Sahuarita WINS! has been awarded the prestigious honor of a Common Ground Award. Each year at the Common Ground Awards Celebration, the Metropolitan Pima Alliance “recognizes community leaders, projects and events that create a successful collaboration for the overall benefit of the community.” The Sahuarita WINS! initiative does exactly this.
The award was announced at this year’s ceremony, which took place on Friday, October 30th. Members of the collaborative group were in attendance and accepted the award together. Key groups represented included members of the Sahuarita Unified School District board and administration, the Town of Sahuarita, the Green Valley/Sahuarita Chamber of Commerce, Rancho Sahuarita and others.
Sahuarita WINS! was conceptualized in 2012 by a group of local businessmen in Sahuarita, and the Sahuarita Unified School District’s Superintendent, Dr. Manuel Valenzuela. The group’s original vision was to capitalize on regional synergy and find mutually beneficial opportunities designed to support local education and students.
Three years later, the Sahuarita Unified School District now offers more wide and abundant educational opportunities, which are poised to expand under the continued support of Sahuarita WINS!. Key examples of programs made possible through the efforts of the partnership include the implementation of the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI), the SciTech Community-Wide STEM Event, the addition of JTED Career and Technology Education Programs to local high school curriculum and others.
Committed action by partner companies and organizations has created opportunities for Sahuarita students that previously didn’t exist in the local community, and in some cases, anywhere else in the state. Participating partners thus far have included ASARCO, Core Construction, Empire CAT, FICO, Freeport McMoRan, the Helios Foundation, Jim Click Automotive Group, La Posada, Raytheon Missile Systems, Rosemont Copper/Hudbay, Southwest Energy, Pima County JTED, Pima Community College, the Rancho Sahuarita Company and many others.
Dr. Valenzuela, Sahuarita Unified School District Superintendent, had this to say about the award: “The Common Ground Award recognition is a tremendous honor. It is a validation of our cross sector commitment to identifying and understanding shared interests, setting mutually beneficial goals, and working together in delivering meaningful outcomes that enhance the greater good of the entire region.”
The positive results generated through the continued collaborative efforts of the partnership will continue to be seen in the future. As the various programs and their respective results develop further, employers local to Sahuarita can expect to see return on their recent investment as students of local schools who have taken part in these expanded opportunities begin to enter the workforce in the coming years.