“City sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday style, as the shoppers rush home with their treasures…” 

It’s the holiday season and that can only mean one thing – shopping season is in full swing. If you’ve got that one final gift to purchase or are just getting started on your shopping spree, Arizona’s cities and towns have a few tips and tricks to help make this season successful!

When you’re picking out presents for loved ones, keep your community in mind!  When you shop at local retailers, you keep $73 in the community for every $100 spent. That’s $50 more kept in the local economy than when you shop at a non-locally owned business (According to Local First AZ).

Many cities and towns in Arizona are celebrating their local businesses through a variety of campaigns. Town of Oro Valley and the Town of Queen Creek are encouraging residents to shop local.  Oro Valley local shoppers can submit receipts to be entered into a raffle and consumers  in Queen Creek can win prizes for shopping local by Instramming or Tweeting their retail excursion and using the hashtag #ShopQC.

In addition to keeping your dollars in the local economy, it’s also important to keep safe during this holiday shopping season.

The City of Goodyear reminds everyone of a few quick tips to maintain your safety while wandering the stores:

• Lock car doors and roll up windows
• Park in well lighted areas at night
• Do not leave valuables in your vehicle
• Lock home doors and windows at night or when leaving
• Stay alert and be aware of your surroundings, walk with a sense of purpose
• Carry your purse firmly and close to your body or better yet leave it at home and only carry what you need in your pocket – such as a small amount of money, keys, and maybe one credit card.
• Have your car or house key in your hand as you approach the door.
• Follow your “gut instinct.” Don’t put yourself in an uncomfortable situation
• Use the buddy system, especially if out at night
• Use well lit and well-traveled streets and walkways

Happy Holidays!

August means back to school for most students in the community, so families get busier than usual. But as Arizona residents’ schedules fill, it’s important that we all take a moment to remember proper safety around pools.

Arizona’s high child drowning rate is a tragedy only avoided by constant supervision and regular community awareness campaigns, said Surprise Mayor Sharon Wolcott at the August 8 City Council meeting.

For this reason, Surprise has joined Phoenix Children’s Hospital’s collaborative statewide effort—Drowning Impact Awareness Month.

Wolcott proclaimed August as Drowning Impact Awareness Month in Surprise. She added, “Through the hard work of advocates across the state to educate and raise awareness, more and more people are taking action to prevent tragedy.”

The goal of this important awareness month is to encourage safety around water and promote awareness.

It’s an important way to remember that “drownings are preventable,” said Mayor Wolcott.

The Surprise Police and Fire Departments offer Community Life Safety Education events such as Water Safety day featuring free CPR training, swim lesson assessments and water safety tips.

The month-long effort also promotes the use of purple ribbons to remember those touched by child drowning.

“I encourage everyone to request and distribute ribbons through the Surprise Fire Department’s website at www.surpriseaz.gov as we partner with Phoenix children’s Hospital,” Wolcott said.

Ribbons are also available at Surprise City Hall, the Community and Recreation Services offices and the Surprise Regional Library.

Enjoy the last weeks of summer and remember to stay safe!