Leading Arizona Homebuilder Launches Multi-week School Supply Drive.

Fulton Homes has partnered with KEZ 99.9 FM Radio for its annual Stuff the Bus campaign, aimed at collecting school supply donations for needy Valley students.

While public education is free in the U.S., there can be substantial costs associated with heading back to school. A U.S. Department of Agriculture report says it costs $12,738 annually to raise a school-age child. Of that figure, the report says nearly a quarter goes toward clothing, child care and education expenses.

Fulton Homes Stuff the Bus looks to help Valley families offset those costs by accepting your donations. This year’s drive runs from July 6 – 31 at Chandler Fashion Center, with a kick-off event Wednesday, July 6 from 6:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.

A full-size school bus parked inside the Macy’s Court will bear painted handprints representing a child, and a list of items needed for a successful school year. Supporters can donate to a specific child or make a general contribution of pencils, pens, notebooks, backpacks, school uniforms and shoes.

Volunteers will also collect the supplies, clothing and backpacks for children in need at Bethune Phoenix Elementary, Dunbar Phoenix Elementary, Lowell Phoenix Elementary and Galveston Chandler Elementary.

“Heading back to school should be an exciting time for all children. They deserve to focus on learning and discovery without feeling deprived of the basics,” said Fulton Homes CEODouglas Fulton. “‘Stuff the Bus’ provides an easy and rewarding way for the community to make a huge difference in Valley children’s lives.”

You can donate outside the school bus at the Macy’s Court daily during mall hours. KEZ’s Marty Manning will be broadcast live on the following dates:

• July 6th 6:30am – 8:30am — kick-off event
• July 9th 1:00pm – 3:00pm
• July 12th 6:30am – 8:30am
• July 16th 1:00pm – 3:00pm
• July 20th 6:30am – 8:30am
• July 23rd 10:00am – 12:00pm
• July 26th 6:30am – 8:30am
• July 31st 11:00am – 1:00pm — finale

For more details about Stuff the Bus, visit www.kez999.com and search keywords “stuff the bus”. For more information call (602) 452-1000 or go to www.fultonhomes.com and click on the “Fulton Foundation” link.

Happy day after the 4th of July!  We hope you enjoyed a wonderful holiday weekend with your family and friends!  We also hope you were able to get in some qualilty grilling time!  Just in case you or someone close to you accidentally dropped some barbeque sauce on the floor, we thought we’d share some advice on how to properly remove it from your carpet!  We hope you don’t have to use this information; however, if you do, we hope you find it useful! 

Solvent – A non-flammable spot removal solution, or dry cleaning type solvent, is preferred. Exercise caution when using a solvent. Never pour it directly onto the carpet or allow it to reach the backing, because it can damage the latex that holds the primary and secondary backings together. Acceptable solvents include Carbona®, Energine®, K2R®, Goof-Off®, etc.

Detergent Solution – Mix one fourth (1/4) teaspoon of a liquid dishwashing detergent per one (1) cup of lukewarm water. NEVER USE A STRONGER CONCENTRATION! Thorough rinsing is necessary to remove detergent residues that may cause rapid soiling. It may be necessary to rinse with warm water several times to completely remove residues. (See Residue Precautions.) Care should be used in selecting a detergent. Never use a laundry detergent of any type, because laundry detergents may contain optical brighteners (fluorescent dyes) that dye the fiber. Do not select an automatic dishwashing detergent because many contain bleaching agents that destroy dyes and some fibers.

Vinegar Solution – Mix one (1) cup of white vinegar per two (2) cups of water. White vinegar is a 5% acetic acid solution. It is used most often to lower the alkalinity caused by detergent solutions or alkaline spills.

Warm Water – Lukewarm tap water should be used in most cases to rinse the cleaning solutions from the fiber. Failure to completely rinse the solutions from the fiber may cause accelerated soiling.

Ammonia Solution – Mix one (1) tablespoon of household ammonia per cup of water. Please note: Be aware that ammonia, if used improperly, can cause a color change. Be sure to test a hidden area.

Call a Professional – Professional cleaners have the ability and the equipment to use more aggressive cleaning solutions to remove stubborn spills. Always consider consulting a professional cleaner regarding any spot removal question. CRI – 1-800-882-8846.

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Are you drawn to this dining room? People who study colors say that red works well in an eating area, encouraging conversation. Unlike some rooms that choose to paint the walls red, the color here makes a nice accent without overpowering the space.

Let’s take a look at how the owner took advantage of a love of red to move this room from dull to adventurous.

The floor and walls provide a good neutral background. By showing a touch of warm color on the light 24 inch porcelain tile flooring, the room avoids feeling cold. Porcelain tile is also a great dining room floor because it can handle any spills without staining, as long as you seal the grout.

The table and chair frames are not black but a rich ebony wood. This also adds warmth and provides the dark tones needed to anchor the room. The chairs are all padded, adding comfort if you want people to linger over a meal. However using leather makes them almost stain-free and easy to wipe down. Notice that the white side chairs have a slightly different back than the red ones. This adds an additional design touch to enliven a very simple room.

The red choices are all exactly the same hue, and carefully controlled to keep them from taking over the room. Red is such a vivid color that it would be easy to get carried away. But by having only the end chairs in red and just the row of three matching bowls on the table, the red is contained. The bright red abstract art piece also matches the hue but with some texture and color elements to keep it interesting.

