Box Tops for Education going digital!
Emilie Siarkiewicz
Drop the scissors and grab your smartphone! That’s the lead-in to an announcement on July 24, by General Mills, sponsor of the popular K-8 school fundraising Box Tops for Education® (BTFE) program.
Since General Mills launched the BTFE program in 1996, 70,000 schools around the country have earned more than $913 million in cash for much-needed supplies, field trips, playground equipment, and more. Since SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO) renewed its participation in October 2014, SaddleBrooke residents have clipped more than 8,000 box tops (that’s more than $800) for John F. Kennedy Elementary School in Superior to purchase classroom library books.
Now the program is saying goodbye to clipping, sorting, and affixing small paper and plastic coupons to submission forms and going digital with a new mobile app. Yes, now there’s an app for that! General Mills and other participating brands are in the process of converting their packaging printing presses from the familiar clip coupon to the new participation label.
Products with the new label are starting to show up on the shelves at Bashas’, and probably other local stores. And yes, the regular box tops clips are still valid. Keep clipping traditional Box Tops and deposit them in the special green collection can as long as you continue to find them on packages. The special green collection cans are located at the SaddleBrooke One and DesertView libraries and in the SBCO office in suite L at the commercial center.
Do not clip and deposit the new label in a collection green can. The shopper must download the free app-available via iTunes App Store and Google Play-and select the school they would like to support. Then, they scan their store receipt within 14 days of purchase, which automatically identifies all participating Box Tops products and bonus offers, and instantly adds cash to their school’s earnings online. If you are needing to raise money for your school, check out some school fundraising ideas to see how you can play your part in raising that money.
For more information and a full list of participating products, visit BoxTops4Education.com.
Scholarship Endowment Program introduced at public meeting
Nancy McCluskey-Moore
On Monday, Oct. 28 SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO) will host a public meeting to introduce its new Scholarship Endowment Program to residents of SaddleBrooke and SaddleBrooke Ranch. At the meeting, which will be held at 2 p.m. in the MountainView Ballroom, speakers will explain the benefits of the program to future SBCO scholarship applicants and potential donors.
Each year SBCO awards two- and four-year college scholarships to deserving students living in communities along the “Copper Corridor.” Applicants are carefully evaluated based on grades, school, and community activities, a written essay, letters of reference, financial need, and an interview with SBCO volunteers. In spring 2019, 45 applications for scholarships were received but only 29 scholarships could be awarded. The need for assistance always outstrips the financial resources SBCO can allocate to these scholarships.
To increase the number of scholarships that can be awarded and secure funding for future generations of college-bound students, SBCO has developed a Scholarship Endowment Program to be funded exclusively through designated donations. Donated monies will be placed in a special account, managed by the Community Federation for Southern Arizona, creating a permanent scholarship fund. Only the interest earned from that account will be used to fund scholarships for eligible local students. The donated principal will continue to grow, earning interest to fund future scholarships.
Many SaddleBrooke and SaddleBrooke Ranch residents choose upon their death to leave all of their assets (e.g., investments, IRA accounts, and home equity) to their surviving relatives. But some want to “pay it forward” by giving a portion of their financial assets to causes that make a significant difference in the lives of others. The SBCO Scholarship Endowment Program offers a way to donate some of their assets to create a lasting legacy.
SBCO scholarships have a significant impact on students’ lives. For example, Sage Berg, who is attending the University of Nevada, was a multi-sport athlete in high school and an active volunteer in her community. She was president and valedictorian (graduating with a 4.0 GPA) of her class. Sage noted, “This scholarship has meant the world to me, as it covers almost half of my yearly tuition. It has taken the pressure of student loans off my shoulders so I can focus just on my classes. Thank you to those who have donated to make this possible!”
During the 2019-20 school year, a total of 86 students at schools across the country will be receiving SBCO scholarships. While that is an impressive achievement, we’d like to have a positive impact on more students’ lives. To learn more about the SBCO Scholarship Endowment Program and how you can make it a beneficiary in your trust or estate plan, plan to attend the meeting on Oct. 28 or contact Ron Andrea at 520-904-4831 or [email protected].
After viewing glow-in-the-dark critters in a black-lit room, College for Kids students drew scorpions with chalk on black paper.
SBCO supports “College for Kids” science education program
Nancy Moore
SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO) is the top donor for a unique educational enrichment program. Each summer, the Central Arizona College Foundation offers a two-week science enrichment program, “College for Kids,” for 50 children between the ages of seven and eleven. Students from Oracle, San Manuel, Mammoth, Dudleyville, Hayden, Kearney, and Superior come to the Central Arizona College campus to participate in hands-on-activities led by teachers and college student aides.
Tuition for the program is $210 per student, which covers transportation, instructional supplies, teachers and coordinators’ salaries, field trip and presenter fees, a t-shirt, and a group photograph. Most families request scholarship funds since they cannot afford the full amount. College for Kids is funded through student tuition fees and donations from SBCO, local businesses, and individuals.
This year’s program focused on “Animal Biology.” Each class covered a different biome: arctic, rainforest, and desert. Each day, the students studied a different animal group: invertebrates, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, mammals, and food webs. Students are given instruction and opportunities to use the college’s computer lab, library, and classrooms. Through the program, students acquired a wealth of information about different groups of animals, explored the local college campus, envisioned their future educational goals, staying physically and mentally active through the summer months and most of all, had fun.
Some students who participate in the program later become group leaders (during their high school years), providing them with civic leadership opportunities and community service hours. Every year more children ask to become group leaders, a clear sign they value the program. At the end of the program, the student’s projects are displayed, and they take home science journals that contain their own notes and drawings.
Don’t forget – shredding event on November 2
Nancy McCluskey-Moore
Safely dispose of your outdated paper files by bringing them to the Shredding and Recycling Event on Saturday, Nov. 2 from 9 a.m. to noon (or until the truck is full). The event, hosted by Long Realty-Golder Ranch, SaddleBrooke Community Outreach and the Beacon Foundation, will be held on the SaddleBrooke One bocce ball courts.
All documents are put into containers at the drop-off site to protect your privacy. The containers are locked and transported to the Beacon facility for shredding.
In addition to documents, only computer hard drives, which may still be inside computers or laptops, will be accepted for donation/recycling.
For each boxful of items delivered for shredding or recycling, please bring $5 or five cans of food. All donations of cash or food will benefit the Tri-Community Food Bank and the Beacon Group.
For more information, please contact Long Realty at 15250 N. Oracle Road, No. 110 or 520-665-4200.