SBCO Has Another Banner Year
A proud Kids’ Closet shopper shows off her new clothing.
Nancy McCluskey-Moore
For the past 25 years, SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO), an all-volunteer organization, has been providing children in nearby communities with opportunities to succeed through programs that provide food, clothing, enrichment grants, and education. Thanks to our volunteers who generously contribute their time and talent and our donors who provide their financial support, we are striving to end generational poverty for thousands of kids. During the past year, our volunteers logged more than 72,500 hours of service, a $2,320,000 value. Our fundraising efforts included our annual Make-A-Difference program, which raised $170,611. Our Scholarship Endowment program is now valued at $402,741.56. A new fundraising effort to recruit business supporters raised $34,500. These funding efforts, along with donations from both SaddleBrooke and SaddleBrooke Ranch residents, and the Golden Goose Thrift Shop distributions, which totaled an amazing $692,500, allowed us to run programs that provided more than $1 million to communities in the 100-mile Copper Corridor.
Feed
Our annual Food Drive in March collected more than 18,000 pounds of food and $148,787 in monetary donations for the Tri-Community Food Bank. This was a joint effort between SaddleBrooke and SaddleBrooke Ranch.
Thanksgiving food baskets were delivered to 92 families living in Oracle and the San Manuel/Mammoth Unified School District. Laundry baskets were filled with traditional Thanksgiving items, including turkey and all the trimmings. SaddleBrooke residents assembled 30 baskets for Oracle families, and SaddleBrooke Ranch residents assembled 30 baskets for families in San Manuel and Mammoth.
Clothe
Kids’ Closet clothed 2,815 children this year. Those kids who come in person to the “big red building” in Mammoth have volunteers who help them shop for clothes that fit and that they like. When the children can’t come in person, for various reasons, the volunteers bag clothes for each name provided by the school. When bagged, each child receives the same amount of clothing and toiletries as in an in-person session.
Teen Closet hosted two shopping events for teens in towns from Catalina to Miami; one in July 2022 and another in January 2023. Eighty-six students shopped for school clothing and school supplies in July, and 57 shopped in January. To qualify for a shopping trip, teens must attend school regularly, maintain an overall C or better average in their subjects, and perform at least six service hours in their community. Due to inflation, each student’s allowance was increased to $250.
The Adopt-A-Family and Adopt-A-Child programs brought holiday joy to approximately 120 adults and 550 children, thanks to $63,739 contributed by residents of SaddleBrooke and SaddleBrooke Ranch. SaddleBrooke residents adopted 70 families in the San Manuel and Mammoth communities, as well as 200 children on the San Carlos Indian Reservation. SaddleBrooke Ranch residents adopted 152 children from Oracle.
Enrich
Enrichment grant requests increased after a long dry spell during COVID. In total, SBCO awarded more than $118,000 in grants to local schools and community organizations. The Miami School District requested seven grants for programs to enrich learning in grades K-6. SBCO funded summer programs for softball, a sports camp, swimming lessons, and three summer reading programs. Two community libraries, Miami and Hayden, requested funds for the first time. Superior’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) program requested funds for two award winners to travel to a national competition. SBCO continues to support Ray School’s Bookshelf program and its Learning Garden. Oracle School requested funds for a Scholastic book program (each child receives two books each month), their gifted program, and scholarships for their preschool program. The Amphitheater schools were awarded funds for their annual field trips for 7th and 8th graders, and SBCO funded two nonschool groups, Youth On Their Own (YOTO) and the Triangle YMCA Camp.
Educate
College scholarships were awarded to 91 students (totaling more than $254,000) during SBCO’s 2022-23 fiscal year:
• 77 four-year students
• 7 two-year students
• 7 graduate students
The universities attended by four-year students included the University of Arizona, Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, Park U, Central Michigan, BYU, BYU Hawaii, Azusa Pacific, Arkansas, Troy, Grand Canyon, Western New Mexico, and New Mexico State.
The two-year programs attended included The Fashion Institute in LA, The West Coast Ultrasound Institute, Central AZ, Eastern AZ, Chandler-Gilbert, Mesa, and Pima Community College.
The graduate students attended U of A School of Veterinary Medicine, U of A School of Pharmacy, UCLA, NAU Teaching Certificate, George Fox University, and NYU.
Additionally, the Scholarship Endowment Program distributed $13,000 in earnings. This distribution enabled SBCO to grant three awards to graduate students at ASU, Midwestern University, and NAU.
Community Events
Within our SaddleBrooke and SaddleBrooke Ranch communities, we also provided two community events. The Walk for Kids 2022 was reconstituted after a three-year absence due to COVID. The Remodeled Home Tour ran in April 2023. The Walk for Kids involved 370 walkers and over 50 volunteers. The Home Tour involved more than 580 participants and 100 volunteers.
The success of our organization’s work is undeniable, and our volunteers are inspired to raise funds and donate their time by the satisfaction they receive from improving the lives of kids—our hope for the future.
Make a Donation and Make a Difference in a Kid’s Life
Nancy McCluskey-Moore
For more than 25 years, SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO) has been providing young people in local communities with opportunities to succeed through programs that provide food, clothing, enrichment grants, and scholarships. We serve youngsters living in the Copper Corridor (mining towns stretching more than 100 miles from Catalina to Globe).
The programs implemented by our all-volunteer organization focus on providing:
Food: Collecting food and funding for the Tri-Community Food Bank
Clothing: For students in preschool through high school
Enrichment: Through grants to schools and community organizations
Education: Scholarships for two- and four-year college degrees
Your financial contribution to SBCO can make a big difference in many children’s lives. And it can be a good end-of-year tax break for you. Since SBCO is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (Tax ID 86-0843458), all contributions are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. Contributions are also eligible for the Arizona Tax Credit for Contributions to Charities that Provide Assistance to the Working Poor.
Your donation will be deeply appreciated and acknowledged. If you make a gift on behalf of a friend or family member, in memory of a special person, or in honor of an event or person, an acknowledgment will also be sent to the appropriate person or his or her family.
You can make a secure online donation at community-outreach.org using your credit card or your PayPal account (a PayPal account is not required to donate). Or a donation can be made by delivering or sending a check (made payable to SaddleBrooke Community Outreach or SBCO) to SaddleBrooke Community Outreach, Inc., 63675 E. SaddleBrooke Blvd., Suite L, Tucson, AZ 85739.
On behalf of many local children, we thank you for your support.
Save the Date: SBCO Events
in 2024
SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO) has a busy schedule planned for the new year. We invite you to help us provide local children with the food, clothing, enrichment activities, and college scholarships they need to succeed. Together we can make a big difference in the lives of many young people.
January
Jan. 22: Kids’ Closet spring session opens
Jan. 29 through Feb. 3: Teen Closet winter shopping days*
March
March 1: College Scholarship applications due
March 16: Food Drive (food and monetary donations beginning March 1)
March 23: Remodeled Home Tour (online ticket sales beginning March 4)
April
April 8: Annual Meeting and Election of Officers
April 8: Kids’ Closet spring session ends
April 20: Recycling Event
July
July 29 through Aug. 3: Teen Closet back to school shopping days*
October
Oct. 15: Adopt-A-Family and Adopt-A-Child donations begin
Oct. 21: Fall Meeting and Golden Goose Fashion Show
Oct. TBD: Walk for Kids
November
Nov. 1: Make a Difference annual donation campaign
Nov. 15: Adopt-A-Family and Adopt-A-Child donations due
* Exact dates are subject to change. Please check the SBCO website at community-outreach.org for updates.