The 3rd annual Blessing of the Animals will take place Sunday, October 25, 2015 at Desert Foothills United Methodist Church in Ahwatukee from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM. The church is located at 2156 E Liberty Lane, Phoenix, Az  85048.  This is a FREE community wide event to bless all pets from cats and dogs to fish and turtles!

Our pets have become part of our family and for many people pets ARE their family.  We enjoy the companionship of our pets.  We look forward to the wagging tails as we come home from a long day. Millions of households have a variety of pets from cats and dogs to rabbits, fish and hamsters.

When you bring your pet to the Blessing of the Animals this year you will find a picture booth to capture that picture of you and your furry loved one.

There will be FREE entertainment with an emcee and DJ.  No community gathering is complete with out food! There will be FREE hot dogs this year.  And, don’t forget about feeding the animals!  The church will be accepting donations of pet food to donate to “Lost Our Home“, which is an affiliate of Family Promise. Family Promise is an outreach program to support families that have lost their home and are in need of interim services.  This program allows families to keep their pets as they experience a loss of a home.  Often when facing this challenging situation a pet is a great comfort to children and parents alike.

Looking for something fun for the kids to do?  Tired of hearing “I am bored!”  Come and have fun in the Bounce House.  What kids do not like bouncing around in a fun Bounce House?

Don’t have a pet of your own to bring?  No problem, there will be a  petting zoo for kids or adults young at heart!  We see very few petting zoos in Ahwatukee so bring the family and meet a few new “furry” friends!

There will also be a Pet Halloween costume contest!  Dress your pet in a great Halloween costume and join the pet Halloween costume contest.  Not sure where to find a pet costume?  Check  out Petsmart for a variety of pet friendly costumes.

 

What do you need to bring?  First, bring any pet you would like to have blessed on leash or in a carrier. If you pet is uncomfortable around crowds feel free to bring a picture, leash, collar or toy of your pet to be blessed in their place.

Also remember donations of pet food will be accepted and donated to “Lost Our Home“.

Please mark Sunday, October 25 on your calendar and join others in the community as pets are blessed, pet food donated and enjoy a great community event to bless our furry (and not so furry) friends.

Don’t miss out on another FREE event in Ahwatukee this same weekend.

Along with the Blessing of the pets, don’t miss the semi-annual Shred-A-Thon on Saturday, October 24.  The Shred-A-Thon is another FREE event in Ahwatukee.  This Shred-A-Thon supports the Kyrene Resource Center and this fall we are collecting  Thanksgiving food to be  donated to the Kyrene Resource center’s Thanksgiving food boxes for needy families.  Click on this link for more  information about the Shred-A-Thon location at Monte Vista Elementary school in Mountain Park Ranch in Ahwatukee.

Click Here For Update 

UPDATE on October 24, 2015 Shred-A-Thon

 

Another Free Ahwatukee Shred-A-Thon Saturday October 24 2015

 

 

This  FREE event is sponsored by Shirley Coomer & Greg Stainton of Keller Williams Realty Sonoran living in Ahwatukee at the Monte Vista Elementary school located at 15221 S Ray Road  in Phoenix. This is our 8th Free Shred-A-Thon event.  We hold these each April and October in support of the Kyrene Resource Center and to give back to the community by offering FREE Shredding to help prevent identify theft.

 

At this FREE event our Shred Truck, Compliments of ASDD Shredding will accept  boxes or bags of papers to shred. (okay to leave paper clips and staples in the paper to be shred)  ASDD is owned by The Tempe Center for Habilitation  (TCH) and the donated shred will be sold to benefit the TCH.  When you bring in shred items we ask for food donation to the Kyrene Resource Center.

 

Last November, the Kyrene Resource center provided 300 boxes for needy  families with students enrolled in the Kyrene School district.  This fall we are again asking for food items to be used for Thanksgiving Food boxes.  (one food item for each box or bag shred).   Last October we collected 700 pounds of food for the Thanksgiving food boxes. November 2014, the Kyrene Resource center provided 300  FREE boxes of Thanksgiving food for needy  families with students enrolled in the Kyrene School district.  In addition to the food box,  families were given a Thanksgiving turkey.  The picture to the right shows  the Thanksgiving Box and Turkey distribution.  As you can see cars are lined up to receive their families’ Thanksgiving meal. the turkeys are stacked on the pallet for distribution to the families.  Without this assistance many families would not have the traditional Thanksgiving dinner we all enjoy.

