Volunteer Mary with her cart of tools and gadgets found at GGTS
Golden Goose Fashion Show
Nan Nasser
Mary, the Maytag Lady, is ready to tour the homes of those needing repairs with all the gadgets she has found at the Golden Goose Thrift Shop. Come to the annual GGTS Fashion Show to be held Monday, September 14, at 3:00 p.m. in the MountainView Ballroom. This fun filled event will showcase all kinds of fashions and accessories to help you tour Tucson in style!
The meeting will be hosted by SaddleBrooke Community Outreach, and you will learn a bit about this organization that provides services to needy children in neighboring communities. There will be opportunities to pay dues, to register for the Walkathon and to buy raffle tickets for the Jim Click Mustang, which will be raffled in November.
There is no admission fee, but a sense of humor is required. This is an interesting activity to introduce you to the items available at GGTS. Proceeds from that store help assist SBCO programs throughout the year. Learn more about SBCO at our website: www.community-outreach.org.
A teen and her volunteer shop for clothes for the new school year.
Teens get new clothes
Mimi Sander
Once again the Teen Closet program sponsored by SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO) had a very rewarding and successful shopping spree for selected teens this July. Teen Closet is a continuation of the Kids’ Closet program. This year we had a total of 40 students, of this 25 were returning students and there were 20 new students, 12 from Catalina and eight from Oracle. Of the returning students there were four who graduated this past spring and participated in their last shopping experience to assist them as they start their next stage of life in continuing their education. The shopping trip this year was at Target and Ross Dress for Less stores.
School administrators from Ironwood Ridge and Canyon Del Oro High Schools select the students based on need. To participate in the program, the teens must have good school attendance, maintain a “C” average, meet with their counselor and complete six hours of community service. Once selected for the program, if the students meet these requirements they may participate in the program throughout their high school years.
Each student is paired with a community volunteer who helps the teen stay within a given budget. All have a good time as the students prove to be savvy, discriminating shoppers who work their own personal style and needs into their school’s requirement codes. Many of the paired volunteer/students couplings request to shop together at the next Teen Closet shopping expedition. One of the couples, Melody and Jim Weeks of SaddleBrooke, claim that being a shopper for Teen Closet is one of their favorite SaddleBrooke activities. They marvel at the students’ abilities to overcome great obstacles to succeed and thrive. It is a rewarding time for all participants.
If you are interested in volunteering for Teen Closet, please contact Mimi Sander at 825-4557.
Summer food program for Mammoth area students
Patrick Polencheck
Once the regular school session ended, the federally funded breakfast and lunch programs, which provided healthy and nutritional foods for most of the students in the Mammoth, ended. The SaddeBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO) Board of Directors has been concerned about the kids for the past few years. The Board decided to try a pilot summer food program. Paula Morgan volunteered to coordinate this effort and establish guideless for implementation. Paula met with local residents, parents and school administrators to determine the guidelines and how the students qualified for the program and those most in need of support for the summer.
It was determined by the group that each eligible child would receive food for two weeks of breakfasts and lunches. The food was delivered in recycle bags and included in each bag were individual breakfast cereals, granola bars, fruit roll ups, raisins, peanut butter and cheese crackers, ramen noodles and shelled sunflower seeds. The recycle bags were a reminder to the parents/kids to return in two weeks to get resupplied. The parents were also provided a reminder card with the pickup dates and times. Distributions were done at Kids’ Closet on four Saturdays starting on May 30 and ending on June 25.
The food was purchased at Bashas’ Market in Catalina and transported to Kids’ Closet. The SBCO Board extends our thanks and appreciation to Bashas’ Market and their staff for all their support. The items were picked up on the Wednesday prior to the Saturday distribution day. On arrival at Kids’ Closet, SaddleBrooke volunteers Paula and Frank Morgan, Terri and Bob Kunz, Sandra and Patrick Polencheck and Melanie Stout sorted the food items into the recycle bags. On the Saturday distribution days, Karen Stott, Winnie Clay, Terri Kunz and Paula and Frank Morgan distributed the summer food bags to the eligible families.
The SBCO Board considered this a successful pilot program and many lessons were learned. The Board will be evaluating this program to determine if it will be continued in the future. Again, a huge thank you to Bashas’, school administrators and community volunteers for their support.
If you have questions, please contact Patrick Polencheck at 520-825-9123.
Heading to Ridgeview Blvd for the long walk
Walkathon is coming soon!
Nan Nasser
Get ready to join the hundreds of walkers, all ages, and some four-footed friends as they head out on the annual SaddleBrooke Community Outreach Walkathon. The date is October 24, starting at the SaddleBrook clulbhouse parking lot with warmups led by Vital Moves beginning at 7:30 a.m. The Grand Marshal car will lead the walkers to Ridgeview where they can begin the walk around SaddleBrooke. A shorter walk is available, and if you can’t walk at all you are still welcome to join the fun. Register, put on your T-shirt and join the breakfast.
Registration will begin on September 14 at the annual Golden Goose Thrift Shop Fashion Show, 3:00 p.m. in the MountainView Ballroom. For your registration fee of $30 you will receive the T-shirt, which is your ticket for the hot breakfast buffet at the end of the walk. Pets are welcome on leashes, and water stations are available for pets and people. A golf cart brigade will patrol the routes to assist anyone in need, and the HOA One patrol is also there. Raffle prizes include gift cards to Bashas’, Valero and Walmart.
SBCO provides programs to needy children in neighboring communities through clothing programs, educational opportunities and even through support of the Tri-Community Food Bank.
Proceeds from this event help to support our programs. More can be learned about SBCO at our website: www.community-outreach.org.
Kids’ Closet update
Melanie Stout
Did you know that every year Kids’ Closet provides close to 3,000 wardrobes to needy children within our tri-county community? In addition to shoes, clothing and books, the children also receive soap, toothpaste and a toothbrush. The older children, 3rd grade and above, enjoy picking up a small bag of unopened hotel toiletries instead of a bar of soap. SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO) accepts unopened shampoo, conditioner and lotion you may have collected from your travels. SaddleBrooke and SaddleBrooke Ranch residents may deliver them to the SBCO office, located in Suite L in the commercial center on SaddleBrooke Blvd or Kids’ Closet in Mammoth when you volunteer or if you know someone who volunteers. Thanks to all who have helped us in the past. Your support is greatly appreciated.
Contact Pat Schlote at 520-825-4029 or Melanie Stout at 520-825-1665.