SBCO Chosen as Charity of the Year

Nancy McCluskey-Moore

In 2025, Sonoran Desert Corvettes of Tucson (SDCT) chose SaddleBrooke Community Outreach as its Charity of the Year. As their donation to SBCO, SDCT members purchased and delivered backpacks filled with school supplies for students as well as a lot of supplies for local teachers.

When SDCT selected SBCO as its Charity of the Year for 2026 and expressed an interest in again providing students with backpacks filled with supplies, SBCO president Laura Pauli checked with nearby school districts about their needs. The Hayden-Winkelman Unified School District was interested and provided a list of supplies needed by seventh and eighth grade students.

Parents with school-aged children are faced with lots of “back to school” expenses. Many families struggle to pay for new clothing and school supplies as well as the fees and equipment for extra-curricular activities. This is especially true for low-income families, like those whose students are enrolled in the Hayden-Winkelman Unified School District where 84% of the students qualify for the free and reduced-price lunch program.

SDCT members took advantage of Amazon Prime Days to purchase the backpacks and school supplies at the best possible prices, helping maximize the impact of every donation. The backpacks were then delivered to the SBCO office at Ste. L in the SaddleBrooke business complex. An SBCO volunteer used the Kids’ Closet van to deliver them to the Leonor Hambly K-8 School in Winkelman.

“School supplies are expensive, and rising prices make it difficult for many families to make ends meet,” said Ron Salmon, SDCT President. “SDCT was pleased to provide students with the materials they need. Education is one of the best ways to help children become successful adults, and the Corvette community has a tremendous passion for supporting local charities.”

Thanks to the generosity of SDCT members, students will head back to school with the supplies they need to succeed, while demonstrating once again that the Corvette community is about much more than great cars—it’s about making a meaningful difference in the lives of others.

Mark Your Calendar for the Fall Meeting and Golden Goose Fashion Show

Nancy McCluskey-Moore

The SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO) Fall Kick-off General Meeting, which features the popular “Golden Goose Fashion Show,” will be held at 3 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 12 in the MountainView Clubhouse ballroom. Be sure to come and learn about the wide variety of SBCO programs to feed, clothe, enrich and educate local youngsters—and see some affordably priced (but very stylish) clothing. This annual fashion show proves that Golden Goose Thrift Shop customers know how to dress well while saving money.

Each year Betsy Lowry, Melanie Stout, and Suzanne Marlatt Stewart organize this much-loved event. After they decide on a theme, clothing and coordinating accessories—from casual to formal wear and even costumes—are selected for quality and style to display some of the best things available to Golden Goose shoppers. Betsy promotes the fashion show among Golden Goose volunteers and recruits models, many of whom contribute their own fashion savvy and sense of humor to the occasion. Melanie writes the outfit descriptions and helps the models proceed to the “runway” in the order determined by Suzanne. Suzanne then serves as the show’s very stylish and engaging mistress of ceremony.

The Golden Goose Thrift Shop evenly divides its proceeds between SBCO and IMPACT of Southern Arizona. Whenever you donate items to the store or buy treasures from its inventory, you are helping to support the work of both of these great local charities. Since its founding more than 20 years ago, the Golden Goose has contributed more than $21 million to these two non-profits, changing the lives of thousands of local residents.

SBCO Is Seeking Volunteers for Leadership Positions

Nancy McCluskey-Moore

As an all-volunteer organization, SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO) needs you!

We rely on an army of 300+ volunteers to implement our programs to feed, clothe, enrich and educate local kids. Volunteers are needed for both long and short-term commitments.

Donating your time and talent clearly helps the youngsters who receive assistance from SBCO. But did you know that you also benefit from being a volunteer? Various studies have found that volunteering:

* Is good for your mind and body—feel healthier, improve your mood, increase your sense of purpose, keep mentally stimulated and reduce your stress level.

* Helps you connect to others—connections make you part of a larger community and engaged in making it a better place to live.

* Brings fulfillment to your life—being involved in meaningful and interesting activities can provide a relaxing, stimulating change from your day-to-day routine.

We now are in need of volunteers for these leadership positions:

Communications Director (or Co-Director if we have two volunteers to share the job). This position would begin on May 1, 2027, with the opportunity to work alongside the current Director until that date. The Director is a board position responsible for writing or enlisting others to write articles for the SaddleBrooke and SaddleBrooke Ranch newspapers and weekly e-blasts; reviewing copy revisions/additions on the SBCO website; scheduling event-related postings on the site; preparing the Annual Report, and writing/editing emails sent to SBCO contacts about upcoming events, recent activities or volunteer opportunities. Proficiency in MS Word, PowerPoint and email is required. If you would like to know more about this volunteer opportunity, please contact Communications Director Nancy McCluskey-Moore at nancy@community-outreach.org

Enrichment Committee Member

SBCO offers enrichment grants to help schools and community organizations provide underserved children with experiences that foster a love of learning, creativity, and teamwork.  The Enrichment Committee is seeking additional members from SaddleBrooke and SaddleBrooke Ranch. You’ll participate in reviewing and evaluating grant applications, deciding which requests to fund, and following up on outcomes. If you’re passionate about making a difference in children’s lives, please contact sbco.enrichment@community-outreach.org to learn more.

Kids’ Closet Technology Assistant

The Kids’ Closet program provides school clothing for children in nearby rural communities enrolled in preschool through eighth grade. Technology is an important part of Kids’ Closet operations. We’re looking for someone from SaddleBrooke or SaddleBrooke Ranch to assist with document management, point-of-sale system training and operations, laptops, printers, scanners, etc. If you’re geared for this type of essential support and want to help, please contact michelle@community-outreach.org to learn more.

SaddleBrooke Community Outreach Has a New URL!

Nancy McCluskey-Moore

Gone are the days of typing in “community-outreach.org” to reach the SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO) website. As of Sept. 6, the SBCO website’s URL is sbco.org.

Along with a new URL, we have made changes in the appearance, content and usability of our site. And best of all, with new “behind the scenes” technology, the site will be easier for our volunteers to keep up-to-date with information about our programs, volunteer opportunities and the results achieved with our efforts to provide local kids with opportunities to succeed.

If you have the SBCO website bookmarked as community-outreach.org, get ready to change it to the new sbco.org URL on Sept. 6. The old URL will still work for some time, but being prepared will ensure you won’t miss information about any of our upcoming events.