SanTan Sun 01-03-15: Youth

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www.SanTanSun.com

Youth

January 3 – 16, 2015

Chandler Air Service completes holiday toy drive BY CURT BLAKENEY

For the 23rd consecutive year, holiday revelers gathered at the Chandler Municipal Airport to donate toys for less fortunate East Valley children. The recent Toys 4 Tots Hangar Party was a rousing success as hundreds gathered to enjoy good food, music and holiday spirit that was in ample supply throughout the evening. “This year’s event had a fantastic turn out,” says John Walkup, president of Chandler Air Service, the event sponsor. “I want to extend a big thank you to everyone that helped make this happen.” Chandler Air Service asked participants to bring unwrapped toys and nonperishable food items and in exchange they got to meet Santa and chow down on mesquite-smoked barbecue. “This really is a fun event,” says Jeff Cooper of Coopers BBQ, a Chandlerbased catering service that provided the food for the event. “We’re so happy to participate and give back to the community.” The local rock band Unknown Associates played music throughout the night. The eight-member crew had partiers dancing in the aisles with its mix of classic rock, blues and southern rock. “The night was a whole lot of fun,” says band manager and percussionist Robert Shinn. “We brought our wives and girlfriends, so it was a night of family, good times and giving back to the community with plenty of holiday cheer.”

TOYS 4 TOTS: With its largest turnout, the Toys 4 Tots Hangar Party at Chandler Municipal Airport drew more than 500 people and collected four truckloads of holiday gifts for the underprivileged. Submitted photo

An estimated 500 people brought toys and canned goods, including 23 new bicycles. The morning after the event, the Chandler Compadres wrapped up hundreds of donated toys at a local Boys & Girls Club and then hand-delivered the wrapped gifts and nonperishable food items to roughly 50 less fortunate Chandler-area families on Dec. 20. “It really makes the holidays that much more meaningful when the airport people and neighbors get to do something good for the community,” Walkup says. “We’ve been doing this for 23 years now, and are looking forward to many more.” Walkup says the annual event began in 1992 when the Chandler Compadres

came up with the idea to collect toys for local kids in need. Today, Chandler Air Service funds the entire event. Chandler Air Service is an FAA-approved flight school, providing training for pilot certifications, custom flight training programs and small aircraft maintenance. Walkup has already announced plans for the 2015 holiday drive, scheduled for Friday, Dec. 11. “We’re going all out for a bigger contribution,” he says. We got to beat those 23 bikes!”

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CUSD high schools offer tours The four Chandler Unified School District high schools will offer tours for approximately 3,000 CUSD eighth graders in January. Tours highlighting the schools’ Career and Technical Education programs, food/lounge areas and other campus features will be held Wednesday, Jan. 7, Thursday, Jan. 8, and Friday, Jan. 9, at Basha High School, 5990 S. Val Vista Road, Chandler; Wednesday, Jan. 7, Thursday, Jan. 8, and Friday, Jan. 9, at Chandler High School, 350 N. Arizona Ave., Chandler; Wednesday, Jan. 7, Thursday, Jan. 8, and Friday, Jan. 9, at Hamilton High School, 3700 S. Arizona Ave., Chandler; and Thursday, Jan. 8, and Friday, Jan. 9, at Perry High School, 1919 E. Queen Creek Road, Gilbert. All tours will begin at approximately 9:45 a.m. and end at 1:30 p.m. For more information call: Basha High School at (480) 224-2100, Chandler High School at (480) 812-7700, Hamilton High School at (480) 883-5000 and Perry High School at (480) 224-2800.

Curt Blakeney is the associate editor of the SanTan Sun News. He can be reached at curt@santansun.com.

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