Nancy McCluskey-Moore
For more than 25 years, SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO) has been providing students living in the Copper Corridor, an area that stretches more than 100 miles from Catalina to Globe, with opportunities to succeed. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, unemployment in these communities is significantly above both the national and state averages. Of the 15 schools served by SBCO, all are Title I Schools, meaning at least 40% of the students come from low-income families. In some Copper Corridor schools, that figure is as high as 90%. Education beyond high school is the best way to break this cycle of generational poverty.
Since 2001, SBCO has been granting two- and four-year college scholarships to deserving students. A rigorous evaluation process is applied to select students to receive scholarships of $3,600 per year for four-year degrees and $1,800 per year for two-year programs. Annually SBCO allocates some of its general fund to granting new scholarships and to supporting the scholarships granted in prior years. This spring, SBCO awarded 52 new scholarships, 35 for four-year degrees and 17 for two-year degrees.
In 2019, in order to fund more scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students without taking money from other SBCO programs, the board of directors established a scholarship endowment fund. Only the interest earned on donations is used to fund scholarships. This will allow donors to provide scholarship assistance to local students for generations to come.
This year, the interest from the Scholarship Endowment Fund was used to grant three one-time $4,000 or $5,000 grants to graduate students accepted into criminal justice, occupational therapy, and clinical psychology programs.
If you would like to help future students receive a college education, please consider donating to the SBCO Scholarship Endowment Fund. All contributions must be made payable to the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona (CFSA) and designated for SBCO Endowment (CFSA’s Tax ID is 94-2681765). A minimum contribution of $5,000 is required. (Consult your tax advisor for potential benefits.) You can contribute by:
* Mailing a personal check directly to CFSA—made payable to CFSA and including “SBCO Scholarship Endowment Fund” in the memo line.
* Arranging for a distribution from your IRA to CFSA for the SBCO Scholarship Endowment Fund.
* Including CFSA and the SBCO Scholarship Endowment Fund as a beneficiary in your trust or estate plan.
To donate non-cash contributions (e.g., stocks, securities, real estate, autos) please email [email protected] for assistance.
Send contributions to:
The SBCO Scholarship Endowment Fund
Community Foundation for Southern Arizona
5049 E. Broadway, Suite 201
Tucson, AZ 85711
For more information, please send an email to [email protected] or call the SBCO office at 520-825-3302.