 

 The Thanksgiving items needed are:    Canned Green Beans, Cream of Mushroom Soup, French Fried

Onions, Canned Yams or Sweet Potatoes, Bag of Marshmallows, Box of Stuffing, Box of Mashed Potatoes,

Canned or Package Turkey Gravy, Cornbread or Biscuit Mix, Canned Cranberry Sauce, Non-perishable

Dessert Mix (pumpkin pie can, cake mix etc.)

 

You are asked to bring one food item per box/bag to be donated to the Kyrene Resource Center. We ask for a limit of 10 boxes or bags of  items to be shred.  If you have more items please call Shirley Coomer at Keller Williams Realty at 602.770.0643, as we can usually accommodate additional shredding.

The Kyrene Resource center is supported by The Kyrene Foundation  and  provides services to families with students enrolled in the Kyrene School District.  The Family Resource Center  provides services to  families in need of food, clothes, hygiene items and other seasonal help. There are almost 300 homeless children in the Kyrene district which includes parts of Tempe, Chandler and all of Ahwatukee. Homelessness is defined as  families double bunked with other families, those who have lost a rental property or a home and  are living in temporary housing, IE extended stay hotels or other short term housing.

This free Shredding event is unique in that it has a ripple effect throughout multiple charitable groups benefiting the community we live it. As stated above, the food collected  directly benefits the Kyrene Resource center which is supported by the Kyrene Foundation.  In addition, the Shred truck is donated by ASDD Document Destruction.  ASDD Documentation Destruction of Tempe is owned by the Tempe Centers for Habilitation(TCH). The shredded paper is sold and the proceeds benefits the TCH provides services that support, care for and empower adults with developmental and physical disabilities. What a great way to support our community with services we all can use!

Why is this Shred-A-Thon different from many others?    Attendees can watch their papers being placed in a tub and then raised into the shred truck and destroyed.  Unlike many other shredding events where you items may be trucked away you can watch documents being destroyed real time, and you can rest assured the shredding is complete before you drive away.  Anther benefit is your shredded documents are mixed in with thousands  of pounds of other shredded documents.

We are grateful for the support of ASDD Document Destruction for this Shred-A-Thon.  ASDD Document Destruction is a social enterprise of TCH – The Centers for Habilitation.  TCH is a local Arizona 501 (c)(3) non-profit that has been operating since 1967.  The TCH is dedicated to providing support and opportunities to people with physical and developmental disabilities.  One of the ways TCH benefits individuals with disabilities is through providing jobs or job coaching and job placement. This is where ASDD Document Destruction comes into play.  As a social enterprise of TCH, ASDD encompasses all of these roles.  Their goal is to assist individuals with disabilities to obtain productive and valuable training and employment.  The THC employees gain not only a paycheck but also skill training, independence, and dignity through their work.  Moving those in our communities from dependence to independence is great for the community but more important, great for the individuals achieving a greater sense of freedom and self-esteem.

 

At the October 2014 Shred-A-Thon event, 5,758 pounds of paper was shredded!  This equates to saving 72 trees. Imagine keeping this paper out of the landfills.  The shredding was sold to raise $430 for the benefit of the TCH.   Kyrene School District Prevention Services Manager, Amanda Nosbisch stated that approximately 700 pounds of food was collected, which equates to $1120 in food value for the Resource center.

 

Not only did people drive their trucks, cars and SUVs to Monte Vista Elementary school to have their papers shred, several local residences walked over to the event pulling their boxes or carts with items to shred!  And…they brought food donations! Talk about being eco friendly!

The Shred-A-Thon was started by Shirley Coomer of Keller Williams Realty as a result of  learning some  clients discovered some form of identity theft when applying for a home loan.  Many people don’t routinely look at their credit until they are ready to apply for a home or car loan and may have no idea their identity has been comprised.  When you  have old bank statements or tax returns shred in a truck before your eyes you can rest assured  your personal information remains private and your identity uncompressed.

 

By partnering with the Kyrene Resource Center and asking for food donations the community is helping the center provide food to families vetted by the school staff in need of food assistance.  While the economy in the Phoenix area has improved along with the housing market, there still remains a need in the community.  While you find many multi-million homes in the area, many families are still struggling to make ends meet and the resources at the Kyrene Resource center are key to helping families with many basic needs, including food.  When a holiday comes around, it is hard to explain to children  there is no money for the traditional Thanksgiving dinner they are told everyone enjoys!  This drive helps families participate in traditional Thanksgiving dinners.

