Arizona motorists now have four new choices to show their support for community organizations while on the roadways and highways. Thunderbirds Charities, Arizona 4-H, Arizona Education and Congenital Heart Defect Awareness plates are available, along with many other options to display what is important to you.

Placing a specialty license plate on your car can be a fun way to show off your fandom, interests and past experiences. Did you know that specialty plates also raise money for charities in Arizona?

That’s right, for most specialty plates, $17 of the $25 initial application and annual renewal fees goes straight to charity. In fact, nearly 740,000 specialty plates helped generate more than $12 million for charitable causes across Arizona in the past 12 months.

Some of the most popular specialty license plates include:

     1. Veterans

     2. First Responders

     3. Arizona Cardinals

     4. Arizona Highways

     5. Military Support/Freedom 

In fact, the Veterans, First Responder, Arizona Cardinals and Arizona Highways plates each generated more than $1 million in revenue this past fiscal year.

To order a specialty plate and support a great cause, visit azmvdnow.gov, an MVD office or Authorized Third-Party office.

2023 might feel like a long way away, but it’ll be here quickly. Join the 1.65 million Arizonans who have already upgraded to the Arizona Travel ID. 

Now, we do understand this might seem a bit… repetitive. This date has changed before. Please understand that this is a federal program and the implementation has been affected, like so much else, by the events of the past two years. But when the time finally comes, you want to be prepared because without a federally-approved ID, you won’t be able to fly commercially or get into federal buildings.

Beginning May 3, 2023, you will need a federally-compliant credential -- like the Arizona Travel ID -- to get past TSA checkpoints at airports for domestic flights. This credential is distinguished by a gold star in the upper right corner and is available to Arizona residents as a driver license or identification card.  

You can also walk into an MVD office for this service, but we suggest scheduling an appointment and that can be done online at azmvdnow.gov. Even if you haven’t activated your AZ MVD NOW account, you can still schedule a Travel ID appointment. 

Because the Arizona Travel ID is compliant with the federal standards, you will need to provide extra documentation like a birth certificate, social security number and proof of Arizona residency.

More information, and a full list of qualifying documents are available at azdot.gov/TravelID

For ADOT Condemnation Team Leader Ron Middlebrook, the Old MVD Building was more than just a place where Right of Way records were stored.

He became intrigued about the building’s history during his frequent visits to manage documents from 2005 until 2018 when files were relocated because the Old MVD Building on 17th Avenue in Phoenix, was closed due to fire safety issues.

Middlebrook’s interest didn’t stop then. In fact, he decided to write a report about the Old MVD Building as a way to celebrate its centennial in 2021.

When he began his quest in 2018, he planned to write about 10 to 20 pages. But it turned into a labor of love, resulting in a 342- page report. “Report on the Old MVD Building: Its First 100 Years” is posted on the Arizona State Library’s Arizona Memory Project web page.

Extensive research

Middlebrook did most of his research on his own time. He pored over thousands of old photos and documents from the ADOT archives, Arizona State Archives, Maricopa County Assessor, city of Phoenix and more.

He combed through prior issues of Arizona Highways magazines and newsletters, and The Arizona Republic and its predecessor, the Arizona Republican. To help fill in gaps, he spoke to long-time ADOT employees like Hazardous Materials Coordinator Ed Green, who has worked at ADOT for over 50 years.

Since there was no funding to print the historical photos, Middlebrook paid for them at his own expense.

“When I saw all of these undeveloped negatives with such great images in ADOT’s photo archive, I knew that my report would not be complete without them,” Middlebrook said. “I'm still stunned that the old negatives with images from the 1920s were still as good as they are.”

Most of the report is filled with historic photos showing the building’s expansions and the employees who worked there spanning decades.

Middlebrook enjoyed creating then-and-now comparisons of the interior and exterior of the building.

“I enjoyed standing in places depicted in old photos and looking at how those places had changed and why,” he added.

Right of Way Titles Manager Steven Channer praised Middlebrook’s comprehensive report.

“Ron has always been a font of detailed critical knowledge. His attention to detail, and his ability to break down complicated and complex concepts into easily understandable terms shows through on this report,” he added.

On February 14, while most of us are occupied with candy hearts and heart-shaped boxes of chocolates, the Donor Network of Arizona keeps its focus on the real thing.

That’s because February 14 is also National Donor Day -- Happy Valventine's Day! -- making it a good time to remind the public that more than 75% of recovered heart valves go to pediatric patients, like Heather. Tissue donation, which includes heart valves, heals thousands of patients every year. Heather was 9 years old when she had her second open-heart surgery, a transplant that included heart valves. She’s now a high-school senior and looks forward to serving her community as an organ and tissue donation advocate.

“Losing a loved one is beyond tragic,” said Julia Young, Donor Network of Arizona spokesperson. “But knowing and fulfilling your loved one’s decision to save lives can be incredibly healing. Registering as an organ donor saves grief-stricken family members from having to make that important decision.”

For nearly two decades, ADOT MVD and Donor Network of Arizona have partnered to educate people about organ and tissue donation and make it easy to register. Today, more than 4.2 million Arizonans are registered donors and about 95% of donor registrations occur when a person applies for or renews their Arizona driver license or state ID card.

Though millions of Arizonans are on the donor registry, it’s vital that people continue to sign up to be donors. Fewer than 1% of registered donors ever become organ donors and so the need for organs to save lives remains great.

Visit DonateLifeAZ.org to learn more about organ and tissue donation and register as a donor.

