her work and the children and families who came to Bal Swan Children’s Center. These are the things I will remember about Marlene Politzer. These were her daily gifts and will remain her legacy for all of us.
Marlene was much more than a teacher. And yet the lessons she taught us will serve us and our community well. She was an innovator. At a time when special needs children were often treated as second-class, Marlene saw the benefit for them as well as for typical children to be in a classroom where they could interact and learn from one another. She was a no-nonsense business woman. As the Executive Director of Bal Swan, she knew how to take the successes of the Center to the community in order to help grow the program, creating more achievements for more children and families. She was a role model. Her passion for her work, her love of life, her fair, open-mindedness are lessons for us all.
Marlene gave many lasting gifts to her family, the children and families who came to Bal Swan, and her community. But in the end, the best gift she gave to all of us was, simply, herself.
--Barbara Pingrey, Foothills United Way President/CEO