Rounding out the community support for this event are the youth from Desert Foothills United Methodist church.  They help direct traffic into the school and ensure the lines move along to those bringing shred items and help collect the food and sort like items into boxes.

Members of the Kyrene Foundation board also attended to help collect the food donations.  At the end of the Shred-A-Thon, food is in boxes sorted according to the request of the Kyrene Resource Center to expedite the delivery and distribution of the food collected.

As you can see it takes many hands to make this community Shred-A-Thon a huge success and the community support is greatly appreciated!

 

Where else can you accomplish the following:

 

1. Shred papers to protect your identity
2. Have your shredded items avoid a land fill and save trees
3. Know that your shredded documents raised money for  Tempe  Center for Habilitation  (TCH)
4. Donate food to the Kyrene Resource Center

 

Look for signs approaching Monte Vista Elementary school located at 15221 S Ray Road  in Phoenix.  We look forward to seeing you on Saturday October 24th between 9 and 11am!

 

Realtors making a Difference, One Home and One Family at a Time

 

I hope you found the information about the upcoming Shred-a-thon Helpful. If I can be of assistance with your Real Estate needs anywhere in the Easy Valley area please call me at 602.770.0643. I have attached three links below. The first one will let you email me with any questions or comments.The second, will send you to the custom search area of my website to look at homes for sale in Ahwatukee / Mountain Park Ranch or the East Valley area. The last one will send you to the Home Value area of my website so you can see what your Home is worth Today.

Email me with any questions or comments

Homes for Sale in Ahwatukee /Mountain Park Ranch Area

What is my current Home worth???

 

Where Can I Find A Discount School Supply List For My Kyrene Student?

 

It is  great day to look for Back to School Supplies and we all like  Discount  School Supplies even better!  Your student is about to begin the fall semester in the Kyrene School District which includes parts of Tempe, Chandler & Phoenix.  It is time to  take advantage of the many Back to School sales and look for Discount  School Supplies offered by many merchants both in stores and online!

Most schools have School Supply list available by grade.  Just click on the link below for your school. We know teachers may have specific items to add and  those will be provided  the first day of school.  These school lists will get you started!

Today you have the option of going from store to store if find supplies or order them online. Some stores like Walmart and Target provide one stop shopping for clothes,  shoes and locker supplies as well as school supplies, backpacks and lunch boxes. Ordering school supplies online lets you find exactly what you are looking from the comfort of home and they are delivered to your front door!  School supplies are pretty cut and dried so ordering online is usually just a point and click process!

 

Also, as you shop for your student remember may families struggle to provide their students with all their back to school needs.  Please consider joining me and the Kyrene Foundation in our annual Stuff The Bus program.  This year’s goal is to provide  1000 back packs to needy Kyrene students. Every child deserves to start off their school year with a special backpack and all the supplies to do good school work! I will be the contact through my office, Keller Williams Sonoran Living Realty in Ahwatukee. I have attached a link to the  picture below which will take you to the program highlights. Give me a call at 602.770.0643 or send me a note through this link to my website so I can pickup your donations.

 

Below you will find  list of Elementary and Middle Schools in the Kyrene School District along with links to each School and their School Supply List. Some schools have supply lists available down to the individual teacher level while others  defer to the Kyrene School District generic list.  See what your student needs!  Below the Schools are links to various places to  find great deals on school supplies.

 

Kyrene Elementary Schools

 

Chandler

Kyrene de las Brisas

Kyrene del Cielo

Kyrene de la Mirada

Kyrene de la Paloma

Kyrene Traditional Academy

 

Ahwatukee

Kyrene de los Cerritos

Kyrene de la Colina

Kyrene de la Esperanza

Kyrene de la Estrella

Kyrene de las Lomas

Kyrene del Milenio

Kyrene Monte Vista

Kyrene de la Sierra

 

Tempe

Kyrene de las Manitas

Kyrene de la Mariposa

Kyrene de los Ninos

Kyrene del Norte

C.I. Waggoner

 

Kyrene Middle Schools

 

Chandler

Aprende Middle School

Kyrene del Pueblo Middle School

 

Ahwatukee

Kyrene Akimel A-al

Altadena Middle School

Centennial Middle School

 

Tempe

Kyrene Middle School

 

 

Not that you know what you need to buy, where to you go?  You can go to the  brick and mortar stores especially if you need to buy clothes, schools and other items with one stop shopping!