How daring are you? Would you be willing to showcase your favorite color this way? Why not take a chance!

Grandmother of Four Who Recently Lost Her Son to Gain Peace of Mind Around Family Pool.

Teresa Shields from Phoenix is this week’s recipient of a free pool fence, courtesy of Fulton Homes’ Fence Patrol program. The fence will make Shields’ backyard a safer place for her four young grandchildren. After the death of her son and father of her grandchildren just a few weeks ago, Shields will now take on many parenting responsibilities. She is very worried one of her grandchildren – all under 4 years old – may fall into the pool and drown, but she can’t afford a pool fence on her own. Fulton Homes will install one for her Tuesday, June 14 at 7:00 a.m.

Friend of the family, Cindy Cassidy, nominated Shields for the program. “After the death of her son, Teresa couldn’t bear the loss of a grandchild drowning in her backyard pool,” Cassidy wrote in her nomination letter. “Another death would devastate her.”

“Teresa has just experienced the painful tragedy of losing a son,” said Douglas Fulton, CEO of Fulton Homes. “To lose another family member because of an unfenced pool is unimaginable and completely preventable. We are delighted to help ease her anxiety by providing this crucial safety measure.”

The annual Fence Patrol program, established by Tempe-based Fulton Homes, aims to improve child safety around pools and promote pool safety awareness throughout the summer, when drowning risk is highest.

Arizona Pool Fence Laws state that all residential pools must be enclosed by a barrier. Families with children under six must also have a barrier blocking access to the pool from the house. Some cities allow door alarms in place of the pool barrier. Also, certain homes are exempt depending on when they were built. However, most homes must be brought up to code if remodeled or sold.

Interested parties in the Fulton Homes Fence Patrol have until July 4, 2011 to nominate themselves or someone else for a pool fence, by logging on to www.kmle108.com and clicking on the Fence Patrol icon. For more information call (602) 452-1000 or go to www.fultonhomes.com and click on the “Fulton Foundation” link.

With the monsoon season upon us, we wanted to take a moment to go over a few helpful reminders to be prepared for the heavy rain and wind.

1. During a storm you will get water in your window tracks. So make sure your tracks are free of debris that might clog the weep holes.
2. Check the drain for the window well and make sure it is not covered or clogged with any debris or trash.
3. Is your sump pump operational? Be sure to check it periodically.
4. Check and see if anything with your landscape may interfere with the flow of water from your window well drain. You don’t want to redirect back into the wells.

Keep your home and your family safe!

Fulton Homes blogs are all separated into individual categories.  We do this so you can find the topic that you are interested in and read all of the articles that relate to that subject.  About halfway down the page of our blog, you will see the heading “Categories”.  Underneath this heading are several topics that are listed, just click on the one of your liking and you will be directed to all articles written about this matter.  We hope you find this information very useful.

Have you ever dropped a pen on your carpet and panicked over an ink stain on your carpet? Don’t worry! We’ve got some simple instructions to help rescue you from ink stains on your carpet.

Detergent Solution – Mix one fourth (1/4) teaspoon of a liquid dishwashing detergent per one (1) cup of lukewarm water. NEVER USE A STRONGER CONCENTRATION! Thorough rinsing is necessary to remove detergent residues that may cause rapid soiling. It may be necessary to rinse with warm water several times to completely remove residues. (See Residue Precautions.) Care should be used in selecting a detergent. Never use a laundry detergent of any type, because laundry detergents may contain optical brighteners (flourescent dyes) that dye the fiber. Do not select an automatic dishwashing detergent because many contain bleaching agents that destroy dyes and some fibers.

Nail Polish Remover – Two types of nail polish removers are available. One type contains acetone, a dry cleaning solvent. Use the same precautions as with other dry cleaning solutions. The second type contains amyl acetate, which is used in many paint, oil, and grease (POG) removers. Many POG removers leave residues that may cause rapid soiling. When using a POG remover, always rinse the area thoroughly with a dry solvent. (See Residue Precautions.)

Solvent – A non-flammable spot removal solution, or dry cleaning type solvent, is preferred. Exercise caution when using a solvent. Never pour it directly onto the carpet or allow it to reach the backing, because it can damage the latex that holds the primary and secondary backings together. Acceptable solvents include Carbona®, Energine®, K2R®, Goof-Off®, etc.

Warm Water – Lukewarm tap water should be used in most cases to rinse the cleaning solutions from the fiber. Failure to completely rinse the solutions from the fiber may cause accelerated soiling.

Ammonia Solution – Mix one (1) tablespoon of household ammonia per cup of water. Please note: Be aware that ammonia, if used improperly, can cause a color change. Be sure to test a hidden area.

Call a Professional – Professional cleaners have the ability and the equipment to use more aggressive cleaning solutions to remove stubborn spills. Always consider consulting a professional cleaner regarding any spot removal question. Carpet and Rug Institute – 1-800-882-8846

Which kitchen appeals to you more?

We make it a point here at Fulton Homes to post several blogs containing useful design, maintenance, website tool, etc., information that we think you may find useful.  On our blog homepage, you will see a “Search” box on the right side of the page.  This tool allows you to type in any keyword that you may be looking for information on the search will give you results of articles that we have posted that are related to what you are searching for.  We hope you find this helpful!