Clean Out Those Files!
Nancy McCluskey-Moore
It’s a new year and time to bring your outdated paper files to the Shredding and Recycling Event on Saturday, April 17, from 9 a.m. to noon (or until the truck is full).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, #110 or by phone at 520-665-4200.
An emergency food box from Tri-Community Food Bank provides the ingredients for nine family meals.
Help Stop Hunger With 23rd Annual Food Drive
Nancy McCluskey-Moore
Imagine having your hungry children crying and begging for breakfast but you have nothing to feed them. In the United States, one of the richest countries on Earth, this shouldn’t happen. However, food insecurity and hunger are very real for 1,518 people, including 426 children and 305 seniors living in Mammoth, San Manuel, and Oracle. Many in these communities are very poor, with 20% of households living below the poverty level and 10% below 50% threshold of the poverty level. In addition to lacking money, they live in a “food desert” where they must drive at least 28 miles to reach a grocery store.
Between Feb. 20 and March 20, SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO) will gather donations to support the Tri-Community Food Bank (TCFB) based in Mammoth. TCFB gives 515 households emergency food. Each emergency food box provides nine family meals. Hunger has worsened during the pandemic. Paychecks have been reduced or eliminated and remote learning means many children no longer receive breakfast and lunch at school. Now local children go hungry three to five days each month. Children need good nutrition to grow, thrive, and do well in school, so TCFB is now stretching to provide 60 families with a second monthly emergency food box.
SaddleBrooke and SaddleBrooke Ranch residents collaborate on the annual SBCO Food Drive to meet a local need. Usually, it is an opportunity for residents to donate canned and packaged foods that are then gathered, sorted, and delivered to TCFB by an enthusiastic group of volunteers. Due to the ongoing pandemic, the 2021 Food Drive will again be limited to monetary contributions made online or with checks. We hope in 2022 to be able to experience the comradery and community spirit associated with donations of food in addition to money.
To make a monetary donation, you can write a check or make a donation online using a credit card. Make your check payable to “SBCO Food Drive” and write your unit number on the memo line. You can either mail or deliver it to SBCO, 63675 E. SaddleBrooke Blvd., Ste. L, Tucson, AZ 85739. Donations can be made online through their website at www.community-outreach.org. You don’t need a PayPal account to make an online donation.
All monetary contributions go directly to grocery purchases and related expenses. SBCO and TCFB are all-volunteer organizations and are IRS 501(c)(3) and AZ non-profit charitable organizations, so donations made to these organizations are tax deductible. Please give generously so no child goes to bed hungry.
If you would like to volunteer for the food drive or have questions about this event, please contact Andrea Stephens in SaddleBrooke at [email protected] or 616-901-6893, or Bob Wample in SaddleBrooke Ranch at [email protected] or 559-696-3769.
Camille and Joe Esterman are proud SBCO Scholarship Endowment Program donors.
Giving Back
Ron Andrea
Camille and Joe Esterman moved to SaddleBrooke Ranch four years ago from Lisle, Ill. Camille is a retired CPA and Joe worked in marketing and as a financial advisor. Married 51 years, both feel blessed to have received the education that led them to rewarding careers. While neither of their parents graduated from college, both of their daughters have advanced degrees. One holds a master’s degree in labor and industrial relations and the other is a doctor of physical therapy. Their oldest grandchild is now a freshman at Ohio State.
Camille and Joe have reached a point in their lives where they have both the desire and the ability to make a difference in the lives of students who might otherwise be unable to attend college, allowing those students access to the same opportunities they and their daughters enjoyed. Research shows that over 70% of children raised in poverty raise their own children in poverty. Education is the key to breaking that generational cycle. Providing an education for one person not only changes the life of that person, but likely will change the lives of his or her children and grandchildren as well. A gift of education is truly a gift that lasts forever.
As the current treasurer of SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO), Camille has seen firsthand the impact SBCO scholarships have on students living in our service area. As a former financial advisor, Joe understands the powerful growth potential of a professionally managed endowment account. Annual distributions are made only from a portion of the earnings, ensuring that the principal (the money donated) will remain intact and grow in perpetuity to help future generations of students.
If you, like Camille and Joe, want to make a significant difference in the lives of motivated students who might otherwise not have the resources to attend college, consider making a donation to the SBCO Scholarship Endowment Program. Scholarship students are carefully selected based on their grades, community service, references, financial need, a written essay, and a personal interview with a team of SBCO volunteers.