 

Walmart

 

Target   Watch for the pop up coupons online

 

Don’t want to battle the crowds or Phoenix heat? Consider shopping online.   Office Max and Staples along with many other sites offer the convenience of on line shopping and door to door delivery.

 

Office Max                                                 Back packs up to 50% off

Staples                                                        Staples offers a 110% price guarantee on school supplies.  They also                                                                      offer 25% off when buying a back pack.

Amazon                                                      Shop on line and avoid the crowds and Phoenix heat!

 

Other On line shopping options

 

Discount School Supply

 

Family Dollar Store                                Check out the on line buys!

 

Classroom Direct                                     Look for Free Shipping

Raymond Geddes                                    Look for their clearance section

 

I hope you have found this information on school supply lists by each Kyrene school helpful. If I can be of assistance with your real estate needs in the Kyrene School district or anywhere in the Phoenix East Valley area please call me at 602.770.0643 . I have attached 3 links below. The first one will let you email me with any comments or questions, the second, will send you to the Custom Search section of my website to locate homes for sale in the Awkatukee / Mountain Park Ranch area. The last one will let you see what your current home is worth today.    HAPPY SHOPPING

 

Email me with any questions or comments

 

Homes for Sale in Ahwatukee / Mountain Park Ranch

 

What is my Current Home worth???

The Map below shows all the 4th of July Fireworks Displays around the Ahwatukee & Phoenix  areas. I will be putting together a blog with a lot more information on each location with the activities shortly…

Attend a Free Shred-A-Thon April 11, 2015 at Monte Vista Elementary School in Ahwatukee starting at 9 AM – 11 AM. The school is located in Ahwatukee at 15221 S Ray Rd.

 

The Free event is sponsored by Shirley Coomer & Greg Stainton of Keller Williams Realty Sonoran living in Ahwatukee. This is the 7th Free Shred a thon event and is held each April and October in support of the Kyrene Resource Center.

At this FREE event you can bring boxes or bags of papers to shred. In exchange for FREE shredding, you are asked to bring one food item per box/bag to be donated to the Kyrene Resource Center. We are asking for donations of Pasta, Cereal, Dried beans, rice, spaghetti sauce, canned meats, canned fruits and vegetables. We ask for a limit of 4 boxes or bags of shred. If you have more items please call Shirley Coomer at Keller Williams Realty at 602.770.0643. Continue reading…

Home Buying Seminar to Benefit Kyrene Foundation February Update

See Updated date for next workshop in red below.

The Kyrene Elementary School District is an “A” rated district.  It is made up of 6 Middle schools and 19 elementary schools.  Are you thinking of buying or selling home n the Kyrene School District?   Plan to attend a free home buying/selling workshop Saturrday February 21.   Living in the Kyrene District enables parents to ensure their children are educated in one of the top school districts in the state.     The Kyrene school includes the areas of Ahwatukee as well as parts of Tempe & Chandler.   The district has been  one of the top districts in the state of Arizona.  Kyrene Monte Vista elementary  is the top ranked elementary school in the Phoenix Metro area.

While the district is focused on quality , award winning education, there are other needs that are being addressed by the  Kyrene Foundation. This non-profit organization provides financial support for a variety of projects that contribute to the unique needs of students and staff in the Kyrene School District.  There are three key areas of focus for the Foundation:  1.  Support for Prevention Services including programs like Rachel’s challenges, the Family Resource Center which supports families in need with basic food, clothing and hygiene supplies as well as resource referrals.  2.  Support for students and staff including scholarships for students  awarded on a need basis for enrichment programs.  There are also Teach Mini-grant programs for teachers to submit an application for a project initiate or supplies to support classroom instruction and receive up to $500. This allows teachers identify programs that enhance student learning.  3.  Student and staff recognition.

The support of the Kyrene Foundation comes from the community. The organization  meets many community needs that most people are not aware of, such as the services of the Kyrene Resource Center providing gently used clothing, including socks and underwear for student families.  The center also meets the needs of families identified  by school personnel as needing help with basics such as food and hygiene items.  While the Arizona economy and housing markets have made major improvements, there is still much need in this community most of us don’t see…but teachers and administrators do.

As  Realtor with Keller Williams Realty who lives and serves the east valley area, I have been able to present an opportunity to the Kyrene foundation to give back to the community via the Kyrene Foundation.  For each home bought or sold through me I will give $500 to the Kyrene Foundation from my sales commissions. (contact me for program details).

