Oracle Schools Foundation – January 2025

CS & M Trio Performing February 6

Dale Farland

SaddleBrooke Ranch Residents: Please attend this benefit concert!

Oracle Schools Foundation (OSF) is pleased to announce that CS & M Trio will be performing at the SaddleBrooke Ranch (SBR) Sol Ballroom on Thursday, Feb. 6 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. as a benefit concert. Proceeds of the concert will support the programs that help the children of Oracle at the Mountain Vista K-8 Elementary School.

CS & M trio is a Tucson-based acoustic folk rock group, offering hits from the ’60s, ’70s, and more with humor, energy, and unparalleled three-part harmonies (the band likes to tell people that they are from “L.A.”—Lower Arizona).

The group offers music by America; The Eagles; The Beatles; Jimmy Buffett; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; and a host of other popular musical acts that you will recognize and enjoy. In fact, you can sing along with them as you get into the spirit of this fun evening!

You may have seen CS & M Trio perform at Catalina Craft Pizza and Wildfire Wing Company to full houses. They also are the primary performers of the Tributaries, which performs at the Gaslight Theater and other locations. CS & M Trio and the Tributaries have performed various tribute shows throughout Arizona and the United States.

This trio has been performing together for more than a decade, which shows in their tight harmonies, instrumental music style, and their witty banter. They are a “must see” group and OSF is lucky to have them for this concert.

This benefit concert promises to offer a terrific evening—great music in a fun atmosphere while helping the children of Oracle. Purchase your tickets online under Recreation & Events when you sign onto your SaddleBrooke Ranch account. A cash bar will be available.

Oracle Schools Foundation is the funding entity that provides free kindergarten preparation (preschool) for 3-year-old and 4-year-old students of the Oracle School District since Arizona does not pay for preschool. Currently, 59 students are enrolled and OSF pays $99,000 for just this program. OSF also funds programs such as Accelerated Reading and Math Enhancement programs, as well as supporting educational trips and leadership opportunities for the students in Oracle. Mountain Vista K-8 School is a Title I school, meaning it serves and educates students who the majority are from low income families.

Please come to this benefit concert on Thursday, Feb. 6 at 7 p.m. in the SBR Sol Ballroom. It is a win-win for you and for the children of Oracle.

OSF Now an Arizona Qualifying Charitable Organization

Dale Farland

The Oracle Schools Foundation, the fundraising organization providing free Kindergarten Prep (preschool) for 3-year-old and 4-year-old children of the Oracle School District, has just been designated as an Arizona Qualifying Charitable Organization (AZQCO)! What a great way to kick off our 10th year anniversary of providing these programs and others to the students at Mountain Vista Elementary School in Oracle.

This is great news for your Arizona income taxes and for the students of Oracle! What does the AZQCO designation mean to you? It provides you with the opportunity to direct your tax money to this charity and receive a tax credit—dollar for dollar—off your Arizona income taxes. You cannot claim more than you owe in AZ state income taxes, so confirm with your tax advisor. For 2024, the maximum amount of the credit is $938 for married taxpayers and $470 for single individuals. For 2025, the amounts are $987 for married couples and $495 for single individuals.

Donations to the Oracle Schools Foundation as an AZQCO should not be confused with similar tax credit donations you can make to the Oracle School District’s Mountain Vista Elementary School. You can claim a public school tax credit in addition to the AZQCO tax credit and they both reduce your AZ taxes dollar for dollar. For 2024, the maximum amount of the public school tax credit is $400 for married taxpayers and $200 for individuals. Public schools are allowed to use these donations for extracurricular activities or character education programs such as field trips, athletics, after-school tutoring, and fine arts. This tax credit form is on the district’s website at OSD2.org under “Quicklinks.”

What do your AZQCO donations to the Oracle Schools Foundation—a 501(c)(3) organization—support? Most of your donations provide the free Kindergarten Prep program for 3-year-old and 4-year-old students of the Oracle School District (this year we have 59 students and it costs $99,000). We fund other programs such as Accelerated Reading and Math Assistance Programs. We also sponsor educational trips and leadership opportunities for students in Oracle.

