Queen Creek honors winner of QC Neighborly Award

The town of Queen Creek has crowned the winner of its 2025 QC Neighborly Award.

The neighborhood of Encanterra won this year’s award for its large Toys for Tots holiday campaign.

“Queen Creek Neighborly Week is held each September as part of the town’s anniversary celebration, and we encourage residents to participate by slowing down, connecting with neighbors and embracing Queen Creek’s hometown atmosphere,” Vice Mayor Leah Martineau said in recognizing the Encanterra neighborhood during the Queen Creek Town Council’s Oct. 1 meeting. “Whether it’s coordinating a neighborhood donation drive, organizing meals and support for a family or individual in need or beautifying the streets with cleanup efforts, there are countless ways to be QC Neighborly.”

Encanterra was honored for collecting more than 1,500 toys and additional gift cards to donate to the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots of Pinal County last holiday season during its Stroll for Toys for Tots, Martineau continued.

Ironwood Crossing, last year’s winner, and Bellero Estates also participated in the QC Neighborly contest. After entries were submitted to the town, residents on the social media site Nextdoor determined the winner.

As part of honoring Encanterra, the town created a video with residents discussing their Toys for Tots campaign.
“Since the beginning, we’ve collected probably, I would say, maybe 500-600 gifts — a lot of bicycles at the beginning,” Encanterra resident Suzanne Koehmstedt said in the video, which was shown at the council meeting. “The past couple of years, we’ve been averaging over 1,600 toys that we donate. And for the past three years, over $6,000 every single year in gift cards and cash.”

The Encanterra Community Service League develops programs and coordinates activities to engage residents to give back to communities in need outside of the neighborhood.

“We have a team of over 50 neighbors here and we get together and we personally create an invite and we pass those out to each new member that moves into Encantara every year, so that we’re including all of our new members and with everybody that has been here to foster community and support,” resident Mickey Newman said in the video.

As the winner, Encanterra has been offered a free spot in the QC Hometown Christmas Parade on Saturday, Dec. 6.

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