More than 100 fire, medical and police staff attended an Aug. 10 appreciation breakfast for Mesa first-responders hosted by The Summit at Sunland Springs Assisted Living and Memory Care.

The breakfast was meant to thank the people who tirelessly serve Mesa residents, according to a release.

Also in attendance at the breakfast were Mesa Mayor John Giles, Fire Chief Mary Cameli, Assistant Chief Ed Wessing and Mesa Councilmember Kevin Thompson. Each addressed the gathered crowd and thanked them for their service and sacrifice.

“Thank you for your support of public safety,” Mayor Giles said to the attending crowd. “That’s our top priority in city government. We’re looked at as a national leader in this space.”

“We care,” said Fire Chief Cameli. “We care about you when you call. That’s our mission – to serve with care. To us, that means compassion, accountability, respect and excellence. We’re so proud of the men and women of our fire teams.”

Councilman Thompson spoke on behalf of his constituents, saying, “Our community absolutely loves our safety folks. They feel loved in this community, and I’ve heard our first responders say that they feel blessed to work here.”

Assistant Fire Chief Wessing closed by remarking that “Coming to an event like this and feeling the support of the citizens we serve is amazing. This gives us that spark, that what we do really matters. I’m so grateful for that support.”

The Summit at Sunland Springs, 2415 S. Signal Butte Road in Mesa, hosted the event to thank first-responders for their brave service during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Given the stresses the pandemic placed on senior citizens and first responders, The Summit at Sunland Springs made for an appropriate venue for these two groups to safely mingle and share their stories.

Lori Marsh, outreach director at The Summit at Sunland Springs, also explains that as an assisted living home, first-responders are always quick to arrive and support their residents with their services.

“Our goal with this event was to share our gratitude after a difficult few years,” Marsh said. “These first-responders don’t hear ‘thank you’ enough, so we wanted this to be an opportunity to spread some kindness to the people that do so much for us here at The Summit at Sunland Springs and for Mesa as a community.”

The Summit at Sunland Springs is an assisted living and memory care community in Mesa that is locally owned and operated. To learn more about The Summit at Sunland Springs and its services, go to avistaseniorliving.com/thesummitaz.