The holiday season is upon us, the time when most people think about donating a toy or food to their less fortunate neighbors.
At Alta Mesa Golf Club (AMGC), they are gearing up for their Christmas giving project of gift cards for the East Valley Child Crisis Center. In addition, the all-volunteer Alta Mesa Charity Committee continues its work on a pair of year-round charitable programs, namely, Cell Phones for Soldiers and the East Valley Food Bank food drive.
The committee just sent out an e-mailing to AMGC members seeking donations of holiday gift cards for children served by the East Valley Child Crisis Center. Cards can be from anywhere for any amount, said committee volunteer Chris Ackley. “They especially appreciate cards from places like drug and department stores, where they can be used to defray the cost of medicines and new clothing for needy kids,” she explained. Gift cards can be mailed to the club at 1460 N. Alta Mesa Drive, Mesa, AZ 85205, or dropped off at the front desk in the club foyer.
The charity committee started about three years ago under the auspices of the club’s house department, headed by board member Brian Pattison, according to Chris. “When we started, the food drive began in October and ended right before Thanksgiving, but with the state of our economy, the committee requested from the AMGC board to have a year-round drive,” Chris explained. “Since 2007, our members have donated 574 pounds of food, which is equal to about 448 meals.”
In 2004, a 12- and 13-year-old brother and sister in Massachusetts found out soldiers stationed overseas were paying thousands of dollars just to call home. As a result, the siblings created Cell Phones for Soldiers. According to the organization’s Web site, cellphonesforsoldiers.com, the kids began their own non-profit organization to raise money in order to give prepaid calling cards to soldiers by selling donated, used cell phones. Old, unused or broken cell phones are collected and sent to ReCellular, which pays Cell Phones for Soldiers enough to provide a soldier 100 minutes of prepaid calling card talk time for each phone donated.
“Our members have donated 81 phones so far this year, and 346 since we began the program,” Chris said. “It doesn’t matter if the phone works or not. If you have any old or unused phones around the house, just drop them off here. It’s close and convenient, and we’ll see that they get to the right place for recycling. We also feel we are helping people clean out stuff and preserving the environment.”
Members and local residents wishing to donate cell phones, non-perishable food or gift cards, are encouraged to use the handy receptacles at the front desk right inside the entry foyer at the club. You also can contact Chris or another Charity Committee volunteer, including Bonnie Puckett, Sandy Hershey, Clari Cejka or Scott Brown, club golf pro.
“Scott is instrumental in coordinating our annual fund-raising golf tournament in March, which benefits the Susan G. Komen Foundation and Arnie’s Army, cancer-fighting organizations,” Chris said. “We’ll begin working on that right after the holidays.”
For more information, to donate or to help out, contact Kim Hind, club member service coordinator, at (480) 832-3257.