Last Call for SBCO Walk for Kids Registration!
Nancy McCluskey-Moore
The SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO) Walk for Kids (formerly known as The Walkathon) will be held at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29. This SBCO event helps support our programs benefiting youngsters from Catalina to the San Carlos Indian Reservation and the Miami school system. Annually, SBCO touches the lives of approximately 4,000 students through new clothes, backpacks filled with school supplies, college scholarships, contributions to Tri-Community Food Bank, and financial support for a wide range of educational enrichment activities.
Online registration for the 2022 Walk for Kids is available at community-outreach.org. The registration fee of $30 per adult and $10 per child (ages 6 through 18) covers the cost of the T-shirt, snacks, and entertainment. In-person registration using cash or check runs through Oct. 28, every Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. at the SBCO office at Suite L in the Minit-Market Plaza. Registrations received in October are not guaranteed a T-shirt or a shirt in the desired size, but the committee has ordered extra T-shirts in a variety of sizes.
In honor of SBCO’s 25th anniversary, walkers will receive a special commemorative T-shirt, bites and drinks at a “Snack Shack,” and will listen to music provided by Chuck Moses. Participants will also be able to visit booths featuring information about SBCO’s programs and some of its leading business supporters. We’re working to make this a memorable celebration of SBCO’s 25-year history of making a difference in local communities.
T-shirts will be available for pick up at the SBCO office between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 24, through Friday, Oct. 28.
You Can Make a Difference with a Donation to SBCO
Nancy McCluskey-Moore
SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO) provides children with opportunities to succeed by supporting numerous programs that provide food, clothing, and educational opportunities in nearby communities. We serve the “Copper Corridor” of mining towns stretching more than 100 miles from Catalina to Globe.
Our programs include:
Food: Our Annual Food Drive collects funds (and donated food) for the Tri-Community Food Bank, and we deliver holiday food baskets to families in Oracle.
Kids’ Closet: Twice a year, children from pre-K to 8th grade receive new shoes, clothing, and toiletries, plus a backpack filled with grade-appropriate school supplies.
Teen Closet: Twice a year, students from 9th through 12th grade receive a $250 shopping budget for clothing and school supplies. Graduating seniors receive an additional shopping trip to prepare for college or work.
Education Enrichment: Grants are given to schools and community organizations to supplement the school curriculum with instructional experiences in science, math, and the arts, as well as summer school, books, and recreational opportunities.
Scholarships: We grant two- and four-year college scholarships to deserving high school seniors. Students in a two-year program receive $1,500 per year and those in a four-year program receive $3,000.
Adopt-a-Family and Adopt-a-Child: Annually these programs collect funds from SaddleBrooke and SaddleBrooke Ranch residents that volunteers then use to purchase, wrap, and deliver gifts (or gift cards) to families in Oracle, San Manuel, and the parents/guardians of children attending elementary schools in Oracle, San Manuel, Kearny, Winkelman, San Carlos, and Apache Tribal Social Services.
Your financial contribution to SBCO can make a big difference in many children’s lives. Since SBCO is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (Tax ID #86-0843458), all contributions are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. Contributions are also eligible for the Arizona Tax Credit for Contributions to Charities that Provide Assistance to the Working Poor.
Your donation will be acknowledged. If you make a gift on behalf of a friend or family member, in memory of a special person, or in honor of an event or person, an acknowledgement also will be sent to the appropriate person or his/her family.
You can make a secure online donation at community-outreach.org using your credit card or your PayPal account (a PayPal account is not required to make a donation).
A donation can also be made by delivering or sending a check (made payable to SaddleBrooke Community Outreach or SBCO) to: SaddleBrooke Community Outreach, Inc., 63675 E. SaddleBrooke Blvd., Suite L, Tucson, AZ 85739.
On behalf of many local children, we thank you for your support.
Mayor of Superior Praises SaddleBrooke Community Outreach
Nancy McCluskey-Moore
Superior, Ariz., is located about 80 miles north of SaddleBrooke in the “Copper Corridor” of mining towns that stretches north from Oracle to Globe. Superior’s population currently stands at 3,200 and is growing in part because of its proximity to the Valley of the Sun (Mesa is 45 minutes away) and the rise of remote work. Like many mining towns, Superior has ridden the economic ups and downs inherent with that industry. As Superior’s mayor, Mila Besich, a fourth-generation town resident, stated, “Some families are hit so hard with a mining layoff, it’s difficult for them to ever fully recover financially. That’s why we are so grateful for the assistance SaddleBrooke Community Outreach has provided our kids. The pride they have after receiving new clothing is visible. We encourage our kids to feel smart, confident, and know that they have choices for their future. Maybe they will remember how others helped them and one day they will give back.”
Besich, who was recently re-elected to her second four-year term as the town’s mayor, knows first-hand how SaddleBrooke Community Outreach’s (SBCO) scholarship program can benefit students graduating from Superior’s high school. “My son, daughter, and niece have all been awarded SBCO scholarships. That money has helped to pay for expenses associated with their college degrees—which has been a great help to our families.”
While Superior is a small town, it has big plans for the future. Mining is still critical to the town’s economy, and the Town Council actively participated in the completion of a Federal Environmental Impact Statement and worked with Resolution Copper to develop mitigations for any impacts the project may have on Superior, which was a major undertaking. The city has recently expanded from 3 to 12 square miles and is working to grow sustainably, including research and requests for mitigation to allow water back into the Queen Creek watershed to protect the aquifer, and preserve and reserve water. The city recently purchased the original Superior High School with plans to convert it into a municipal complex, including more space for the public library and an air-conditioned exercise facility.
Starting in grade school, Superior youngsters are being introduced to diverse career opportunities at hands-on job fairs, and older students are participating in the Cobra Valley job training program that teaches technical and vocational skills, such as welding. As Besich stated, “We want our kids to know they are capable of achieving great things regardless of the size of their town or school.”
To those who volunteer and donate to SBCO, Besich says, “Thank you, thank you, thank you. And congratulations for a job well done. You are changing lives and helping our children succeed now and well into the future.”
Holidays Made Brighter with Adopt-a-Family Program
Nancy McCluskey-Moore
Since 2007, the SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO) Adopt-a-Family and Adopt-a-Child program has provided hand-picked and carefully wrapped Christmas gifts to local families and Apache children on the San Carlos reservation. The entire program typically assists 111 families in Oracle and San Manuel and 254 Apache children. SaddleBrooke and SaddleBrooke Ranch residents provide the money and volunteer services required to make this program such a rousing success.
The SaddleBrooke Ranch program focuses on the Adopt-a-Family program, providing gifts to families whose children are enrolled in the Mountain Vista School in Oracle. The Adopt-a-Family program in SaddleBrooke Ranch will again be distributing Walmart and Basha’s gift cards, as requested by the school. The gift cards given to parents for purchasing gifts will be restricted—they cannot be used to purchase alcohol, tobacco products, or firearms. Parents will be asked to account for their purchases.
As always, residents of SaddleBrooke Ranch are encouraged to donate to the program. Since SBCO is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (Tax ID #86-0843458), all contributions are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. You can donate online at community-outreach.org or with a check made payable to SaddleBrooke Community Outreach or SBCO.
Checks can be left at the home of either Adopt-a-Family co-chair. If you have questions, please contact them by phone or email:
* Kim Schweitzer, 61162 E. Arbor Basin Road, 516-428-8927, [email protected]
* Betty Ryan, 31710 S. Summerwind Drive, 425-260-4418, [email protected]
Donations are needed by Nov. 15.