Not me, I'd rather look at the good that comes out of every situation. I wrote a similar article about 2010 and wanted to do the same for 2011.
So here is my version of "looking back at 2011" and it is simply called San Tan Valley, AZ 2011.
San Tan Valley Successes in 2011
- Encanterra put San Tan Valley "on the map" by bringing out amazing entertainment such as Kenny G, Three Dog Night & The Guess Who and Chicago and for their "Good Life Festival" events.
- Mountain Vista Middle School sent a team to the 14th Annual Regional Future City Competition in Phoenix, Arizona
- “Joe Gibson Foundation” generously donated 20 “First Responder Trauma Bags” and 12 “Automated External Defibrillator’s” (AED) to the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office.
- First Single Incision Hysterectomy Ever in the East Valley Done is San Tan Valley Dr. Natasha Laird of Drs Goodman & Partridge OB/GYN
- The San Tan Valley Chamber of Commerce was the main sponsor for the final Two Sisters One Heart Memorial Run
- Queen Creek Olive Mill, Arizona’s only working olive farm and mill, went Solar
- “COP” Program Launches Second Volunteer Unit in San Tan Valley
- San Tan Valley opened its first library, Johnson Community Library, thanks to the Johnson Family Foundation.
- Free Support Group for Diabetics in San Tan Valley by the Pinal County Public Health Services District
- Grand Opening of Hoofbeats with Heart in San Tan Valley, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization that provides Equine Assisted Activities & Therapies for children and adults with physical and emotional challenges
- Florence High School Received the Lead and Inspire Award
- Thousands of dollars were donated to the Copper Basin YMCA by the Pinal County Attorney's Office, the San Tan Valley Chamber of Commerce and many others.
- Goodwill Donation Xpress opened its first location in San Tan Valley
- Central Arizona College opened its doors to Pinal County high school students with its First Step Program
- The second annual Hershey's Track and Field event was hosted in San Tan Valley, at Mountain Vista Middle School, but this year all three of our school districts competed
- Denny's, Cricket Wireless, Perfect Pawn & Jewelry, Taco Bell, Sweetie Peaz, Cute 'n Darling, Asian Buffet, The Pet Club, Carpe Diem Schools, and many more businesses opened their doors in San Tan Valley
- The San Tan Valley Chamber of Commerce created and distributed 10,000 copies of the first ever San Tan Valley area map
- CAC Board Approved 208-Acre Purchase for San Tan Valley Campus
- 14-year-old San Tan Valley resident Anastasia Fuller was one of the female finalists in the spin-off Cutest Vegetarian Alive contest sponsored by peta2, PETA's youth division. Fuller beat out more than 1,200 contestants from across the U.S.
- J.O. Combs Unified School District received the Association of School Business Officials International’s (ASBO) Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting award
- Arizona State University awarded Combs High School with the ‘Lead and Inspire Honorable Mention’ for the Rural High School Division
- The community banded together to help 12 neglected horses
- Queen Creek/San Tan Valley Independent partnered with SanTanValley.com, and expanded into San Tan Valley with a weekly newspaper highlighting San Tan Valley
- Donald Parker, Hayden, Harrison and Andrew helped free the driver from the truck that flipped into the canal
- San Tan Leads hosted a Family Fun Night to raise funds for the 14 year old who lost several fingers in a lawn mower accident, raising almost $3000
- Second Annual “Not Your Average Joe” 10K Race was held at Encanterra with hundreds of runners participating
- Pinal County received $5 million dollars in grant money for Hunt Highway work
- Banner Hospital celebrated its one year anniversary and is delivering 3-5 babies every day with San Tan Valley, AZ on their birth certificates
- Arizona's newest and largest commercial-scale solar power project, Copper Crossing Solar Ranch opened
- San Tan Valley Substance Abuse Coalition was formed
- San Tan Valley Chamber of Commerce President earned Jack Camper Scholarship
- Union Pacific's Iconic Steam Locomotive No. 844 Rolled Through San Tan Valley
- Heartland Ranch Elementary Received $1000 Grant from McDonald's
- Poston Butte High School repeats as winner of Pinal County Culinary Arts Competition
- Joe Galish, business teacher and Future Business Leaders of America advisor for San Tan Foothills High School, received the New Adviser of the Year Award for FBLA at the 36th Annual Arizona State Conference for Career and Technical Education
- San Tan Foothills was chosen to host the FBLA Regional Competition in January 2012
- Local Johnson Ranch resident Signs National Letter of Intent for Baseball to attend University of Hartford.
- SanTanValley.com and BestofSanTanValley.com joined forces to offer the 2011 Best of San Tan Valley Reader's Choice Favorites.
- SanTanValley.com became the #1 Most Visited website in San Tan Valley and continues to be a FREE tool for San Tan Valley guests and residents to use to learn about our area.
Many of us made new friends in San Tan Valley, opened businesses and even had family relocate here this year. It is because of these triumphs that our community is being formed. It is community that all of us in San Tan Valley are looking for. It's coming together, it's being proud of where we live and standing up for it. The negativity that plagued our area in 2010 and the beginning of 2011 is going away. We are starting to come together, we are standing up for what's right and we are moving forward.
So now that I've looked back at 2011, I would like to wrap up with a hope for 2012. That the negativity, the pulling apart and the "ick" will stop. That we will unite and move forward, agreeing to disagree at times, but still listening and keeping any self motivated agenda items off the table. I hope that we, as a community will educate ourselves on what is happening in and around San Tan Valley. We will let our voices be heard as a way to unite for the betterment of our area, not the destruction of those we don't care for.
San Tan Valley has amazing potential. It's up to us though. Are you ready?
Wishing you health and happiness in 2012.
Tisha
