Category: Community

Denizens of downtown and beyond are invited to (literally) take to the streets – as public spaces that connect people to places and each other – this Sunday, Oct. 29 for the 20th Annual Cyclovia Tucson.

A play on the Spanish word ciclovía (any closure of urban streets to cars in order to make way for community), this free event invites participants to bike, skate, scoot or stroll through the shared streets while exploring, socializing and connecting.

Diverse and tasty bites will fuel participants and their people-powered devices (which produce a tenth of the carbon emissions of a car) along the route.

– Hannah Van Sickle, The Arizona 100

For six weeks each year, Girl Scouts in Arizona participate in the world’s largest girl-led entrepreneurial program: The Girl Scout Cookie Program. This year, the cookie season for the Girl Scouts–Arizona Cactus-Pine Council (GSACPC) will take place Jan. 18 to Feb. 28, 2021.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, GSACPC developed innovative ways for girls to safely sell cookies including opening the Digital Cookie app early for friends and family. The Digital Cookie app is an online selling platform where a Girl Scout can build their own custom website and invite friends and family to purchase cookies via email marketing.

Beyond the Digital Cookie Offering, local Girl Scout troops will also be coordinating drive-thru booths in 2021, with cashless transactions being strongly requested. The drive-thru booths will be in parking lots that allow for plenty of distancing and space for the girls and their parents. Cars will have the chance to pull to the front of the line, make their orders (masks required to make an order), and have the contactless or near contactless ability to pick up their cookies as they would from a traditional booth There will be parents stationed at each of these booths with sanitizing products to help the girls ensure maximum safety and monitor cookie transfer to cars.

The Cookie Lineup
• Lemon-Ups (introduced in 2020): Crispy lemon cookies baked with inspiring messages. $5
• Thin Mints: Mint flavored with a delicious chocolaty coating. Vegan. $5
• Tagalongs: Layers of peanut butter with a rich, chocolaty coating. $5
• Samoas: Caramel and toasted coconut-covered cookies. $5
• Trefoils: Iconic and delicious shortbread cookies. $5
• Do-si-dos: Crisp and crunchy oatmeal outside and creamy peanut butter inside. $5
• Girl Scout S’mores: Crunchy graham sandwich cookies with creamy chocolate and marshmallowy filling. $6
• Toffee-tastics: Buttery (and gluten-free) cookies with sweet, crunchy golden toffee bits. $6

Customers can find the Girl Scouts nearest to them by visiting www.girlscoutsaz.org/cookiefinder. It’s simple – enter your zip code and choose from a list of locations nearby. Plus, on Feb. 1, GSUSA be releasing a national cookie link where customers nationwide can purchase cookies directly from local troops by entering their zip code. Cookie orders placed from this direct-ship troop link will be shipped to the customer with cookie proceeds going directly to that troop.

– The Arizona 100 reports

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Girl Scouts–Arizona Cactus-Pine Council (GSACPC) announced 24 new badges designed to provide an opportunity for girls to practice ambitious leadership in areas such as automotive engineering, STEM career exploration, entrepreneurship, and civics, many of which remain male-dominated fields of work.

In a year of unprecedented global change, our country’s need for strong, broad-minded, and decisive leadership has never been greater. Girl Scouts equips the next generation of female change-makers with the breadth of knowledge, skills and experiences that they need to take charge and do good for the world, both now and continued into the future.

– The Arizona 100 reports

Victims of domestic violence are increasingly more vulnerable to abuse amid the pandemic. Gov. Doug Ducey has announced $350,000 has been allocated to several organizations across the state that provide support and shelter for victims of domestic abuse.

The funds come from the AZ Coronavirus Relief Fund and will be used to provide basic supplies, virtual services, transportation, medical exams and adequate space for families in need of shelter, while adhering to social distancing guidelines. The AZ Coronavirus Relief Fund was established as part of the Arizona Together Initiative to provide financial support to nonprofits serving Arizonans most critical needs.

– The Arizona 100 reports

Arizonans are honoring students’ accomplishments next week, May 20, during Arizona Graduate Recognition Day. Whether they completed high school, a Ph.D., or anything in between, Expect More Arizona is encouraging communities to celebrate these milestones.

Expect More has gathered ideas on how to do so, along with shareable graphics and details on how schools and businesses are  marking graduations during this pandemic. Schools, families and communities are getting creative with their celebrations. Many local newspapers are profiling graduates and schools are creating everything from yard signs to virtual commencement ceremonies. For ideas on how to take part, click here.

– Christie Silverstein, APR, Expect More Arizona

Heidi’s Village, a 50,000-square-foot specialty animal shelter and veterinary clinic, has begun accepting its first animals for temporary boarding, with plans to ramp up safely and securely despite COVID-19. The shelter features thoughtfully developed boarding space for up to 250 dogs and 200 cats.

Each of the six dog boarding buildings has four outdoor play yards equipped with agility play equipment, shade structures and misting systems, and each of the two cat boarding buildings features an outdoor play yard. Heidi’s Village also has a grooming facility, walking paths, a bone-shaped splash pad, full medical suites and a neonate kitten nursery.

– The Arizona 100 reports