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Director's Note: We Give Thanks.
Camp Cooper and its programs rely on passionate classroom teachers
who go above and beyond to provide memorable learning experiences for each of their students. We rely on dedicated parents who see the incredible value of these experiences and help teachers to carry them out successfully. We rely on an amazing staff to carry out our programs energetically and do the dirty work behind the scenes so that every field trip meets or exceeds expectations. Most importantly, Camp Cooper needs learners! We need children young adults, university students, parents, and others with which to share the wonders of the Sonoran Desert, the key understandings about how our planet works ecologically, and the inspiration to live more lightly on the earth.
The success of our programs during the past two years is thanks to the generosity of supporters like you. We have raised more than $200,000 since January 2015, and these funds have been essential to Cooper's Mission. There are more than 130,000 Camp Cooper alumni out in the world, and many of them have fond memories of their time with us. As we continue to build a sustainable financial future for ourselves, we will depend more and more on the community that surrounds us.
This holiday season, on behalf of our staff and the children and teachers that we serve, I thank you for being a valued part of the Camp Cooper family. We truly could not do it without you.
From the Desert,
Colin Waite
Director
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Arizona Tax Credit Donations Needed to Support Field Trips
Schools from across Southern Arizona need your help to fund school bus transportation, program fees, meals, and other costs associated with their upcoming experiences at the Cooper Center. More than 90% of the schools that Cooper serves are Title I schools, working with students and families in poverty.
Arizona taxpayers can designate their tax dollars directly to extra-curricular activities, including field trips. Individuals can designate up to $200 and married couples can give up to $400 to support public schools. This is a dollar-for-dollar credit that will either be subtracted from your end-of-the-year tax payment or added to your refund.
Last year, teachers requested more than $10,000 in assistance from tax credit gifts, and we were able to meet every need. This year to date, less than half of that total has been raised, and the need is even greater.
If you would like to use your Arizona Public School Tax Credit to support a Cooper field trip experience, please contact the Center at either COE-CooperCenter@email.arizona.edu or by phone at (520) 626-1825. Cooper's staff will connect you with a needy school that has scheduled a field trip, and your donation will be made directly to that school. To alleviate teacher and parent stress over fundraising for field trips, your gift would be most beneficial before schools dismiss for Christmas/Winter Break. However, gifts can be made all the way up until April 15th, 2017 and still be counted towards your 2016 taxes.
We thank you for supporting the teachers, students, and families that Camp Cooper serves! Please share this request with anyone who might be able to help.
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University of Arizona Staff & Faculty
#SupportCampCooper Through
UA Cares Program
UA Cares is the University of Arizona's annual workplace giving program, providing UAemployees the opportunity to support impactful projects and programs like the Cooper Center. Each year, the Cooper Center receives payroll deduction gifts from UA staff members and faculty who value the work that we do, and 100% of these gifts are used to fund our educational staff. If you are a UA employee and would like to sign up to #SupportCampCooper through UA Cares, you have until Sunday, December 4th to do so online. Go to uacares.arizona.edu/content/ways-give for your giving options. To support educational staffing at the Cooper Center, enter fund #20-10-2306 as the Fund Account. If you have any questions about this process, contact Sheila McGinnis at (520) 626-4671 or uacares@email.arizona.edu. |
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Earth Education Workshop - Saturday, January 7th
If you are someone who:
- recognizes that we need a serious educational response to our environmental problems,
- believes in providing direct contact with the natural world through adventuresome learning experiences;
- wants to help people develop a deeper personal relationship with the Earth,
then please join us for a full day of stimulating sessions and demonstrations, introducing earth education. Earth education programs help learners understand basic ecological processes, develop positive feelings while in the natural world, and use their new understandings and feelings to change their own environmental habits. WHEN: Saturday, January 7th, 2017, 8:30am - 5:00pm WHERE: Cooper Center, 5403 W. Trails End Road, 85745 COST: $48 (includes lunch; scholarships available) For more information or to register, click here. |
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VIDEO: A Bird's Eye View of Camp Cooper
Last month, neighbor and supporter Bob Torrez stopped by with his drone to record footage of the Center during programs, and the result is breathtaking! Thanks to Bob for this inspiring gift, and to the students, parents, and teachers of Mexicayotl Academy Nogales and Lineweaver Elementary School for allowing Bob to join their field trip experiences.
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The NEW Cooper T-Shirt is Here!
Local artist Nancy Lenches-Alegret has done it again with this exciting new design, entitled "Reaching for Rain." Towering saguaros are featured on the front of the shirt, and on the back we show our appreciation for the Cooper Center's major supporters. The design is available in Light Blue, Kiwi Green, and Natural shirt colors. Order forms are available for download from the Cooper website by
clicking here, or you can call the Center at (520) 743-7422 to make arrangements to visit us and see the shirts in person. #SupportCampCooper in style!
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Become a Cooper Center Sustaining Donor
As we improve our fundraising efforts on behalf of staffing and operations for the Cooper Center, we encourage supporters to make the change from one or two large gifts each year to monthly giving. Monthly giving is easier for you as a donor and gives the Cooper Center a more reliable and sustainable source of funding. You can set your monthly gift to practically any amount, and as you know, every gift is essential to our success.
To become a sustaining donor, visit the
Cooper Center donation page, select your donation amount, and under type of gift, select "Recurring Gift." If you have any questions, please contact Cooper Center Director Colin Waite at cwaite@email.arizona.edu or (520) 626-1825.
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Next Issue: Meet the Staff!
We have an incredible team of educators this year, and they've each got a story to tell. Read all about them in our December issue!
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Colin Waite, Director | PO Box 210069 Tucson, AZ 85721
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