Fundraiser for university Aug. 11 at OxBow

Payson, AZ – The Central Arizona Board of Realtors (CABR) invites the public to a Rim Country Change for Change fundraiser bash at the Oxbow Saloon at 607 W. Main St. in Payson to help bring a new university campus to Payson. The event will be held on Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012 from 6-10 p.m. and will feature great catered food, live music, dancing, a live auction, and sale of raffle tickets for a 2012 Polaris Ranger 800 4x4 utility vehicle (UTV). 

Tickets for the bash and the raffle are available at the CABR office, the Rim Country Chamber of Commerce, the Oxbow Saloon, and the Butcher Hook Restaurant in Tonto Basin. Tickets for the fundraiser bash are $25 per person. Raffle tickets for the UTV are $100 each, with only 250 tickets available for sale. The raffle for the Polaris Ranger UTV will be held within 7 days of the sale of the last ticket.  Donations are tax deductible and benefit the Rim Country Educational Foundation.

Rim Country Change for Change is an initiative of the Central Arizona Board of Realtors to help facilitate broad-based community support for bringing a new university to Payson. Ongoing fundraising activities include placing Change for Change depositories at numerous locations throughout Rim Country, selling tickets for the August 11 fundraiser bash and raffle tickets for a 2012 Polaris UTV. A live auction will also be held during the August 11 fundraiser bash.  The proceeds from these efforts will benefit the Rim Country Educational Foundation and will be used for pre-development costs for the new campus.  For more information or to make a donation for this important program, visit Rim Country Change for Change on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/RimCountryChangeForChange. 

Through a public-private partnership that includes CABR, the Town of Payson hopes to establish a new, fully accredited, high-tech university with a limited number of degree programs that would benefit local families by offering a lower-cost option for obtaining four-year college degrees.  It would also provide a much-needed economic boost to the town and surrounding communities by attracting an influx of college instructors and students from beyond our community that would require housing, food, clothing, fuel, personal services, and entertainment. Detailed information about the University project is available at www.universityinpayson.com. 

Progress to date includes obtaining land for the Phase I North Campus, which is bordered by Highway 206 on the south and Tyler Parkway on the east.  A key next step is to obtain a 290-acre parcel of land for the planned Phase II South Campus that is located on the south side of Highway 260 and currently administered by the National Forest Service. Through the Rim Country Change for Change initiative, CABR is helping to raise funds for the development costs of the new campuses.