The Sun City West Rotary Club was honored to have Captain Kathy Merritt of The Salvation Army North West Valley Corps share with us the amazing things they have done for our community this past year. Merritt and her husband Capt. Mark Merritt are the officers that administer all the programs at the Salvation Army’s office and church at 17420 Avenue of the Arts, Surprise.

Merritt shared how the Salvation Army meets the needs of those who are hungry and in need of nutritious food, help for homeless people, people who can’t pay for medicine, rent, gas or their electric bills, children that need a safe place to go and veterans in crisis. They provide hope for all those who come to them and are struggling to get by. They offer programs that can help to restore their stability and dignity. The Angel Tree program and other programs at Christmas provide thousands of gifts for the children in our community that might not have anything for Christmas.  The amazing abundance of toys and gifts they receive for these children would not happen without the generosity and caring spirit of this community. 

One hundred percent of the monies collected from the Red Kettle program goes to meet the needs of people in the North West Valley. They exceeded their goal this year even though people have had a harder time with the higher cost of living. It just shows how caring and generous the people in this community are even in difficult times.

Family Service Statistics for 2022:

Meals served 28,366

Rental Assistance 71

Utility Assistance 504

Food Boxes 12,564

Christmas Angels 5,650

Christmas toys given 17,127

Volunteers 7,328

Volunteer Hours 33,940

Lives Touched in 2022 110,111

The Salvation Army’s mission is to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ, meet human needs and be a transforming influence in the communities they serve. They are doing everything in their power to do this in the North West Valley.

The Rotary Club welcomes men and women of all backgrounds and professions who want to serve to change lives. Membership is made up of people from Sun City West as well as surrounding communities/neighborhoods (Surprise, Sun City Grand, Corte Bella, Sun City, et al), both seasonal and full-time residents. Each meeting includes a brief presentation by a Rotary member, community non-profit, other organizations or individuals on a topic of interest to club members. Through regular club programs, projects and neighborhood activities, members learn about the issues that face our communities and exchange ideas about how to take action to respond to them.  Fellowship and service are key for membership in the Rotary Club.

For more information about this club, contact Susan Sagahon, President, Rotary Club of Sun City West, at 480-371-9962 or ssagahon@outlook.com.