Donate this holiday season
BY KEVIN HARTKE
It is hard to believe that Christmas is right around the corner. As we prepare for the festivities both individually and as a community, let us be reminded of opportunities to share our blessings with those less fortunate. Every year, many churches, nonprofit organizations and others lead efforts to identify disadvantage families and ensure that they are provided for.
While many programs have been in place for years, the coordination of efforts continues to imp rove. Through the For Our City-Chandler initiatives, many groups collaborate more closely to share resources, thus maximizing efficiencies. As a result, we are able to serve a greater segment of our population and address more needs.
One of the first holiday-giving events is the Stuffed with L ove Boutique, which takes place on Friday, Dec. 12. The event is organized by the Chandler/Gilbert YMCA and Girl Scouts to benefit the 300 children at ICAN and their families.
The uniqueness of this program is that every child from ICAN receives five tickets to shop at the boutique to redeem one item for themselves and four items for family members. It provides them with the opportunity to give back to others, which fills them with a sense of pride and empowerment.
Donations of new or gently used
items for this event are accepted until Tuesday, Dec. 9, at the Chandler YMCA, located at 1655 W. Frye Rd. In addition, volunteers are needed to help wrap gifts from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12. For more information, contact Gina La Benz at (480) 262-8401 or by email at glabenz@vosymca.org.
The Chandler Fire, Health & Medical Department hosts its annual Holiday Toy Drive on Saturday, Dec. 13, at the Chandler Fashion Center near the Food Court area from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. This event benefits disadvantaged elementary school children and families identified by the Chandler Unified School District through the Chandler CARE Center.
Anyone who donates a new, unwrapped toy will receive a ride in a fire engine on that day. Toy donations can also be dropped off at the Fire Headquarters at 151 E. Boston St. or at any Chandler Fire Station through Monday, Dec. 15. Firefighters will hand out the toys to children on Friday, Dec. 19. For information about the CARE Center or to register a family to receive gifts, call (480) 812-7900 or visit www.chandlerCAREcenter.com.
The Boys and Girls Club of the East Valley Compadre Branch and Teen Center is hosting an event to benefit its registered club families on Saturday, Dec. 20. Donations can be dropped off at 300 E. Chandler Blvd., and volunteers are needed for gift wrapping from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 16, through Thursday, Dec. 18. Call (480) 899-8302 for additional details.
The Chandler Christian Community Center coordinates an exceptionally successful holiday giving event called Operation Santa. More than 1,000
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Thank you from About Care
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the talented high school art students from Chandler, Hamilton and Valley Christian high schools for participating in our Veterans Day art auction high school competition. Also, thank you to the volunteers from Intel for helping with the event. The majority of our clients are veterans or widows of veterans and it was nice to have the community come together to honor them for their service and to support About Care’s programs.
About Care’s mission is to deliver caring, compassionate support services using trained volunteers with special concern for the elderly and disabled homebound residents of Chandler and Gilbert. During this holiday season and in the New Year, I would urge everyone in our community to try to dedicate a few hours a month volunteering. Not only will you reap the benefits of this gift, but you will impact the lives of others by your generosity. Thank you again high school students and Intel employees!
Sincerely,
Ann Marie McArthur Executive Director About Care
An
open letter to the CUSD community
On behalf of the Chandler Unified School District Governing Board, I would like to thank our community
members, parents and volunteers for enabling the Chandler Unified School District to achieve the ranking of “Best School District In Arizona” by the Niche organization in its 2015 national ranking. CUSD has an outstanding staff of administrators, teachers and support personnel but it takes an entire community to lift a district of more than 40,000 students to be rated as the best in our state of more than 250 districts.
Since the school district was founded more than a century ago, the community of individuals and businesses has maintained high expectations and has provided exceptional support in terms of volunteer hours, donations and voter support for district override and bond ballot measures. We hope this recognition helps to demonstrate that the district has carefully and wisely used these precious resources.
Congratulations to our entire Chandler Unified School District community and thank you.
(The Niche ranking criteria include a broad range of district measures including academics, administration, educational outcomes, extracurriculars, food, health and safety, resources and facilities, sports and fitness, student culture and diversity and teachers.)
Robert
Rice President, Chandler Unified School District Board
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children are expected to be served by Santa and his helpers on Monday, Dec. 22. Donations of toys, new clothes and gift cards are accepted until Thursday, Dec. 18, and can be dropped off at 345 S. California St. Further details can be obtained by calling Lori Tapia at (480) 963-1423 or visiting www. chandlerfoodbank.org.
Christmas is by far the busiest season to volunteer but there are needs throughout the year. In Chandler, we strongly encourage community involvement and celebrate contributions with an annual Volunteer Recognition Award ceremony. Nominations for the 2014 awards are accepted until Monday, Dec. 8. For more information, visit www. chandleraz.gov/volunteer100.
There are plenty of ways to get involved and brighten someone’s holiday this season. And, while not everyone can take the time to volunteer or drop off donations, financial contributions truly make a big difference. In addition, to being convenient, monetary donations can also be used for tax credits or tax deductions.
All in all, let us continue to be generous and share our gifts of time, talents and treasures with those around us. I wish everyone a joyful and
Community Commentary
generous season for giving.
Kevin Hartke is a councilman for the City of Chandler.
Shopping locally supports Chandler’s high quality of life
BY RICK HEUMANN
The holiday season has arrived and the spirit of gift giving is in the air. This is the time of year to remember the importance of shopping locally. It’s convenient to shop online and have the gifts delivered directly to your door, but remember, those dollars spent don’t support our community’s quality of life. Sales tax revenue is a vital component of our community’s success. Chandler continues to be fiscally strong, but we must still rely on revenue that is generated from sales tax on purchases made within the Chandler city limits. This funding is used to support various services and quality-of-life experiences for our
residents. Many of these include police and fire protection, road construction and maintenance, park development and upkeep, recreation programs, and support to library programs.
The City of Chandler continues to promote the campaign “Invest Wisely, Shop Chandler,” which encourages residents to spend locally at retail stores and restaurants located within city limits. As vice mayor, it is my priority to shop locally, providing support to our independent businesses. Even when I am at meetings in other parts of the Valley, if I need to stop for lunch, I always try to seek out local, unique eateries.
The return is great when we work together in supporting our local businesses. It has been found that independent businesses tend to reinvest more in their community by contracting with local suppliers, as well as offering support and aid to local charities, food banks and other service agencies.
Patronizing small businesses has other benefits as well. They usually provide a unique shopping or dining experience, which comes with a sense of pride knowing you’re supporting the community you live and play in.
Residents can receive free email updates about offers from local businesses by joining the Shop Chandler Club at www.chandleraz.
SHOP LOCAL!
gov/shop. Local First Arizona is a nonprofit organization with a mission to strengthen Arizona communities by supporting small businesses. Business directories and other tools to assist in making informed consumer decisions can be found at www.localfirstaz.com. Hopefully you’ll join me in supporting the quality of life we all enjoy as Chandler residents by shopping local this holiday season. Your dedication will help our business community stay strong, while also maintaining critical City services and programs.
Rick Heumann is the vice mayor of Chandler.
Vice Mayor Rick Heumann. Submitted photo