Donna Pedota and Dale Farland
Mother Nature delivered perfect weather for the Garden Party at the beautiful back yard of SaddleBrooke Ranch (SBR) residents George and Melody Van Ess. The Iris were blooming and everyone attending thoroughly enjoyed the music provided by SBR resident Mike Holper, who donated his talent for this delightful event.
Melody and George Van Ess once again graciously hosted this incredible event showcasing their yard. It was a fundraiser for the Oracle Schools Foundation (OSF). The members of the OSF board are grateful for their continued support of OSF over these past several years. OSF’s mission is to provide free KinderPrep (preschool) to the 3- and 4-year–old children of Oracle. Mt. Vista Elementary school is a Title I school, meaning that the majority of the students are low income, and amilies do not have the financial means to pay for preschool.
It is important to note that this event raised $3,720 including the 50/50 raffle (winners Ron Jollo and Maurine Cate donated their winnings back to OSF). The amount raised by this event helped to fund the scholarships for almost two children. This is so important because the children of Oracle need this KinderPrep program to help them be successful in their future school years.
Volunteering their time helping throughout the evening were SBR residents Debbie Christie, Lynn Zoyiopoulos and Lisa Kennedy. Thank you.
Every year at the OSF fundraiser Gala in March, there are “Fixed Price “ events (everything from dinners to musical events in back yards) such as this garden party. People purchase a “Fixed Price” ticket to an event. Over the years, all the events have been at SaddleBrooke. The Oracle Schools Foundation Board appreciates Melody and George Van Ess for hosting this event for the second year. They are the first and only ”Fixed Price” event held at SaddleBrooke Ranch to help OSF. We would like to encourage other SBR residents to host such events to help raise money to fund KinderPrep scholarships.
Let’s show our support and do more events at SaddleBrooke Ranch. It is very easy to do. If you would like to host such an event or know someone who might be interested, please contact Donna Pedota at 651-260-1060 or Donna.Pedota@gmail.com, or Dale Farland at 563-940-3922 or Lesdalejef@aol.com. We can answer any questions and offer advice.