Foundation awards $3,000 grant to Memory Café – February, 2021
The Greater Sun Lakes Community Foundation (The Foundation) has awarded a grant of $3,000 to Creative Engagement Partners for their Memory Café at the Sun Lakes Methodist Church. The Memory Café is designed and operated for Sun Lakes and East Valley families with Parkinson’s and memory loss through engagement activities – “a place to make new friends, learn, and have a cup of coffee”. Engaging activities are created and guided by Music Therapists, Tai Chi instructors, Visual Artists, etc., and are offered several days every week. These programs are designed for both the recipient and his/her caregiver to support both of them in order to help eliminate isolation and loneliness and to stimulate the participants intellectually and physically.
The Foundation regularly presents grants like this to many local community groups throughout each year in order to enhance the quality of life for the older population in the East Valley, including all Sun Lakes residents, in the areas of health, education and culture. To find out more about The Foundation’s activities or to apply for a grant for your non-profit organization, go to www.slcommunityfoundation.com
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THE FOUNDATION GRANTS NEIGHBORS WHO CARE $5,000 – August, 2021
Members of the board of The Greater Sun Lakes Community Foundation (The Foundation) were pleased to present a grant in the amount of $5,000 to Neighbors Who Care (NWC). These funds will be used to complete the purchase of a new passenger van which will be used by NWC to provide assistance in the areas of transportation, shopping/errands, grocery transport, friendly visitation, business assistance, dinner delivery, and caregiver relief/respite.
The Foundation regularly presents grants like this to many local community groups throughout each year in order to enhance the quality of life for the older population in the East Valley, including all Sun Lakes residents, in the areas of health, education and culture. To find out more about The Foundation’s activities or to apply for a grant, go to www.slcommunityfoundation.com
Caption: Pictured from left to right are Dr. William Wilhelm, Jeanne Becker, Frank Gould, Madeleine Lutz, Cheryl Ravenscroft, Maidy Horst and Ramon Rubio.
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SUPPORTING OUR SUN LAKES CLUBS/ORGANIZATIONS – February, 2022
by Richard Hawkes
The Greater Sun Lakes Community Foundation has had a very successful fall fund-raising
campaign. Our December Christmas Gala/Silent Auction at the Cottonwood Ballroom earned
over $9,000 in that one event, and our many benefactors and donors have helped The
Foundation exceed its yearly fund-raising goals. This, of course, translates to The Foundation
announcing it has funds to provide 2022 financial grants to Sun Lakes area clubs and
organizations that provide activities and outlets for our senior population to help them stay
engaged with life in the areas of Health, Education and Culture!
If your club/organization meets the simple goal of The Foundation, we offer you the opportunity
to apply for a financial grant. The process involves your club/organization going to The
Foundation website www.slcommunityfoundation.com and completing the grant form and
submitting it right there on The Foundation website. There is no fee for submitting a grant, no
time restraint and grants can be submitted at any time during the year.
As we leave 2021, we must thank all the wonderful folks who have donated to The Foundation.
We are really proud of the number of individuals and families who have donated to The
Foundation’s Memorial Wall. It grows each month as friends and families dedicate a virtual brick
to a loved one or a friend. We are also thankful for those individuals and families who have given
a direct donation to The Foundation. We recognize those individuals and families by giving them
a virtual brick on the Legacy Wall. You can see the two virtual brick walls by going to The
Foundation website: www.slcommunityfoundation.com .
As we get ready to greet 2022, we are optimistic that our area clubs/organizations will once again
open their doors to our seniors. The Foundation is also optimistic about 2022, we are up to full
strength with the addition of 4 new Board Members and we are ready to receive grant requests.
We are extremely proud of the fact that 100% of ALL DONATIONS go back through grants into
our greater Sun Lakes Communities.
We are waiting to help your club or organization, so go to our website and sign up for a grant!
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GSLCF awards funds to SLCT – April, 2022
By Carolyn Holmes-Leneway
The Greater Sun Lakes Community Foundation has awarded the Sun Lakes Community Theatre (SLCT) a grant totaling $3,200 to ensure that the “set-up” and “tear-down” that is required for SLCT’s three main performances per year can be done efficiently and safely, without injury to their senior members. The intent of the grant funding is to enable SLCT to hire outside helpers for load-on and strike of the heavy performance stage sets and equipment. For each performance, the curtains, risers, poles, sets, sound equipment, lights, costumes, signage, etc. that are kept in storage buildings offsite must be loaded onto a rented truck, transported to the venue, unloaded and set up in a very limited time frame. At the conclusion of the show, the reverse must take place. In the past, SLCT volunteers have accomplished this but are finding that the heavy lifting is a much greater challenge than can be done safely by seniors.
