Tickets on Sale for 2021 SBCO Home Tour
Nancy McCluskey-Moore
The 2021 SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO) home tour, which will focus on remodeled homes, will be held on Saturday, Nov. 13. The 2018 and 2019 tours were so well received (the 2020 tour was cancelled due to the pandemic), the events committee decided to host two showings of the 2021 homes: 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. When tickets are purchased, buyers will need to indicate which showing (morning or afternoon) they will attend.
The seven homes selected for the tour offer SaddleBrooke residents an opportunity to see how their neighbors have adapted their homes for “open concept” living, improved storage, or additional space to accommodate their hobbies or guests. Tour tickets will only be sold to SaddleBrooke and SaddleBrooke Ranch residents.
This event helps provide funding for SBCO programs that provide food, clothing, and educational opportunities for children in local communities. Our Kid’s Closet and Teen Closet programs, as well as our annual food drive, and many educational grants and college scholarships make a significant difference in the lives of thousands of children and their families.
Tickets go on sale at 9 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 11 at the SBCO office at Suite L in the SaddleBrooke business complex. Tickets are $20 each and may be purchased using cash, check, or credit card.
The events committee is looking for volunteers who can serve as docents in the tour homes. If you would like to participate in this upcoming event, please send an email to Heidi Wagner at [email protected].
Shred Old Paperwork
Nancy McCluskey-Moore
Bring your outdated paper files to the Shredding and Recycling Event on Saturday, Oct. 30, from 9 a.m. to noon (or until the truck is full). The event, hosted by Long Realty-Golder Ranch, SaddleBrooke Community Outreach, and the Beacon Foundation, will be held on the SaddleBrooke One bocce ball courts.
All documents are put into containers at the drop-off site to protect your privacy. The containers are locked and transported to the Beacon facility for shredding. In addition to documents, only computer hard drives, which may still be inside computers or laptops, will be accepted for donation/recycling.
To ensure proper social distancing during the pandemic, please load items to be shredded or recycled into your car trunk or the back of your SUV. Be sure to wear a mask while in the drop-off area and stay in your vehicle. For each bag or box of items delivered for shredding or recycling, please bring $5 or five cans of food. All donations of cash or food will benefit the Tri-Community Food Bank and the Beacon Group.
For more information, contact Long Realty at 15250 N. Oracle Road, #110 or 520-665-4200.
Betty Ryan serves with Bob Wample as the co-chair of the annual SBCO Food Drive in SaddleBrooke Ranch.
SaddleBrooke Ranch Resident is a Committed Volunteer
Nancy McCluskey-Moore
Betty Ryan moved to SaddleBrooke Ranch from Mukilteo, Wash. (located 16 miles north of Seattle), five years ago. Today she serves on the SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO) Board of Directors as co-director of membership.
Betty’s work as an SBCO volunteer started four years ago when she began helping fellow SaddleBrooke Ranch resident Bob Wample with the SBCO annual Food Drive. This event helps fund the Tri-Community Food Bank in Mammoth. Over the years, the support of Ranch residents has become vital to the overall success of the Food Drive. Last year, combined donations from Ranch and SaddleBrooke residents reached a record-breaking $226,000!
During the past four years, Betty has also volunteered for the annual Adopt-a-Family program. “I really enjoy supporting the Adopt-a-Family program,” Betty says. “Knowing that less fortunate children and their families will have a holiday celebration with gifts and special food is very meaningful. For most of these children and families, that otherwise would not be possible. The first year I volunteered, we delivered gifts to the school the Ranch works with. The happiness and smile on the face of our school representative when she saw all the gifts and food was irreplaceable. She said she was overwhelmed with gratitude for the children of these families. This sort of response just makes you feel warm all over.”
According to Betty, volunteering has provided her with significant benefits, including meeting new people and the good feeling that comes from knowing she has helped children have a little better life now and hopefully a better start for the future.
She tells others, “Volunteering is one of the most rewarding things you will ever do. You will get back at least 10-fold what you put into it because the folks you help are so appreciative.”
SBCO provides many volunteer opportunities for SaddleBrooke Ranch residents. Visit community-outreach.org/Volunteers for more information.
Ani Roberts received an SBCO scholarship for her undergraduate studies and is now receiving a scholarship to help finance her PharmD degree.
