Save the Date for 2021 SBCO Home Tour
Nancy McCluskey-Moore
The 2021 SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO) home tour, which will focus on remodeled homes, will be held on Saturday, Nov. 13. The 2018 and 2019 tours were so well received (the 2020 tour was cancelled due to the pandemic), the events committee decided to host two showings of the 2021 homes: 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. When tickets are purchased, buyers will need to indicate which showing (morning or afternoon) they will attend.
The seven homes selected for the tour offer SaddleBrooke residents an opportunity to see how their neighbors have adapted their homes for open concept living, improved storage, or additional space to accommodate their hobbies or guests. Tour tickets will only be sold to SaddleBrooke and SaddleBrooke Ranch residents.
This event helps provide funding for SBCO programs that provide food, clothing, and educational opportunities for children in local communities. Our Kid’s Closet and Teen Closet programs, as well as our annual food drive, many educational grants, and college scholarships, make a significant difference in the lives of thousands of children and their families.
Tickets will go on sale at 9 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 11, at the SBCO office at Suite L in the SaddleBrooke business complex. Tickets are $20 each and may be purchased using cash, check, or credit card.
The events committee is seeking volunteers who can serve as docents in the tour homes. If you would like to participate in this upcoming event, send an email to Heidi Wagner at [email protected].
SBCO Teen Closet Shoppers Ready for Fall
Nancy McCluskey-Moore
The SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO) Teen Closet program allows students between the ages of 13 and 18 to purchase new clothing and school supplies. Over the course of five days in July, 63 students from Oro Valley, San Manuel, Oracle, Kearny, Winkleman, and Superior shopped in the Oro Valley Target and Ross stores. Each student was given a $200 shopping budget, and an adult volunteer served as a “personal shopper.” The students appreciated the support, and the volunteers delighted in helping young people select clothing. Many of the students not only acquired the clothing and supplies they need for school but also became smart shoppers, comparing prices and assessing the value of various items. The Teen Closet shopping days for spring 2022 will be held in January.
Shred That Old Paperwork
Nancy McCluskey-Moore
Ready to ditch those outdated paper files? Bring them to the shredding and recycling event on Saturday, Oct. 30 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.
To ensure proper social distancing during the pandemic, please load items to be shredded or recycled into your car trunk or the back of your SUV. Be sure to wear a mask while in the drop-off area and stay in your vehicle. For each bag or box 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 520-665-4200.
Katerina Frye
SBCO Scholarship Recipient Passionate About Writing
Ron Andrea
Each year, a team of SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO) volunteers work with local high school counselors in the Copper Corridor (stretching from Catalina to Miami, Ariz.) to select exceptional students for college, community college, and trade school scholarships. Scholarship students are chosen based on their academic performance, financial need, references, and community service.
One such student is Katerina Frye. Katerina is a published author and currently an English and psychology major at Johns Hopkins University. In addition to graduating from high school with a 4.0 grade point average, she was active in community youth services, volunteered at the Golden Goose Thrift Shop, and received the National High School Presidential Service Award.
With respect to her college major, Katerina writes, “Writing does not stitch an aorta closed or produce the latest gadget and it rarely yields tangible benefits, but writing unravels the human spirit and speaks to all its horrors and wonders. Pursuing a path as a writer is a noble pursuit. I will not save lives, but maybe, just maybe, I can help them.”
As for her SBCO scholarship, Katerina adds, “I am so thankful for SBCO’s commitment to helping students. Their generous scholarship has allowed me to attend the school of my dreams, where I can pursue my passion for learning … as of now, my career goal is to work for an esteemed news outlet or magazine company. The future is exciting, and I am ready for it.”
If you would like to help other students like Katerina, consider a gift to the SBCO Scholarship Endowment Program. Donations literally last forever, as only the earnings on donations are used to provide scholarships. Over 20% of families in the Copper Corridor meet the federal criteria for poverty, and research tells us that over 70% of students who are raised in poverty raise their own children in poverty. Education, however, is the key to breaking the cycle of generational poverty. By changing the life of one student, we are often changing the lives of that student’s children and grandchildren as well.
There are several ways to donate to the Scholarship Endowment Program. One is to make the SBCO Scholarship Endowment Program a beneficiary in your will or trust. Those over age 72 can reduce their federal income taxes by having a portion of their IRA distribution sent directly from their financial institution to the Scholarship Endowment Program. Finally, you can simply write a tax-deductible check. While SBCO accepts donations of any amount, the minimum donation to the Scholarship Endowment is $5,000. (Consult your financial advisor about the tax benefits of charitable contributions.)
As a wise man once said, “Those who plant trees, knowing they will never sit beneath their shade, truly understand the meaning of life.”
All contributions to the endowment fund must be made payable to the Community Foundation of Southern Arizona (CFSA) and designated for the “SBCO Scholarship Endowment Fund” (CFSA’s Tax ID is 94-2681765). This ensures donations are legally separated from SBCO general funds, properly processed, and the donor receives acknowledgment. The minimum contribution to the fund is $5,000.
Tax-deductible donations can be made any of three ways:
* A personal check, sent directly to CFSA, made payable to Community Foundation of Southern Arizona with “SBCO Endowment” in the memo line
* A distribution from your IRA to CFSA—for the SBCO Scholarship Endowment Fund
(Consult your tax advisor for potential tax benefits.)
* Include CFSA, as the manager of the SBCO Scholarship Endowment Fund, as a beneficiary in your trust or estate plan
Only monetary or in-kind donations valued at $5,000 or more are accepted for this fund.
Donations must be sent to:
The Community Foundation of Southern Arizona
SBCO Scholarship Endowment Fund
5049 E Broadway, Suite 201
Tucson, AZ 85711
For more information about the SBCO Scholarship Endowment Fund, send an email to [email protected] or call the SBCO office at 520-825-3302.
SaddleBrooke resident Elaine Kline modeled an evening ensemble selected from the Golden Goose Thrift Store’s inventory.
See “Cheap Chic” Golden Goose Fashion at SBCO Fall Meeting
Nancy McCluskey-Moore
The SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO) Fall Kick-off General Meeting, which will feature the ever popular Golden Goose Fashion Show, will be held at 3:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 11, in the MountainView Ballroom. Attend the event to learn about SBCO’s programs that provide food, clothing, and educational opportunities for local children, and see some of the wonderful clothing available to Golden Goose shoppers.
Golden Goose volunteer Betsy Lowry regularly sifts through the store’s clothing donations to hand-pick items for the annual fashion show. Clothing and coordinating accessories, from casual to formal wear, are selected for quality and style, in order to display some of the best items available to the store’s fashionista shoppers. Betsy also recruits volunteers who are willing to serve as runway models.
Plan to attend this very popular annual event!