SLCT is a non-profit 501c(3) organization dedicated to providing accessible and affordable live theater performances for the Sun Lakes Community. The actors, directors, technicians, and support staff are all volunteers that present three main stage productions each year (spring, summer, fall) at the Cottonwood and Oakwood ballrooms that range from comedies to Broadway plays to serious dramas to dinner-theater. They have also revived their comedy troupe, The ImproVables, which performs throughout our Sun Lakes communities.
The Greater Sun Lakes Community Foundation is entering its 6th year as a charitable 501c3 foundation serving the Sun Lakes Community. During the past five years, The Foundation has raised and disseminated grants in excess of $250,000 in support of local organizations, clubs and other charitable groups, such as Neighbors Who Care, AFMA Fire & Medical Authority Stations 231 & 232 Firefighters Food Fund, Sun Lakes Community Theatre, The Perfect Place – Adult Day Services, etc., – all of which provide services, activities and opportunities for our senior population.
Picture caption:(L to R): GSLCF Directors Bob Rouleau, Carolyn Leneway, GSLCF President Richard Hawkes, SLCT President Greg Posniack, GSLCF Secretary Cheryl Ravenscroft, GSLCF Director Louis Baca.
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Crystal Card Project awarded $2,000 grant by The Foundation – May, 2022
By Maidy Horst, Foundation Grant Coordinator
A grant check for $2,000 was accepted by The Crystal Card Project President, Charlene Petragallo. The grant will be used to cover the cost of additional supplies, materials and equipment needed to make the Crystal Cards, which is estimated to be about $.25 per card. That means for each one dollar donated, they can generate four dollars’ worth of cards, so this donation of $2,000 will translate into $8,000 worth of card sales in our Sun Lakes Communities, all of which is donated to My Sister’s Place. Many local Sun Lakes volunteers are involved by donating their time and their old cards, by gathering together to help make new cards, by selling the cards, and by disseminating them to their relatives, friends, and acquaintances for birthdays and other special occasions. Crystal Cards are available through “Home Delivery” – The Crystal Cards Project can deliver an assortment of greeting cards directly to your Sun Lakes or SunBird home. You send an email to thecrystalcardproject@gmail.com that includes: your name, home address (including community name), phone number, the kinds of cards you want (get well, birthday, thinking of you, anniversary, sympathy, etc. or an assortment of all types). A volunteer arranges to deliver a box to your house. At your convenience, you look thru the cards and pick the ones you want. Cards are $1 each. You can pay with cash or by a check made out to The Crystal Card Project. Place the payment for the cards you have chosen inside the box along with the cards to be returned. Then call the volunteer whose phone number is on the box to arrange for pickup. Starting in the fall of 2022, Crystal Card sales will be held in all three Sun Lakes Communities (Sun Lakes Country Club, Cottonwood/Palo Verde and IronOaks); specific locations, dates and times will be publicized to Sun Lakes residents by September.
ALL (100%) of card sales is donated to My Sister’s Place, which serves victims of domestic violence and abuse and is one of only two confidential domestic violence shelters in the East Valley. Victims are provided with a private and comforting environment for their safety and recovery. The shelter serves individuals of all ages as well as parents with children. My Sister’s Place provides safety planning, case management and skill/resource building to empower clients to advocate for themselves and truly make a permanent change to their situations. The program also assists with after-care planning, employment, information and referral to transitional programs, affordable housing, furniture, food and other items.
The Greater Sun Lakes Community Foundation has been established to enhance the quality of life for the older population in the East Valley, including Sun Lakes residents, in the areas of health, education and culture. The Foundation gives grants to local non-profits to enhance their work in all our Sun Lakes communities; to apply, go to https://slcommunityfoundation.com .
The people in the photo are (left to right): Maidy Horst, Jeanne Becker, Charlene Petragallo, Cheryl Ravenscroft and Louis Baca.
