Mayor Joe Winfield, center, accepts his award for Public Official of the Year from Arizona Parks and Recreation Association representatives.

 Courtesy Town of Oro Valley

Oro Valley: The Town of Oro Valley’s mayor and a Parks and Recreation program have been recognized by the Arizona Parks and Recreation Association.

Oro Valley Mayor Joe Winfield was named the 2024 Public Official of the Year by the association for making significant and consistent contributions to enhancing a community’s quality of life, particularly in the areas of parks, recreation and cultural preservation.

Key initiatives under Winfield’s tenure include: the Naranja Park expansion project, which included a splash pad, skate park, pump track, pickleball courts and multi-sport field; expansion of the community’s multi-use path system; parking lot and ADA improvements at the Community and Recreation Center; and the Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve, which protects 202 acres of Sonoran Desert landscape.

The town’s Parks and Recreation nature camp was named APRA’s 2024 Outstanding Educational Program. This camp program was lauded for its creative approach to fostering a love for nature, respect for the environment and community engagement among youth.

Oro Valley’s Nature Camp, which is held during the fall and spring breaks, provides full-day, immersive outdoor experiences for children at locations like Steam Pump Ranch, Catalina State Park and Honeybee Canyon Park.

Center for Creative Photography: The Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona has received an anonymous $1 million gift commitment to establish an endowment to support interdisciplinary exhibitions and programming at the Alice Chaiten Baker Interdisciplinary Gallery.

The endowment will support interdisciplinary programming in the gallery that demonstrates photography’s influence across various disciplines while remaining responsive to contemporary themes and challenges.

Goodwill Industries of Southern Arizona: Bank of America has awarded a 2024 Economic Mobility Grant to Goodwill Industries of Southern Arizona.

The $35,000 grant will be used to serve 30 youth in need, providing one-on-one and small-group employability training, including information about in-demand jobs and sectors in Tucson with growth potential, wage ranges, and specific skills and credentials needed for career advancement. Financial literacy education will also be available.

Members of the cohort will be placed with local employer partners in their field of interest for a 96-hour paid work experience.

U.S. solo dining reservations rose 29% over the last two years, according to OpenTable, the restaurant reservation site.

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