SaddleBrooke Community Outreach Happenings – May 2024

SBCO Elects New Board of Directors

Nancy McCluskey-Moore

On April 8 at the annual meeting of SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO), the organization elected its Board of Directors for 2024-25. The members of the new board include:

* President—Laura Pauli

* Executive Vice President—Gayle Van Natter

* Recording Secretaries—Cheryl Smith and Marcia Van Ommeran

* Corresponding Secretary—Karen Green

* Treasurer—Camille Esterman

* Assistant Treasurer—Jeannine Grippo

* Vice President Enrichment—Len Hamer

* Vice President Education—Steve Sahl

* Vice Presidents Kids’ Closet—Betty Ryan and Eileen Hansen

* Directors of Scholarship Endowment—Greg Jones and Tony Lulek

* Director of Teen Closet—Vivian Enrico

* Directors of Membership—Andrea Stephens and Tim Bowen

* Director of Communications—Nancy McCluskey-Moore

* Golden Goose Representative—Melanie Stout

* Immediate Past President—Denise Anthony

Board members serve two-year terms and may be re-elected to serve a second term. Four returning board members required board approval to continue their service beyond four consecutive years in the same position. These included Vivian Enrico, Camille Esterman, Nancy McCluskey-Moore, and Cheryl Smith. An exception to the requirement of having served as an SBCO volunteer for one year or more was waived for Greg Jones.

SaddleBrooke Communities Make 2024 SBCO Food Drive a Great Success!

Nancy McCluskey-Moore

The compassionate residents of SaddleBrooke and SaddleBrooke Ranch made this year’s annual SaddleBrooke Community Outreach Food Drive a great success. The Food Drive raised at total of $134,386 and approximately 18,000 pounds of food. This is a wonderful result and the families assisted by the Tri-Community Food Bank (TCFB), as well as its Board of Directors and volunteers, are deeply grateful for this outpouring of support.

Thanks to your generosity, the TCFB will be able to provide food to more than 500 households, which include over 1,500 individuals, in 2024. The food bank serves 428 children and 365 seniors. These households can receive up to two food boxes a month, each containing a three-day supply of food.

Speaking on behalf of TCFB, Rosemary Douglas said, “SBCO’s Food Drive donations are critical in enabling us to continue the TCFB mission of ‘Feeding Neighbors in SE Pinal County.’ Many of our clients receive 20% of their monthly food requirements from the Food Bank. The generosity of SaddleBrooke and SaddleBrooke Ranch residents in food and monetary donations, and in volunteer hours, ensure that we can successfully complete our mission in 2024. We extend our deepest gratitude to all who participated in this wonderful, annual event.”

The Food Drive accepted food donations and monetary contributions made online or with checks. Volunteers from SaddleBrooke, SaddleBrooke Ranch, Sunrise Rotary, Rotary Club of SaddleBrooke, TCFB, and Teen Closet students enjoyed the warm weather and camaraderie of sorting through the food donations, boxing, and loading them on trucks and unloading the donations at TCFB.

Food Drive Unit Coordinators this year included: 1 Mary Snowden, 2 Dale Farland, 3 Bev Hinton, 4A Deb Sandin, 4B Jeanne Bianchini, 6 Lisa Richards, 7 Linda Shannon-Hills, 8A Pam Blaess, 8B Donna Pedota, 9A Barbara Nicolich, 9B Cyndy Pylkka, 10 Tim and Debby Bowen, 14A & B Tony Zoellner, 16A Toni McDole, 16B John Green, 16C Glenna Matthews, 17 Anthony Signorelli, 18A Marie Mantoura, 18B Jim and Toni Selk, 18C Waters Davis, 21A Lin and Robert Heald and Pat and Colleen Gillespie, 46A Barry and Mary Milner, 46B Judy Tedeschi, and 47 Kelly Moss.

A big thanks to our “day of” volunteers Lori Sampson, Marti Gasser, Linda Richter, Ken De Leo, Kyle Cooper, Bob Vessella, Bob Townsend, Monica Forgery, Monica Oszust, James Bradford, Lynn and Janet Baker, Rudy Dominguez, and Judy Tedeschi who helped make this year’s food drive such a huge success.

All monetary contributions are tax-deductible for the State of Arizona whether or not an individual itemizes deductions. Both SBCO and TCFB are IRS 501(c)(3)s and can also be a federal tax deduction for those who itemize deductions.

SaddleBrooke Community Outreach Endowment Program Meet and Greet

Kathie Marshall

Here at the Ranch, outdoor gatherings are commonplace on beautiful spring days. But this gathering was more than just a neighborhood happy hour. On April 3, the SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO) endowment committee hosted a neighborhood Meet and Greet reception at the home of Amanda Kaminski and Jeff Sater. The purpose of the reception was to familiarize Ranch residents about the SaddleBrooke Community Outreach Endowment Program. The informal reception program kicked off with a welcome and introductions by the reception host, followed by a presentation by SBCO Board Treasurer Camille Esterman. Camille provided an overview of the number of programs SBCO provides for students and families in its Copper Corridor service area, particularly the scholarship program, and its impact on current and future generations of students. Students who live in the Copper Corridor communities are awarded scholarships based on their grades, education, community service, and financial need. However, in 2019, SBCO expanded the scope of the scholarship program by setting up a “Scholarship Endowment Fund.” This endowment fund is financed by generous benefactors through estate plans and one-time donations. This endowment creates an enduring legacy that makes a real difference to low-income students for generations to come.

