Jeanne Becker
Ticket sales are underway for this year’s Mistletoe Martini Christmas Gala. Event coordinators Jan Hawkes, Jeanne Duncan, Jade Neff, and Karen McGowan are arranging a very glamorous and elegant semi-formal dinner/dance to be held on Sunday, Dec. 1, at the San Tan Ballroom in Cottonwood Country Club. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. with a cash bar, basket raffles, and a silent auction featuring unique donated prizes. Dinner will be served at 6 p.m. featuring a sit-down plated “Surf & Turf” dinner (petite filet and sea scallops, plus sides), followed by live music and dancing by Rhythm Edition starting at 7 p.m. The $70 per person ticket price includes tax and tip, with tickets available online at our website at slcommunityfoundation.com.
This is our biggest fundraiser of the season, and as in past events, we are featuring a fabulous array of classy donated raffle baskets and unique silent auction items, along with our “Crystal Donation Bowl,” to raise funds to support our mission, which is “to enhance the quality of life for residents in the Greater Sun Lakes area in the areas of health, education, and culture.”
The Foundation’s purpose is to be a vehicle for charitable giving in the Greater Sun Lakes area. Since our inception in 2015, the Foundation has awarded more than $150,000 in grants and donations to multiple organizations that serve the older population in the East Valley. Examples of the many organizations that have received funding include the Arizona Fire & Medical Authority (AFMA); Neighbors Who Care; The Crystal Card Project, which gives 100% of their sales to help local shelters; the Sun Lakes Community Theatre Company and the Sun Lakes Community Theatre Children’s Productions, which teach first graders about live theatre in 25 Chandler elementary schools each year; Sun Lakes Citrus Sharers who picked over 100 tons of citrus each year to donate to local food banks; Sun Lakes Arts and Crafts Association, and the Sun Lakes Posse and Arizona Rangers, plus many more organizations. More information about grants is available on our website at slcommunityfoundation.com.
The Foundation’s ability to award these grants is made possible through the financial generosity of individuals and companies who wish to enhance the quality of life for residents of Sun Lakes. The support by our friends and neighbors at events like the Mistletoe Martini Christmas Gala and the Spring Hoedown, as well as the raffle tickets purchased at TAD shows at Cottonwood and our legacy walls on our website, are all central to the Foundation’s ability to continue our support of organizations serving senior residents in our communities. Please contact us for more information about our 501(c)(3) organization on our website at slcommunityfoundation.com.