Safeway donates $40,000 to Goodyear schools

Jan. 21, 2011 - PRLog -- Phoenix, AZ – January 20, 2011 – Several elementary and high schools in the school district for Estrella, the Southwest Valley’s premier master-planned community, are the delighted recipients of a substantial cash donation from Safeway’s Phoenix division.

Three Estrella schools -- Estrella Foothills High School, Estrella Mountain Elementary and Westar Elementary -- and Rainbow Valley Elementary in Buckeye have each received a $10,000 donation from The Safeway Foundation. The donations are a direct result of funds raised last fall at The Safeway at Estrella Golf Tournament, sponsored by the Safeway Foundation. The rest of the proceeds from the golf benefit went towards breast cancer awareness programs.   Because of its focus on healthy lifestyles for its employees, Safeway has asked the schools to use part of the proceeds for physical fitness and nutrition programs.

“The schools are thrilled with the donations, and we’re happy to play a part in getting money to them,” said Jan Martin, Real Estate Director, Phoenix Division for Safeway Inc. “When we first informed the principals of the schools of our donation intentions, they all presumed that their share would be $2,500 apiece. When they learned that it was really $10,000 each, they were ecstatic. Safeway hopes that these donations will make a meaningful impact for the schools and in the students’ lives.”

Newland Communities, of which Estrella is part, was a sponsor of The Safeway at Estrella Golf Tournament.  Along with the Safeway Foundation, other key sponsors included Kitchell Development, General Mills, Frito Lay, Mission Foods and De Rito Partners. Estrella has also supported Phoenix Children’s Hospital, the West Valley Arts Council and the City of Goodyear’s programs such as the annual Toy Drive.  

“Promoting better education and healthy living are key values for both Newland and Safeway,” said Greg Bielli, President, Western Region for Newland. “And that helps us to partner together and look for meaningful opportunities like this. We’re thrilled to start the year with such great news for our schools and students, as well as for the parents who help make Estrella the preferred community to live, play and relax.”

Estrella’s friendly community, resort-styled amenities and good schools is helping it to grow steadily. Eleven home sales have already been recorded in the first few weeks of 2011, following on a 34% increase in sales in 2010. CantaMia, its Active Adult community, is undergoing further expansion this year. The new Safeway grocery store at Mountain Ranch Marketplace opened to wide acclaim and big sales last October, and continues to be a neighborhood destination for groceries and more. You can learn more about daily living at its Life in Estrella website and accompanying Facebook fan page.

In addition, Newland was recently recognized as the 2010 ‘Developer of the Year’ by prominent real estate publication Builder & Developer, which highlighted Newland’s “impressive, successful portfolio.” Newland has achieved solid business results with five of its communities ranked in the top 15-selling master planned communities in 2009, and 2010 sales results that look as strong. Newland is strategically positioned for solid growth, with its projects in the majority of the top 30 U.S. housing markets.


About Newland Real Estate Group, LLC.
Newland is a diversified real estate company leveraging a national platform and over 40 years of experience to perform challenging and diverse development, investment, management, and advisory services across a wide range of real estate. The company’s mixed-use development business, Newland Communities, actively owns, operates and develops premier residential master-planned, commercial, retail, and urban mixed-use real estate across the U.S. Headquartered in San Diego, Calif., Newland and its affiliated companies have completed, or have underway, more than 140 diverse real estate developments, more than 20 million square feet of commercial and retail space, and 175,000 residential units in 14 states.

About Estrella by Newland Communities
Estrella provides a lakeside mountain oasis nestled in the Sierra Estrella Mountains, approximately 17 miles from downtown Phoenix on Estrella Parkway in Goodyear, in the Sonoran Desert Valley. Estrella currently offers more than 500 acres of parks and open space including 72 acres of lakes for boating and fishing, the Starpointe Residents Club, hiking trails, basketball, volleyball and tennis courts. Estrella is also home to a Nicklaus-design championship golf course. Estrella's sense of seclusion is enhanced by the adjacent 19,840-acre Estrella Mountain Regional Park. The land use plan for Estrella calls for approximately 50,000 homes, about 1,600 acres of commercial and a build-out of approximately 25 years (approximately 2032). For more information, please visit www.estrella.com.

About Safeway
Safeway Inc. is one of the largest food and drug retailers in North America. As of January 2, 2010, the company operated 1,725 stores in the Western, Southwestern, Rocky Mountain, Midwestern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States and in Western Canada. In support of its stores, Safeway has an extensive network of distribution, manufacturing and food processing facilities. Visit http://www.safeway.com/ for more information.