For months, Alyssa Williams was asked, over and over, when the Code Talker license plate she designed would be available.

Finally, she can answer, “Now.”

In December, ADOT’s Motor Vehicle Division made available 15 new specialty license plates, including one devoted to American Indian Code Talkers. In August 2020, Williams, who is Navajo, was voted the winner of a contest that selected the winning design for the Arizona Code Talker specialty license plate.

“This seal was created to show appreciation for the dedication and bravery of the Navajo Code Talkers,” Williams said. “The Code Talkers demonstrated the efficiency and force of the Navajo language under pressure during World War II. They are an inspiration to my culture and our nation's history. They are respected heroes. And using my artistic ability and passion to create pieces of art that give recognition to the indigenous community gives my art so much meaning and power. Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of something so purposeful.”

Williams’ design won a contest hosted by the Governor’s Office on Tribal Relations that aimed to “design a seal to reflect the historical and unique contributions made by the Code Talkers” of many tribal nations.

“Designing a graphic to honor the legacy of the Navajo Code Talkers is a huge responsibility,” said Kristine FireThunder, Executive Director of the Governor’s Office on Tribal Relations. “Rather than approach a well known artist it was more appropriate to creatively challenge native youth and reintroduce this significant point in history to a new generation.”

When Williams, pictured in the accompanying photo, entered the contest, she was a student at Flagstaff High School. Fast-forward to today, she recently completed her first semester at Laguna College of Art and Design, where she’s majoring in Graphic Design and Digital Media. Now that the specialty license plate will be placed on vehicles, she hopes people that see it will spend a moment for reflection.

“I hope they appreciate it and look at the art and it catches their eye,” she said. “Everyone should know about the Code Talkers, all they sacrificed and their bravery.”

More information about American Indian Code Talkers can be found in this collection at The National Museum of the American Indian.

To view and order any specialty plate, visit azmvdnow.gov. Most specialty plates cost $25 upon initial application, of which $17 goes to a designated charitable organization. Personalization can be added for an additional $25 per year.

Specialty plates are authorized by the Arizona legislature and have been offered since 1989. Authorized plate designs complete a review by ADOT and law enforcement. In all, there are more than 80 license plate options for Arizona motorists.

Dave Alford has been around rodeo nearly his entire life. Now 68 years old, Alford, the general manager of Rodeo Scottsdale, was instrumental in the creation of the Arizona Rodeo specialty license plate.

While Alford expects many rodeo fans to get the specialty plate, he expects many might order more than one Arizona Rodeo plate.

“From fans to contestants, there are many people that will get this plate and they’ll all be helping a good cause,” he said. “And rodeo people haul a lot of things. I’ve already heard from people who say they’re going to put the rodeo plate on their trailers.”

The Arizona Rodeo specialty plate, which became available in December 2021, costs $25 upon initial application and $17 from each plate goes to promote, educate and preserve the history of rodeo in Arizona. And there’s a lot of rodeo history in Arizona. Alford pointed out that the two oldest rodeos in the world -- Payson’s World’s Oldest Continuous Rodeo and Prescott’s World’s Oldest Rodeo -- are in Arizona, and rodeos in Scottsdale, Tucson and Yuma have occurred for nearly a combined 250 years.

“There’s a lot of history of rodeo in Arizona and we wanted to put it on a license plate and share it,” said Dave Alford, general manager of Rodeo Scottsdale. “From fans to contestants, there are many people that will get this plate and they’ll all be helping a good cause.”

To view and order any specialty plate, visit azmvdnow.gov. Most specialty plates cost $25 upon initial application, of which $17 goes to a designated charitable organization. Personalization can be added for an additional $25 per year.

Specialty plates are authorized by the Arizona legislature and have been offered since 1989. Authorized plate designs complete a review by ADOT and law enforcement. In all, there are more than 80 license plate options for Arizona motorists.

Helping more veterans and their communities: That's the goal of two new specialty plates for Veterans of Foreign Wars and Veterans of Foreign Wars Arizona Auxiliary. These plates were among 15 that new specialty plates that became available for purchase in December.

Proceeds from sales of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) plate, according to past state commander Tom Judd, will pay for more service officers, who help veterans get benefits they've earned.

The idea for a VFW-specific plate, Judd said, first came in 2019 after he bought a different specialty plate for veterans. During a VFW budget meeting not long after, someone floated the idea of a VFW-specific plate.

"We thought, 'Hey, we sure could use $17 of every plate sale,'" Judd said. "We have 23,000 members. If just half of them purchased a VFW plate, that's thousands more dollars available for service officers throughout Arizona."

"There are 600,000 veterans in Arizona," he added, "and we have three service officers for the state. We'd like to have at least one in Flagstaff, Kingman, Yuma and Tucson."

Around the same time, the first steps toward creating a VFW  Auxuliary Arizona specialty plate were occurring. Melody Judd, VFW Auxiliary Department of Arizona Program Coordinator and past president, said that she's grateful this plate is now available. Proceeds from the specialty plate will help to provide many services for veterans and their families.

"For example, the VFW Auxiliary provides high-school seniors with scholarships; we also put on homecomings and sendoffs for military members and their families," Judd said. "Proceeds from plate sales could increase the amounts we can budget for those. The VFW Auxiliary also does community outreach with other groups. Proceeds from plate sales will also increase the amount we can give to those efforts."

To view and order any specialty plate, visit azmvdnow.gov. Most specialty plates cost $25 upon initial application, of which $17 goes to a designated charitable organization. Personalization can be added for an additional $25 per year.