The Desert Ridge® Parents’ Group (DRPG) is a fun-filled organization for parents and children in the North phoenix area. All families in the Desert Ridge® community are invited to check out our activities and events! Founded in 1997, the not-for-profit Desert Ridge® Parents’ Group (DRPG) hosts weekly playgroups, monthly kids’ and family activities, seasonal events and parents-only nights for residents in desert Ridge and surrounding areas. Membership dues are only $30 per year.
Visit www.DRPGonline.com to learn more, check out our events calendar and to become a member online.
By Juliana Manke
The Desert Ridge Parents’ Group just celebrated its 15th Anniversary in 2012! The not-for-profit Desert Ridge® Parents’ Group (DRPG) works to foster a sense of community, develop long-lasting relationships and create a support network among the families of Desert Ridge® and the surrounding areas.
Fall Festival
Twice a year our group, currently consisting of 90 families, gathers for a huge family event. At last fall’s tent-pole event we celebrated our 15th anniversary with over 190 members in attendance. The Fall Festival showcased bounce houses, crafts, food and friendship. We were thrilled to be joined by special guests including Stacy Rosenthal, the group’s founder, and former presidents. Stacy made remarks about how happy she was to see the group still fulfilling its original function so many years later. It was interesting to hear about the small details that have changed and so many that are still the same!
In addition to the bounce house fun, members were entertained with a game of “guess how many candy corn are in the jar”. It was humorous to hear the smallest members’ guesses. The kids also enjoyed a game of bingo and beanbag tossing. They could sit at their leisure at the craft table and make holiday turkeys with apples and marshmallows. It’s no surprise that just as many marshmallows were consumed as were used in the craft.
One of the day’s highlights was moving and grooving with Kidtastics. The organization, which offers gymnastics, dance, music & movement and cheer classes throughout the Phoenix valley, volunteered their time to provide DRPG with a fun and safe children’s activity. Their programs are designed to help children improve their confidence and self-esteem by trying things for the first time and accomplishing new skills. For the Fall Festival they showed off their physical education obstacle courses and gymnastics classes. Kidtastics’ caring staff believes in living a healthy lifestyle, proper nutrition and daily physical activity to boost the brain’s ability to learn.
Last but not least, there was the delicious food provided by California Pizza Kitchen. They were so generous in serving the group a beautiful spread of salads, sandwiches and pizza. Their contributions topped off an already spectacular event.
In addition to Kidtastics and California Pizza Kitchen, we have a host of other sponsors who made this great day possible. We are thankful to have organizations such as these in the Desert Ridge community, supporting us.
Join now, in time to experience our big Spring Event or view our sponsors at www.DRPGonline.com.
Other Offerings
Membership with the group also includes an on-line community with a forum, classifieds and full calendar of events. For the parents we have Couple’s Night Out, Mom’s Night Out, Dad’s Night Out, Mom’s Craft Night, Bunco and a Book Club. For the kids there are playgroups, crafts, outings and so much more.
*Special thank you to the Desert Ridge Community Association for their continued support*