Following Camille’s presentation, Kathie Marshall stepped up to provide some historical context of the Copper Corridor communities. The “Copper Corridor” north of SaddleBrooke Ranch is a 100-mile-long regional corridor that includes a series of small, rural communities that have been devastated by most of the copper mine closures in the area. Over a fourth of families living in this area meet the federal definition of poverty. Kathie spoke of the challenges these students face and mentioned that many are the first of their generation to go on to academic and vocational higher education.

Lastly, Kathie read a statement from endowment donors, Glenna Matthews and Jim Hoagland, who were unable to attend. This statement from Glenna and Jim is a testimonial to their support of education: “Jim Hoagland and I have strong commitments to our Arizona community and education for next generations. With that, when we heard of the SBCO Endowment Program we felt it was the perfect fit. Further education, whether it is vocational or academic, is imperative.”

For more information on the Endowment Program and ways to donate, email SBCO at: [email protected].

Mary Jane Beasley—A Committed Supporter of Education

Nancy McCluskey-Moore

Mary Jane (MJ) Beasley, a long-time SaddleBrooke resident, died in August 2023. However, her lifelong dedication to education lives on. MJ and her husband, Norm, were among the earliest SaddleBrooke residents, moving here in the early 1990s. After spending the past 30+ years in Champaign-Urbana, Ill., they were seeking a warmer climate where they could play golf and avoid shoveling snow. Norm retired from a career as a wealth advisor with Hillard Lyons, while MJ had spent three decades managing research labs at the University of Illinois.

MJ was born in 1934, growing up as one of seven children, four girls and three boys, on a farm in Rock Valley, a community in the northwest corner of Iowa. Her mother was a country school teacher prior to her marriage, but her father had only received an eighth-grade education because he needed to leave school and work on the farm. MJ’s mother had high academic expectations for her children and all seven graduated from college. She valued the lifelong benefits of education and passed that along to MJ.

MJ had fond memories of growing up on the farm, where she learned to milk cows at age 6 and helped pitch hay, straw, silage, and manure. She drove work horses and, later, a tractor, fed pigs and hens, and gathered eggs. But eventually her educational pursuits took her to a career in academia.

She attended Wartburg College and the University of Iowa, followed by a long and legendary career as a very dedicated, productive, and talented research specialist/lab manager in several research laboratories at the University of Illinois. For many years, she not only conducted independent research and co-authored scientific papers on breast cancer, hormones and reproductive health; but she trained and “mothered” undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral scientists. Although MJ was always busy, she always found time to offer pointers, encouragement or just a humorous commentary on a current frustrating situation. She treated everyone in the lab like family and did her best to ensure their success. After her retirement, MJ continued to follow the career of her Illinois “family members” and found opportunities to provide support and advice when needed.

Norm had a degree in music and after the couple retired to SaddleBrooke, he played the trombone and sang, with MJ organizing his performances. However, they still found time to play golf and go back to Illinois for homecoming weekend or football or basketball games. Friends say they were the only two people who owned and looked great wearing that unique Illini Orange. MJ and Bob were also very generous in their financial support of the University’s academics and athletics.

Prior to her death, MJ donated to the SaddleBrooke Community Outreach Scholarship Endowment Fund. And through her will, she contributed to the science and music departments at the University of Illinois, as well as to the Rock Valley Scholarship Fund named for her parents, Oscar and Emma Miller. Her legacy will live on through the large number of University of Illinois students, colleagues, and athletes who were helped by MJ’s positive “can do” attitude and enthusiasm. And on behalf of the students who will benefit from her donations to the SBCO Scholarship Endowment Fund, we honor her memory and the difference she has made in their futures.

SBCO Honors Special Volunteers for 2023-24

Nancy McCluskey-Moore

For the past 27 years, all-volunteer organization SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO) has provided food, clothing, enrichment, and education to local children in communities along the 100+-mile Copper Corridor that stretches north from Catalina to Globe. On April 8, SBCO board members, volunteers, and supporters gathered to celebrate the achievements of the past year and honor the special contributions made by some of its volunteers. Bea Dillehunt was honored as Volunteer of the Year, while Debby Bowen was named Receptionist of the Year.

Receptionist of the Year

Debby Bowen and her husband moved to SaddleBrooke Ranch in 2020. She learned about SBCO at an activity fair and began volunteering later that year. Working as a receptionist in the SBCO office was a natural fit, based on her work as a receptionist with the travel agency she and her husband had owned, as well as her prior work in an assessor’s office and other clerical positions. In addition to serving as a receptionist, Debby has helped with the SBCO Thanksgiving baskets program and the annual Food Drive. In fact, the Bowen’s garage has served as the assembly site for Thanksgiving baskets delivered by Ranch residents to families in the San Manuel/Mammoth Unified School District. Debby says, “I find it very gratifying to know that I can help in some small way. I enjoy working with all the other receptionists and being part of something so important.”

Volunteer of the Year

Bea Dillehunt serves as the Thursday Day Manager for Kids’ Closet in Mammoth. The role involves receiving the list of students coming to the Closet each Thursday session, preparing a shopping sheet and bag for each child, conducting the volunteer meeting, checking to ensure each child leaves with a complete wardrobe, and checking the volunteers in and out. Basically, she is the “go to” person for the day, resolving any issues and helping ensure the kids and volunteers have a good experience. Bea began working as a Kids’ Closet volunteer in 2012 and was asked to become a Day Manager after two years of volunteering. “They thought I had potential,” she recalls. “I still enjoy meeting the volunteers, many of whom are former teachers, and working with the kids.”