Club Contact Info
Reach For The Stars
Reach for the Stars
9610 E Lancashire Way
9610 E Lancashire Way
Tucson AZ 85747
Phone: 5209758041
Reach For The Stars
About Us
Welcome to Reach For The Stars NSN Page! You'll find a wealth of events and information, collaboration opportunities, equipment guidance and non-typical programs that truly pack a punch for all ages, skill levels and interests in the astro and STEM field!
We have many programs, almost everything is free!
1: We host consistent, monthly stargazing events for the public to enjoy. At our events, you'll find a vast line-up of telescopes, binoculars, augmented reality planetary models, microscopes, educational displays and kids activities! We will give you a tour of the cosmos, teach you how to use your own telescope, guide through the constellations, inspect near and deep sky objects and have a nice evening under the diamond skies.
What is the monthly stargazing event?
At our monthly stargazing events, we set-up a 14 foot 4k projector for the first 30 minutes and link it to SkySafari 7 Pro, showing people how to use it. Then we turn off all the bright lights, and explain light pollution, and how the eyes adapt over time. Next we describe each telescope and show a brief example of how to use it. Then we seperate people into groups and have rotating stations of different activities, including telescope observing, kids activities, water rocket launches(yes, with red lights on the rocket at night!), and Control a Scope. We have many amazing volunteers, including the Kitt Peak team who comes to our events, but we always need more! We also need educators in the categories mentioned above, we need educational displays and props, and we need some equipment. These monthly events are only one type of the many we hold. Others include: schools, solar days, vendor fairs, scouting education and badges, house parties, birthdays and more. We want to give people an event that they will remember for life. If someone is underwhelmed at their first astronomy experience, they will most likely never want to go to another event or get a telescope. This can be the difference in a person's trajectory in life, and we want to make sure they love it, again, ultimately leading someone towards astronomy or science degrees, or just having compassion and an understanding for our universe as they grow up to make impactful differences in the future. This is a big part of our mission. We also host solar events during the week!
2: We Host school, private, boy scout and girl scout events of all kinds. We even come to your home for a kids lesson or adult only telescope presentation. Book your private event today!
3: We hold a kids program for struggling youth who need some outside help, consisting of volunteer work, STEM education and experiments, rocketry, astronomy education and telescope training. These tools help kids break free from many issues and help them grow into someone who understands the importance of astronomy, science and our future.
4: We have a food program and hand out food to low income families in need every 2 weeks.
5: We have a program where we pick low income families who cant afford a telescope and surprise them with one every month!
6: We hold quarterly fundraisers because most of what we do is free, and we have to keep up with overhead and make the programs special so no one has a bad first experience with astronomy!
7: We rent out equipment of all kinds, Prices are on our website!
The mission of Reach For The Stars is to uniquely improve mental health for children and the community: through astronomy, STEM, and volunteer opportunities, influencing the course of history for generations to come.
Due to the 20% increase of children suffering from severe anxiety over the last 10 years, along with Arizona being higher than the national average for suicide among young teens at 17%, Reach For The Stars believes that it is critical, now more than ever, to be a guide for our youth and give them a unique, fun, and whole-person way to transform. When health problems are not addressed early, they can easily have lasting consequences into adulthood.
Even though children are the main focus, our community astronomy events bring people of all ages, with reports of lasting, uplifting change. We believe space to be one of the most awe-inspiring frontiers available, especially to children. Our specialty is making a connection through our many programs, events, advanced equipment, and experiences: lowering depression by widening perspectives, enhancing spirituality with views of galaxies (nebulae, star clusters, planets etc.), harnessing peace, as well as sparking creative thinking through STEM.
Does your child have anxiety about life? Depression due to being bullied or have a disability? Feeling closed in, or acting out? Is traditional therapy working, or could they use an addition too? Do you want to see them smile?
- Anxiety can start as early as age 5!
- Arizona is higher than the National Avg for Teens wanting/planning to commit suicide
17%
- Children that suffer from mental illness are 25% more likely to be at-risk adults, not go to college, & grow into poverty
- Our Youth want to get better; the traditional 1-step process just isn't working
- Youth are the future. Without healthy minds, our world will spin into chaos
Astronomy and stargazing are proven to produce many benefits to include: An alternative method of coping, stress relief, improved sleep, reducing blood pressure, and igniting a sense of "awe".
STEM helps children develop critical thinking and problem solving skills. These skills, when learned during a young age, will form habits that will lead to success during school and as they enter the workforce.
Volunteerism in kids is proven by studies that they are more likely to graduate high school and attend college. Volunteering also teaches children vital social-emotional skills.
Guest Speakers from different work-force industries to ignite passions. It is shown that adults who have been successful typically have a mentor, or a person they remember, who inspired them.
MindUp Training for all Volunteers and Staff working with youth, and teaching children about the brain. Understanding the structure of the brain and how it functions gives children a sense of control and empowerment. Mindfulness-based practices have been shown to increase mental health and improve regulation of emotion.
The current goal of RFTS is to find our very own building to turn into a Community Observatory and Learning Center! This will allow free access to space education, observing in daytime and nighttime, classes, lessons, a hub for our volunteers to do our charity programs, and the location of our youth mental health and astronomy curriculum.
- WE ARE CURRENTLY WORKING OUT OF OUR HOME AND WE HAVE ZERO SPACE LEFT FOR STORAGE AND WE CAN'T HOST OUR PROGRAMS - so we rely on the community to allow us to use their facilities and offices. This is a burden that we want to relieve, so we've been hosting large fundraisers to achieve this goal!
- To continue saving and changing lives, we need your help. Take action and stand with us! We hope everyone in the world has access to astronomy education. We will do what we can to spread our mission, help others implement it, collaborate and join hands to help humanity reach for the stars.
Created August 2020 by Founders, Carlos Aragon & Kira Reid
Carlos and Kira both have their own unique stories, however together they have one as well. They met at their lowest points after both being separated from the military, suffering from severe depression and addiction. The way that they healed was through a program that tackled a "whole-person" concept. It wasn't just one form of therapy or another, it was a combination. Kira and Carlos went through a program that focused on education, coping skills, and ensuring there was a plan in place to give to others. It was not long, until together they realized they had completely transformed. It was a year later when they realized their true passion (giving) and they never looked back.
Reach For The Stars started with a Walmart telescope, then a bit larger one that Carlos used as a hobby to get through depression and recovery. Soon, the whole family was sharing the night sky with individuals at a local Safeway parking lot. Kira and Carlos realized that there were two things happening; one, a passion in the community for stargazing and two, people who were struggling (just like they had). So they created Reach For The Stars 501(c)3 Non-Profit.
Carlos Aragon
Veteran, Co-founder, CEO
Reach For The Stars
WEBSITE: www.rftstars.com
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/rftstarsorg
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/RFTStarsCharitY
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkxt0EkgZ23qBalTfX1T57w
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/rftstars/
Pictures: https://photos.app.goo.gl/oajUvbFWqzesJH3R7
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