Donations can be made in any of three ways: 1) You can delay your donation by making the SBCO Scholarship Endowment Program a beneficiary in your living will or trust; 2) For those over age 71, you can request that your financial institution send a portion of your annual required IRA distribution directly to the SBCO Scholarship Endowment Program; or 3) you can simply write a tax-deductible check. While SBCO accepts donations of any amount, the minimum donation to the Scholarship Endowment Fund is $5,000. (Always consult your tax advisor about the potential benefits of charitable contributions.)
For more information about the SBCO Endowment Program, please contact Ron Andrea at 520-904-4831 or email him at [email protected]. For more information about SaddleBrooke Community Outreach, visit our website at www.community-outreach.org.
Thank You from SBCO
Nancy McCluskey-Moore
SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO) owes SaddleBrooke and SaddleBrooke Ranch residents a heartfelt thank you for the support provided to our organization every year, especially during the pandemic. We experienced many new challenges in 2020. Two of our annual fundraisers, the Home Tour and the Walkathon, had to be canceled. Then our budget took another hit when the Golden Goose Thrift Store, which divides its income between SBCO and Impact of Southern Arizona, closed and then reopened with physical distancing restrictions that caused revenues to decline.
Fortunately, our community stepped up, raising a record-setting amount of money for the annual Food Drive, benefiting Tri-Community Food Bank. We also received generous contributions to our Make a Difference campaign and the Adopt-a-Family program. Your support has enabled us to continue providing local students with food, clothing, educational opportunities, and college scholarships.
It has been a challenging time in other ways. Some of our educational grants were awarded only to be returned when school programs were cancelled. Students can’t visit Kids’ Closet in Mammoth so bags of requested clothing are being delivered to local schools. Teens have received gift cards for school clothing because it’s unsafe for volunteers to help them shop.
In-person tutoring has been replaced with remote learning and interviews with college scholarship applicants have proven to be challenging. Every day has required our volunteers to develop creative solutions to new problems. Their unstinting support is invaluable, allowing SBCO to continue to help local students thrive.
Susan Williams has been named the SBCO Receptionist of the Year for 2020.
2020 Receptionist of the Year
Nancy McCluskey-Moore
The volunteer receptionists who staff the SBCO office provide a vital service to the organization. Each year we recognize the efforts of a volunteer who has provided an outstanding level of support to the organization. Susan Williams has been named the Receptionist of the Year for 2020.
Susan moved to SaddleBrooke in August 2017, from Houston, Texas. Born and raised in Houston, she received a degree in business administration from the University of Houston with an emphasis in human resources. She then worked for the university in finance and administration for 30 years. In her free time, she acquired a passion for bird watching while a volunteer at the Armand Bayou Nature Center.
Upon retiring, Susan wanted to relocate for a number of reasons, one being to avoid hurricanes. She had discovered SaddleBrooke when her brother and sister-in-law, John and Barbara, moved here 20 years ago. Visits here convinced her to move to this community, bringing along another native Texan, her beloved dog Sweetie. John is a long-time volunteer and receptionist at SBCO and it was his enthusiasm for the organization and its work which caused Susan to decide to become a volunteer there herself.
In 2018, Susan became a receptionist at the SBCO office and when a call went out in October 2019, for an assistant office manager, and she promptly volunteered.
“Susan has been a lifesaver this past year. She’s a terrific assistant office manager and I probably could not do this job without her. In addition to being available for emergency shifts, Susan creates all the forms for the office staff, ensures the office is stocked with supplies and spreads the word about SBCO to anyone who will listen! She is a great ambassador for our organization,” according to Pat Andrea, the SBCO office manager.
In addition to SBCO, Susan is president of the SaddleBrooke Dog Park Association and serves on the board of WOO (Women on Our Own), managing the group’s communications and database.
She also enjoys playing games like canasta and Mexican Train, as well as watching old movies, birdwatching, and taking lots of walks around SaddleBrooke with her pal, Sweetie.
SBCO is always looking for volunteers for both long- and short-term commitments. You can help with a wide range of tasks—from staffing the office to helping with fundraising events, tutoring, helping children choose new clothing, or serving on our Board of Directors. The opportunities are endless. To become involved, visit our website at www.community-outreach.org/volunteers to see a list of volunteer opportunities and to complete an interest form. We’d love to have you join our team!