'Reconnect' during Queen Creek's phone-free day

Queen Creek is asking residents to put down their phones for one day to reconnect with family, friends and the great outdoors.

Reconnect Queen Creek takes place Tuesday. It is an initiative from For Our Town Queen Creek, a partnership between the town of Queen Creek and the Queen Creek Chamber of Commerce.

"Finding time to connect with your family is so incredibly important," stated Queen Creek Mayor Julia Wheatley, in a chamber press release. "Electronic devices have certainly made our lives easier in many respects, but they've also become a distraction, and in some cases a barrier to truly connecting with one another. The phone-free family day is a great reminder to put the phone down, focus on what is really important and be in the moment.”

For Our Town is a community initiative between the Queen Creek Chamber of Commerce and the town of Queen Creek that brings nonprofit and faith-based organizations, businesses and schools together to take on Queen Creek’s most critical issues.

"One of the pressing issues that was identified by the For Our Town Queen Creek meetings was mental health. At one of the last meetings, we asked attendees what can we do to improve mental health in the community. They created this idea of a phone-free day to reconnect," stated Chris Clark, president and CEO of the commerce, in the release. "A connected community is a resilient one. When people know and care for their neighbors, they are more likely to come together in times of need, creating a supportive and cohesive community."

Those who pledge by Monday will be entered to win a pizza and wine package from Mici Italian. Sign the pledge at explorequeencreek.com .

Reconnect Queen Creek takes place during "Fall in Love with QC.” To find family activities to do without your phone visit https://explorequeencreek.com/explore-queen-fall-break-guide/ .