May 2, 2017
Emerge served nearly 5,800 participants and answered 5,700 calls to its 24-hour hotline last fiscal year.
Safety for survivors of domestic abuse can mean the difference between life and death. Over the past decade, Emerge! Center Against Domestic Abuse has made lasting impacts as Southern Arizona’s largest provider of domestic abuse prevention services.
Emerge started in April 2008 when Brewster Center Domestic Violence Services, which began offering domestic violence services in 1982, and Tucson Centers for Women and Children, established in 1975, came together. Emerge served nearly 5,800 participants and answered 5,700 calls to its 24-hour hotline last fiscal year. Emerge also provided 18,216 safe nights at its shelter or hotels and helped 49 families transition into new homes.
In 2015, there were 107 domestic violence fatalities in Arizona, including 25 in Pima County. In the past two years, Emerge has seen a 31 percent increase in participants requiring domestic abuse services.
“We assume, and hope, that some of it is due to our outreach efforts,” Emerge Director of Development Lauryn Bianco said.
While Tucson-area non-profits often work together to help the community, the need for services can seem overwhelming.
“Even with the strength of the nonprofit network, resources are limited – and therein lies the difficulty,” Lauryn said. “The need in our community far outweighs the resources available and we rely heavily on the spirit of foundations like Sundt and individual donors to continue investing in our work to ensure that people who need domestic abuse services can have access to them.”
While 69 percent of Emerge’s budget comes from government grants, those dollars are often earmarked for specific purposes. Unrestricted dollars, including those from individuals and foundations, allow the organization to be flexible and quick in responding to immediate issues in the community. The Sundt Foundation gave a $1,500 grant to Emerge in 2016.
“The funding we receive allows Emerge to provide all of the other necessary services in Pima County that most government grants do not support, like our men’s education programming and prevention services,” Lauryn said.
This is the fourth in a series of stories about non-profit organizations that were supported by the Sundt Foundation in 2016. The articles will appear on our blog on Tuesdays through May 23.
April 11: Project Healing Waters
April 18: Restore Education
April 25: Reynolds Home
Our team from the Banner-University Medical Center Tucson project won the Mike Gaines golf event.
Sundt employee-owners, subcontractors and partners showed their generosity once again by supporting the Mike Gaines Golf Tournament in Tucson.
The event, held March 10 at Arizona National Golf Club, raised $18,500 to assist the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s research into ALS. Mike was a longtime Sundt employee-owner who died in 2002 from ALS complications. The golf tournaments, held in several locations across the country where Sundt does business, started in Tucson in 2001 and have brought in more than $1.7 million.
Members of the joint venture team working at Banner-University Medical Center in Tucson won the event. The team included Mason Mellema, Mike Miller, Kevin Moore and Mark Ostrand. Mike took the long-drive competition and Kevin won more than $500 in the 50-50 raffle and donated his share to the MDA.
The next Mike Gaines event is March 31 at The Legacy Golf Club in Phoenix. Click here for more information.
The Sundt Foundation, in partnership with Payless ShoeSource in Tucson, helped kids take a step in the right direction by providing them with free footwear and socks last week.
The Foundation, which is funded by Sundt employee-owners and the company, made a $2,000 grant to the Educational Enrichment Foundation to hold a shoe-shopping party for Tucson Unified School District students. Eight volunteers from Sundt helped more than 100 in-need kids select and try on shoes. Payless offered the shoes at a discounted price and opened the store an hour early just for the children.
“There really is no other experience quite like it,” said Sundt Foundation Board Member Randy Rusing.
The Sundt Foundation helps underserved children and adults in places where our company does business. The organization has made more than $7.2 million in grants since it was formed in 1999.
Project: I-10/Ina Road Traffic Interchange in Tucson
Year: Senior
Major: Civil Engineering
School: University of Arizona
Anticipated Graduation Date: Fall 2017
Why did you decide on Sundt for your summer internship?
Sundt stood out to me from all the other companies I was interviewing with because it put an emphasis on high standards. I knew that being able to work for a company like this would be both a challenge and a reward. A challenge because I strive to better myself every day to produce the quality of work that is generated at Sundt and a reward because after this internship, I knew I would learn invaluable experience from on-site field and office work in my area of interest. This experience would truly help me become among the best in the industry upon graduation.
Another reason I chose Sundt is the impact it is making in my community. It has done several projects around and at the University of Arizona, and has donated a lot of the safety equipment I use on a daily basis for my classes. The impact that Sundt has on my life has inspired me to want to become a part of something that helps the community where I live. It has set the bar high and with the help of my mentors and Sundt team I know I will be adequately prepared to better my community for myself and future generations.
What does a typical day look like for you?
Although I have only been interning for a couple of weeks at Sundt, I already feel a part of the team. I am working on the Ina Road project which is set to begin construction in Tucson in early July. While my team and I are in the Tempe office, I am helping tie up last-minute loose ends before we make the move to Tucson. I am involved in obtaining permits, editing and finishing written documents for the owner and other general paperwork needed for completion. When I go into the field in July, I will be in charge of safety and quality control as well as assisting the Project Manager and Field Engineer.
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Honduran food. My family is from Honduras, and even though they live in Phoenix, I don’t get to see them that often. So anytime I get the chance to visit my parents and get a home-cooked meal, my mom prepares a traditional Honduran dish. My favorite is called yucca con chicharron. It has yucca root, chayote squash, ripe plantain, carrots, cilantro and seasoning.
What is a book you have read recently?
“The Great Gatsby” By F. Scott Fitzgerald. He is a terrific author. I wanted to read this after I saw the 2013 film so I could compare the two.
What is your favorite quote or inspirational saying?
“One of the basic rules of the universe is that nothing is perfect. Perfection simply doesn’t exist. Without imperfection neither you nor I would exist.” – Stephen Hawking
What do you like to do in your free time?
Whenever I have free time I like to spend it with my family and friends. Building quality relationships is very important to me. Whenever I’m not with them I also enjoy painting/drawing with oil pastel, colored pencil and charcoal; playing the piano; and learning to golf.
One of the most significant healthcare projects in Southern Arizona history was celebrated Thursday when groundbreaking took place at Banner-University Medical Center Tucson on the University of Arizona campus.
UA President Ann Weaver Hart and Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild were among the presenters at the event.
Rendering courtesy of Shepley Bulfinch.
A Sundt joint venture with DPR Construction will build the nine-story, 670,000-square-foot facility. The new tower replaces one that has been used for more than 40 years.
When the new tower opens in spring 2019, it will include:
- A main entry, cafeteria and support departments on the first floor.
- Diagnostic imaging, diagnostic cardiology, cardiac cath labs and interventional radiology on the second floor.
- Operating rooms and patient prep/recovery space on the third floor.
- 204 patient rooms in floors five through nine.
- Shelled space on the ninth floor for 24 more patient rooms.
More than $50 million in new patient care equipment and computers are being added for state-of-the-art care.
Banner-UMC Tucson plays an important role in the health of Southern Arizona residents and visitors; it’s the only Level 1 Trauma Center in the region.
Updates and a webcam can be found on the project website.