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The Foundation makes a $3,000 award to AFMA Sun Lakes Firefighters Food Fund – May 2022
By Jeanne Becker, Foundation Treasurer
Recently, The Greater Sun Lakes Community Foundation made an award of $3,000 to the Sun Lakes Firefighters Food Fund, which is used by the firefighters and EMS personnel at Stations 231 & 232 to help supplement the cost of their food which they pay for themselves. The award amount is being divided among the six shifts in both firehouses, so each shift gets $500 to help alleviate the cost of buying the food which is prepared communally by each shift. The Foundation is proud to assist our firefighters in this way, and at the award presentation, the AFMA Assistant Fire Chief said that he has been in the fire service for 27 years and he has not encountered this type of direct community support for firefighters and EMS personnel anywhere else.
The Greater Sun Lakes Community Foundation has been established to enhance the quality of life for the older population in the East Valley, including Sun Lakes residents, in the areas of health, safety, education and culture. The Foundation gives grants to local non-profits, service organizations and clubs to enhance their work in all our Sun Lakes communities. If you are part of an organization that needs financial support, to apply, please go to https://slcommunityfoundation.com .
Picture Members of The Foundation Board of Directors pose with firefighters of Station 231 at the check presentation event.
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The Foundation makes award to the Sun Lakes Chorale – October 2022
By Jeanne Becker
At our monthly Board meeting on October 5th, the Greater Sun Lakes Community Foundation presented a check for $5,000 to the Sun Lakes Chorale to help pay for costs associated with producing their two shows at the Sun Lakes Methodist Church: one on December 8, 2022 at 7 pm, and the second on March 16, 2023. This grant will help pay for new sheet music, a professional director, a show coordinator, and help defray the costs for playbills, advertising, etc. The music that the director selects is of various genres and provides for a wealth of choral experiences. The Chorale is comprised of sixty plus members living in Sun Lakes and Sun Bird and these concerts give the singers an opportunity to have choral experiences under the direction of a professional director. Chorale members love to sing and to share with the Sun Lakes communities this avenue for enhancing our lives both culturally and emotionally.
The Sun Lakes Chorale deeply appreciates this Grant provided by the Greater Sun Lakes Community Foundation. This grant will also assist in maintaining concert ticket prices at a low $10 and to provide for other ongoing concert-related expenses. The large attendance at past concerts also shows the community’s appreciation for the “live” musical programming offered at such a low cost for entertainment these days.
If any other Sun Lakes club/organization wishes to apply for a financial grant, the process involves your club/organization going to The Foundation’s website www.slcommunityfoundation.com and completing the grant form and submitting it right there on The Foundation website. There is no fee for submitting a grant or no time restraint and grants can be submitted at any time during the year.
Caption: (l-r)
Back Row: Bob Rouleau, Louis Baca, Frank Gould, Cheryl Ravenscroft, Dan Morson, Bill Carpenter
Front Row: Richard Hawkes, Jeanette Cline, Donna Nelson, Yvonne Orlich
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Grants to Neighbors Who Care, Sun Lakes Posse, and Arizona Rangers – December, 2022
By Jeanne Becker
The Greater Sun Lakes Community Foundation is pleased to announce some recent donations to three local community groups that “enhance the quality of life for the older population in the East Valley, including all Sun Lakes residents, in the areas of health, education and culture.”
In that spirit we were delighted to help Neighbors Who Care with their annual “Holiday giving program”, which involves granting wishes to those in our community who are in need. Neighbors Who Care volunteers support seniors with their desire to live fulfilling lives at home with a wide array of non-medical services including this Holiday giving program.
The local Arizona Rangers Sun Lakes Company. The Rangers are an all-volunteer 501c3 law enforcement auxiliary based in Sun Lakes. They have over 40 members providing support to HOA patrol and help with local events and traffic coordination. They receive no county or state funding.
The Sun Lakes Posse who provide the medical equipment service program free of charge to Sun Lakes residents and who patrol the communities of Sun Lakes as needed. They are 100% funded by donations.
The Greater Sun Lakes Community Foundation is a 501c3 organization that supports local clubs and organizations through grants and donations. To find out more about The Foundation’s activities or to apply for a donation or grant, go to www.slcommunityfoundation.com.
Posse Photo: Bill Carpenter, Carolyn Leneway, Jeanne Becker, Cheryl Ravenscroft, Craig Lloyd, Richard Hawkes, Bill Shedd, Ramon Rubio, Renee Seifert
Rangers Photo: Bill Carpenter, Cheryl Ravenscroft, Jeanne Becker, Carolyn Leneway, Ron Burchett, Scott Murdock, Renee Seifert.