Joining Good Friday Breakfast.

On Friday, I attended the Gospel Rescue Mission Good Friday Breakfast. For the past 24 years, this event has been an opportunity for our community to come together. With over 1,200 people attending, this event has grown tremendously over the years and become a community staple. A special thank you to the Gospel Rescue Mission for hosting this event and all they do for our community! 

Marana State of The Town.

Last week at the Marana State of the Town I got the opportunity to speak on the importance of local-federal partnerships. I also had the privilege of handing out certificates to Mayor Ed Honea, Carly Caplan, Denelle Veselik, and the Marana Softball team.  

Under Mayor Honea, Marana has become the fastest growing community in southern Arizona. From their public safety to incredible parks & rec, it’s easy to see why! I am proud to represent this community in Congress.

Western Passport Meeting. 

On Tuesday, I toured the Western Passport Center and met with their leadership team in Tucson. My team and I got a firsthand, behind the scenes look of the passport center and their daily operations. This center is one of just 29 passport agencies in the country, serving up to 200 people per day. Many of these individuals helped my office cut through the red tape and get your passports to you on time.

Don’t forget: if you need help or are experiencing delays with your passport process, please contact my office at (520) 881-3588. 

Visiting our Southern Border. 

Last week, I toured a soft-sided facility in Tucson and visited the border wall in Nogales to talk with agents and officers about how recently appropriated funds will benefit their operations. Following my visit, I wrote a letter to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) urging them to immediately disburse this money to Tucson Sector of the southern border. This funding will have a monumental impact on our border security. It not only provides additional CBP personnel but increases detention capacity and provides for more border technology.

Read my letter to DHS here. 

Interested in a service academy?

Do you know a student interested in attending one of the United States’ military service academies? As your Congressman, it’s my honor to nominate students from the district to these prestigious schools. The process for these nominations is now open and as part of it, my office is hosting an Academy Day. This is an event where prospective students can learn about each service academies, talk to representatives from the schools, and find out more about the nomination and application process. So, make sure to mark your calendars for April 20th – we hope to see you there!

You can find more details about our service academy nomination process on my website under the Services tab.

Profiles of the American Dream: Bonnie Quinn 

In the history of American military operations, the lesson of Operation Biscotti Drop probably won’t be taught at West Point or the National War College. But if you want a primer on how a person armed with a good idea can make a difference, it might be worth studying.

Go back to 2011. We’ve been at war in Afghanistan for a decade. About hundred thousand U.S. troops are deployed and among them is a Marine from southeastern Arizona. This leatherneck has a buddy whose mom loves to bake. Her specialty? You guessed it. Biscotti.

“Food is a language of love,” says Bonnie Quinn, the Oro Valley mother who planned and executed Operation Biscotti Drop. “That to me is how I can help.”

And help she did. With the support of her husband Michael and others, Bonnie launched an effort to ship her signature treat to our troops in harm’s way.

But here’s the amazing thing about Bonnie. Her can-do attitude and her desire to help didn’t begin or end with Operation Biscotti Drop. And neither did her passion for food.

A few years earlier, as Mount Lemmon was being ravaged by the worst wildfire in decades, she spearheaded a grassroots effort to bake and deliver thousands of cookies to fire firefighters on the front lines. “We felt so helpless, just watching it burn,” she says. “We just wanted to help.”

Bonnie’s dream of running her own bakery and cafe became a reality in 2007 when she opened Down Home Delights in Oro Valley. She was encouraged to do so by her son P.J., who was diagnosed with bone cancer as the new business was about to open. Bonnie says he was her biggest fan.

It was P.J.’s friend in uniform who inspired Operation Biscotti Drop. And it was P.J. who inspired Rockin’ 4 Heroes, an annual celebration and charity event on behalf of first responders, active-duty military, veterans and Gold Star families. P.J. died in 2020, just a few days after his 29th birthday, and Rockin’ 4 Heroes is the Quinns’ way of honoring their son’s memory.

See the pattern here? Biscotti for the troops, cookies for firefighters, Rockin’ 4 Heroes – all are examples of how a person armed with a good idea make a difference. And in Bonnie’s case, it adds tremendous meaning to her definition of the American Dream.

“The American Dream is to take advantage of the freedoms we have to pursue what’s important to you,” she says. “A lot of us may take it for granted. What do you want to do? This is the place to make it happen. No where else.”

Share your story.

Throughout Women’s History Month, I had the opportunity to highlight just a few of the inspiring women in our district who are living the American Dream and making it more achievable for future generations. Read their stories HERE. 
 
Our district encompasses so many incredible people and stories that I want to share both with my colleagues in Washington and through the platforms I have as a member of Congress, such as speaking on the House floor. You can visit my website and share your story with me and my team. I look forward to hearing from you! 

As always, my office and I are here to assist you. If you would like to share a comment or tell us your story, please don't hesitate to reach out. We look forward to serving you!

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