Connie Vaughan
Caring Hearts & Hands of Quail Creek (CHHQC) is once again supporting a holiday gift drive for South Tucson students (kindergarten through high school) with the Lapan Sunshine Foundation, and we want to include our Quail Creek community in this project.
The Lapan Sunshine Foundation is a Tucson-based organization with the vision that every student in South Tucson should have the resources, support, and ambition to pursue their highest aspirations for academic and professional success.
The Lapan Sunshine Foundation was founded by Patricia Lapan in 1989. Patricia Lapan wanted to help students who had the drive and determination to succeed and qualify for scholarships and other forms of support. The Lapan Sunshine Foundation continues the legacy of Patricia Lapan by investing in the lives of youth in South Tucson and supporting the Lapan College & Career Clubhouse.
Youth and teenagers living in the South Tucson School District experience food insecurity, with many skipping meals or going days without food. There is little to no money in these families to provide holiday gifts and cheer. CHHQC is stepping up to the challenge and providing a holiday dinner for each family in the district (approximately 50 families) through our fundraising efforts—selling our holiday and all-occasion cards, as well as raffle events throughout the year.
Quail Creek residents are known throughout Pima County as a caring and giving community. CHHQC is asking once again for your support and generosity. Lapan has provided us with each child’s holiday gift wishes. These gift wishes have been identified by child or family and captured on a holiday gift tag. We are seeking residents to be “holiday angels” to take one of these family gift tags and purchase the items, or get together with other Quail Creek friends and jointly purchase. We are asking that you return the presents in a holiday gift bag. However, wrapping paper and tissue donations are welcome, as the parents will be wrapping some of the gifts.
Caring Hearts & Hands has decorated a tabletop holiday tree with these gift tags, and the tree will be available in the lobby of the Madera clubhouse on Nov. 13 and 14 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. for residents to pick a tag. Then the fun starts—shopping!
Gifts, along with their tags, can then be dropped off on Dec. 9 and 10 at the Kino Conference Center from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.