Riding for a Cause: How a Parade, a Penny Drive, and Community Support Are Building Hope

One of the great traditions in our Desert Foothills community is the Cave Creek parade — a celebration of Western heritage, local pride, and the spirit of neighbors coming together. This year, the Scully Learning Center Foundation is proud to once again take part in this special event.

You’ll find the Scully Learning Center family riding atop a fire truck as we make our way through town. The fire truck is more than just a fun way to participate — it represents something meaningful to our mission: protection, urgency, and community action for families who face uncertain futures.

At the Scully Learning Center Foundation, we are working to address a growing challenge affecting many families — the risk of homelessness among adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities when their primary caregivers are no longer able to provide support. Our long-term goal is to raise funds to build a modern-day group home designed to keep developmentally and intellectually disabled adults together with their families while providing the security and stability they deserve.

As our community gathers to celebrate the parade, we are reminded that some of the most important challenges we face require the same values that built the West — courage, compassion, and neighbors looking out for one another.

Every Penny Makes a Difference

Alongside our parade participation, our community Penny Drive has been gaining incredible momentum.

What began as a simple idea — collecting spare change — has turned into a powerful show of community support. Coins gathered from homes, businesses, and supporters throughout the area are helping us take meaningful steps toward our mission.

We are especially grateful to Claudia Dalton and Karen Pratte, whose enthusiasm and generosity helped inspire others to contribute. Their efforts — along with the many neighbors who have contributed spare change — remind us that meaningful change often begins with small acts of kindness.

Every coin represents someone who cares about building a stronger, more compassionate community.

Enrichment and Opportunity

While we continue working toward long-term housing solutions, our commitment to the individuals we serve remains active every day.

The Scully Learning Center continues to provide engaging enrichment activities that help participants build confidence, social connections, and life skills.

These programs create opportunities for growth, independence, and joy — and they reinforce the sense of belonging that every person deserves.

Our New Frontier

Preventing homelessness among vulnerable adults is not an easy challenge. But with the support of our community, it is one we are committed to facing.

Your spare change may seem small, but together those pennies create something powerful: hope, protection, and possibility for families who need it most.

This is our new frontier.

And together, we will protect it.