This is a great way to give back to the community and the Foundation.  This is also  great way for me to  educate buyers and sellers  on the Real Estate process in Arizona.  A free educational workshop  is being presented on Saturrday February 21  at 10:00 AM  at the Keller Williams Real Estate Office located at 15905 S 46th St. Phoenix, Az  85048  to educate buyers and sellers, introduce the resources that are part of a real estate transaction. Speaking with be Mike Langs from Arizona Mortgage Specialists to  explain the current lending market and various programs that are available.  Cheryl Stephan of Old Republic title company will discuss the role a title company plays in the home sale.  Rebecca Kossmann of Liberty Mutual will Discuss insurance options and answer question on home owner insurance.  Mark King of King Home Inspections will talk about what to expect with today’s home inspections.  All will answer questions during this workshop. To get to the map showing exactly how to get to the Resource center, click on the link above.

We all know that a home purchase is usually the biggest investment we make.  Today’s home buyers are staying in their homes longer and want to carefully select their home.  The loan program a buyer selects can determine how much down payment is required and the monthly payments.  There are programs today with zero down, programs that allow parents , grandparents or others to “gift” a down payment.  There are options to ask sellers to contribute towards buyer closing costs.

Wise buyers educate themselves on the entire process.  This workshop will provide useful information for first time buyers as well as experienced buyers who want to understand what may have changed in loan programs and home buying since their last experience.

You can register for this FREE workshop by clicking on this link.

 

Are you wondering what areas are included in the kyrene school district?  The following link will show you the Kyrene boundaries.

Salvation Army – Real Estate Wednesdays

 

We have all seen the Salvation Army bell ringers in front of stores during the holidays.  And yes, it is easy to avoid eye contact and head into the store to avoid giving to the little red bucket.  And when we exit we again focus on avoiding eye contract and head to our cars for the next stop on this holiday merry-go-round we are all on.  So much to do, so little time, limited funds to donate.

As a Realtor with Keller Williams Realty in Ahwatukee, I signed up for a shift ringing the bell for the Salvation Army one afternoon and was amazed at the generosity of people passing by.  Some stopped and put in $20, some a $5 and some added change.  Some gave their children money to put in and they would take turns putting money in the Red Kettle that has come to symbolize collecting money for the Salvation Army.

So, with all the charities asking for donations, why give to the Salvation Army? Who do they really help? Why should they be considered for a donation when there are so many other worthy organizations out there?

As the many people contributing on Wednesday mentioned, they or their families have benefited from this organization.  Some many, many years ago mentioned the depression, some had more recent experiences.  This is an organization that doesn’t judge those in need.  There are many programs supported by the Salvation Army. They include; Adult Rehabilitation, Emergency Disaster programs, Homeless services, Senior centers, Youth programs, and the Salvation Army Thrift stores.  The Salvation Army is here to meet the metal, physical and spiritual needs of the community.  Worship services are conducted at several of the Salvation Army locations around the valley.  These centers offer counseling, youth participation in sports, education and music.  Members of the community are helped from infants to the elderly.  Often this charity is what keeps families together and provides the spiritual glue to hold families together in uncertain times. Some benefit from one program or service while other benefit long term.

The people giving to the little red kettle last Monday received help from the Salvation Army in many cities across the country.  Many were happy to give and mentioned they also had mailed in a donation or given at other locations as well. Some experienced youth sports programs while others were grateful for a meal and shelter during difficult times.

We all need to give back to the communities. There are many ways to do to.  Many of us contribute to our churches and schools.  As with all charitable giving, we need to be sure that the organization we are giving to, truly benefits the community in a meaningful way.  The Salvation Army has stood the test of time, meeting the need of people who never thought they would need assistance.  Those who have been though hurricanes, floods and tornados have found their days and lives turned upside down as a natural disaster has struck.  There is no way to plan for nature’s wrath.

Real Estate Wednesdays is spearheaded by Joanne & Joseph Callaway, learned of a great need for Bell Ringers on Wednesdays, a day when the Salvation Army had difficulty providing Bell Ringers for many locations.  The Callaways reached out to other Realtors in the community to fill this void and give back to the community.  As realtors we help build communities, help families achieve the American dream of home ownership and building community.

All Realtors I know who have participated in Real Estate Wednesdays have been appreciative of the opportunity to give back to the community through this organization and humbled by the experience.  For more information on Real Estate Wednesdays click on the attached link to the Salvation Army Real Estate website.