SBCO is Proud of Its Scholarship Program Graduates
Ron Andrea
The SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO) Scholarship Program uses a team of volunteers to select local college scholarship students based on financial need, academic performance, and community service. Each student in a four-year degree program is awarded $1,500 per semester and students enrolled in a two-year degree program are awarded $750 per semester. The scholarships remain in effect as long as students carry a full load of classes and maintain the required grade point average.
Recently, SBCO has awarded a limited number of graduate school scholarships to students who have opted to continue their education but continue to need financial assistance. One of those students is Ani Robles. She writes:
“I graduated from San Manuel Jr./Sr. High School in 2014, which was also when I was awarded the SaddleBrooke Community Outreach Scholarship. Since then, I have received a Bachelor of Science in physiology with a minor in biochemistry and am currently in my second year at the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy, pursuing a PharmD degree. The Community Outreach Program supported me through undergrad and graciously extended their support with my graduate program. This enabled me to focus more on my education, as it lessened my financial burden. It also encouraged me to keep my grades up in order to maintain eligibility, and I currently have a 3.8 GPA. Knowing the Community Outreach Program believed in me gave me the courage to persevere when school got stressful. I want to thank everyone involved in the program not only for all they’ve done for me, but also all they do for the community. This program has been a blessing and I will be forever grateful.”
In 2019, SBCO created the Scholarship Endowment Program to increase funding for students like Ani. The beauty of the endowment is that only the earnings on donations are used for scholarships. In this way, the amount donated lasts forever and continues to grow and provide funding for students for generations to come.
All contributions to the endowment fund must be made payable to the Community Foundation of Southern Arizona (CFSA) and designated for the “SBCO Scholarship Endowment Fund.” (CFSA’s Tax ID is 94-2681765.) The minimum contribution to the fund is $5,000.
Tax-deductible donations can be made any of four ways:
* A personal check—sent directly to CFSA—made payable to Community Foundation of Southern Arizona with “SBCO Endowment” in the memo line.
* A distribution from your IRA to CFSA—for the SBCO Scholarship Endowment Fund.
* Include CFSA as the manager of the SBCO Scholarship Endowment Fund as a beneficiary in your trust or estate plan.
* In-kind contributions (e.g., stock, securities, real estate, autos).
Send donations to:
The Community Foundation of Southern Arizona
SBCO Scholarship Endowment Fund
5049 E. Broadway, Suite 201
Tucson, AZ 85711
For more information, send an email to [email protected] or call the SBCO office at 520-825-3302.
Local Students’ Education Enriched by SBCO Grants
Nancy McCluskey-Moore
The SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO) Education Committee receives grant requests from local schools and community organizations to support programs that provide educational and recreational opportunities for local students. Every grant request is reviewed to ensure funds will be used effectively and provide significant benefit to students.
In July, SBCO approved two grant requests for the 2021–22 school year: one to support the Oracle Preschool Program and the other for a Discovery Time program in the Miami Unified School District.
The Oracle Preschool Program was awarded a grant of $10,000 to help provide 35 to 50 3- to 4-year-old children residing in Oracle, Mammoth, San Manuel, and the Eagle Crest housing development with early childhood education. This program runs from Aug. 15, 2021, through May 23, 2022, and students are evaluated in the fall and spring to assess the benefit received from the program. This grant is a renewal and provides funding for five children at $200 per month over 10 months. Other funding for the program is provided by donations, a county grant, and fundraising by the Oracle School Foundation.
The Discovery Time grant to Miami Unified School District (MUSD) and Lee Kornegay Intermediate School of $15,000 helps fund a new educational program for students in grades 3 through 5. The program’s concept is to provide opportunities to use skills across the curriculum using applied learning. Mathematical calculations and vocabulary will be incorporated into all instruction modules. Robotics kits purchased by the district will be used, with the assistance of high school robotics program advisors, to apply science concepts. Recorders will be purchased to enhance the music instruction provided by MUSD. Recipe use, cooking, and gardening are also potential modules. Community advisors and business partners have agreed to develop interest modules. All students in the school will be invited to participate on a weekly basis and journal about their experiences. MUSD and the school will cover all overhead costs associated with the program, along with facilities and compensation for teacher time spent developing and implementing instruction modules. The teacher cost paid by MUSD is approximately $15,932 for the 32-week program. The SBCO grant will cover $12,000 in program supplies and $3,000 in stipends for program advisors.