To securely donate on our website, please go to oracleschoolsfoundation.com. If you would rather, you can mail a check to Oracle Schools Foundation and mail it to P.O. Box 8863, Catalina, AZ 85738. You can make donations for 2024 up until April 15 for your 2024 AZ income taxes provided you do not exceed the limitations. You can make donations in 2025 for your 2025 AZ income taxes.

The AZQCO code for Oracle Schools Foundation when you prepare your AZ Income Taxes is 22773.

Everly Brothers Tribute Concert

Dorothy Wood

The first Tuesday of November represented a portentous night for America, no matter how one voted. But that night many of us set politics aside and “crossed the aisle” to take our seats and go back in time to enjoy a kinder, gentler era—old time rock ‘n’ roll. As part of the Oracle Schools Foundation fundraising events, 40 attendees gathered on the lovely patio of Janet and Dennis Williams to enjoy an “Everly Brothers Tribute” concert performed by JD Loveland, Mickey Lane, and a talented group of rock ‘n’ roll musicians. JD opened the concert with the Everly Brothers’ hit “All I Want to Do Is Dream,” which set the perfect romantic tone for enjoying happy hour with cocktails and watching the sun set on the Catalinas and the cows roaming the ranchland below.

Guests tapped their toes to “Wake Up, Little Susie” and helped themselves to the sumptuous buffet table which offered a delicious variety of hot and cold appetizers and tasty dessert bites. JD Loveland entertained us all with live music, storytelling, and comedy. His hilarious spoonerism rendition of “Rindercella” had us rolling in the aisles. It truly struck the “bunny phones” of all of us “arty panimals.” You get the idea.

Big thanks to our generous hosts for the event: Dennis and Janet Williams, Kevin and Julie Simon Johnson, and Gary and Dorothy Wood. Also, kudos to SaddleBrooke’s own JD Loveland and his musicians who donated their time and talent to providing the night’s entertainment. It was a night to remember!

This is just another example of the wonderful fixed price events associated with the Oracle Schools Foundation Gala/Auction. These events are such fun—so come to the Spring Fling Gala on March 15 to sign up for next year’s offerings. Check the website oracleschoolsfoundation.com for registration, which begins on Jan. 5. Tickets sell out fast, so don’t procrastinate! All monies raised support early childhood education and other educational programs at the Mountain Vista Schools in Oracle.

Comida Espanola

Ann Vernon

One of the live auction events for the Oracle Schools Foundation (OSF) 2024 auction was an authentic Spanish dinner, prepared by Nile and Ann Vernon and Ruth and Dale Leman. Kurt and Sue Gelbach bought the dinner for four other lucky couples!

It was a beautiful night, so guests enjoyed sangria and a variety of tapas around the fire pit. They munched on dates stuffed with marcona almonds wrapped in bacon, garlic mushrooms, tortilla Espanola, Manchego cheese and marinated olive skewers, and grapes coated in goat cheese and pistachios. Luckily, they weren’t too stuffed to drink some Spanish wine with their gazpacho and eat two different kinds of paella: a mixed paella with seafood, pork, and chorizo, and a Valenciana paella which consisted of chicken and various vegetables. For dessert, Ruth prepared the typical torta de Santiago, which is an almond torte featuring the cross of St. James who is believed to be buried in the crypt of the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral in Galicia, Spain.

Proceeds from the dinner support the Oracle Schools Foundation, which funds preschool (kindergarten prep) and other much-needed educational programs. Our 2025 Spring Fling Gala and auction will be held on Saturday, March 15 at MountainView. You can help contribute to the Foundation in several ways:

Attend the Gala/auction and bid on silent and live auction items and sign up for our famous fun fixed price events.

Buy gift cards or solicit donations from local businesses and donate to OSF.

Donate to the auction—offer to host an event or offer services such as airport transportation, pet sitting, made-to-order desserts, casseroles, soups, etc. Contact Ann Vernon at [email protected] or 520-405-2622.

Check the website for more information about the Gala and to register for the event in January.

Also mark your calendars—The Tributaries will be performing our annual benefit concert on March 23 at DesertView! You won’t want to miss this!