Sundt Foundation

Sundt employees worked alongside other volunteers to help build townhomes for Habitat for Humanity of Central Arizona.

Through a volunteer event supported by the Sundt Foundation, several Sundt employees recently donated their time and building expertise to Habitat for Humanity of Central Arizona (HFHCAZ), a nonprofit organization that helps low-income families fulfill the dream of home ownership. The volunteers painted, installed shelving and trim, and performed a variety of other tasks to help complete five, two-story townhomes in Surprise, Ariz.

Each Habitat family invests at least 400 hours of “sweat equity” in the construction of its new home and the homes of others. Sundt believes that helping others is one of the most important things we can do, as a company, to fulfill our commitment of giving back to the communities where we live and work.

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In 2011, the Sundt Foundation collected nearly 150,000 water bottles and delivered them to several Phoenix-area agencies that aid the homeless.

As temperatures rise, employees from Sundt’s corporate headquarters in Tempe, Ariz., are once again gearing up to participate in the annual Thirst Aid water bottle drive to benefit St. Joseph the Worker, a nonprofit organization that aids the homeless and other disadvantaged individuals throughout the Phoenix area. Many of them suffer from thirst, heat-related illness and even death when temperatures soar in the spring and summer months. 

The Sundt Foundation organized the company’s first Thirst Aid event in 2010 with the hope of collecting 1,200 water bottles. They crushed their goal by collecting 49,000 bottles, and that number tripled the following year when 149,000 bottles came through our doors – so many that St. Joseph the Worker was able to supply the entire Human Services Campus with water. (The Human Services Campus is a collaboration of 15 homeless service providers that was created to address the growing demand for services by people experiencing homelessness.) As a result, the agencies didn’t have to turn away a single person that year who needed water. 

The goal for this year’s drive? Collecting 150,000 water bottles and continuing the commitment to making the event as green as possible. How? St. Joseph the Worker is installing recycling containers at all areas where trash receptacles are currently located so that the water bottles aren’t thrown away.

“As Sundt employees, we’re fortunate to have nice jobs in comfortable offices where we always have access to clean, cool water,” says Lisa White, a Foundation board member and organizer of the event. “Not everyone is so lucky, which is why the Sundt Foundation decided to get involved in Thirst Aid with our own water bottle drive. Since then, the participation and support have been tremendous. Many of our subcontractors have also gotten involved. It’s so satisfying to reach out and do what we can to help others – for them and for us.”

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Golfers having fun at one of the recent tournaments held in honor of longtime Sundt employee Mike Gaines

If you could send a message to a disease, ours would be this: “Look out, ALS. We’re coming after you.” Since 2001, a group of dedicated Sundt employees and the Sundt Foundation together have raised nearly $1 million to help find a cure for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. 

ALS claimed the life of one of Sundt’s longtime employees, Mike Gaines, in 2002. Before he died, Mike and the Sundt Foundation worked together to establish the Mike Gaines Charitable Fundraising Events to help eradicate this terrible disease and preserve his memory. The annual events—a trap shoot in Tucson and golf tournaments in Tucson, Phoenix, San Diego, Sacramento, and San Antonio—raise money for the local Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) chapter  in each location to be used for ALS research.

The events were a huge success in 2011, raising more money than in any of the previous years with a total of $162,387. “It helps to have so many generous subcontractors, vendors, and other golfers who come back year after year,” said Aly Gartin, a Sundt employee who helps coordinate the events. Aly worked with Mike Gaines for many years and counted him among her close friends. She added, “We have been blessed to be a beneficiary of the Powers Foundation, which has donated $25,000 to the Phoenix tournament for the past few years in honor of their employee, John Walsh, whose wife has ALS.”

We expect to cross the $1 million mark with the 2012 tournaments, which will be a great honor for Mike’s family and everyone affected by ALS. Feel free to join us for a day of fun and fundraising!

2012 Tournament Dates:

Tucson – March 23, 2012

Phoenix – April 13, 2012

Sacramento – May 4, 2012

San Diego – June 15, 2012

San Antonio – October 12, 2012

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The San Diego Armed Services YMCA received a grant from the Sundt Foundation to help make military life easier.

Sixty charitable organizations across the nation got good news from the Sundt Foundation last week: together they’ve been awarded more than $128,000 in grants to support their diverse programs – most of which benefit children and families in need. The organizations were selected by the Foundation’s board of directors from more than 100 non-profits that applied for grants during the first quarter of fiscal year 2012.

The Sundt Foundation raises money primarily through contributions from Sundt employees, which are then matched dollar-for-dollar by the company. Since its inception in 1999 the Foundation has made grants totaling nearly $5 million to hundreds of worthy organizations. Most grants are awarded in communities where Sundt has an established office. Employees can also direct their donations to charitable organizations that benefit members of the military and their families.

“It’s exciting to see the Foundation growing and helping more and more people each year,” said board president Abigail Shaver. “We’re up to 598 members across the company, with 70 percent participation from administrative employees. When each of us gives a little, it adds up quickly and makes a big difference in people’s lives.”

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Sundt Project Director John Alberghini gives $1,000 from the Sundt Foundation to a representative of the Toys for Tots program at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Many of our service members face tough times during the holidays. Long separations from their families, emotional and physical battle wounds, and even financial struggles can make this joyous time of year more challenging than it should be for those who dedicate themselves to keeping our country safe.

“Some of them come home from a long tour of duty overseas and don’t even have money to buy gifts for their kids, or food for Christmas dinner,” says Dan Arana, operations manager for Sundt’s Federal Division. Dan, whose own family benefitted from the kindness of others when he was growing up, has made it his personal mission to identify and help meet the needs of our men and women in uniform at each of the military installations where Sundt has a current construction project. “We want them to know that people care about them. It makes their holidays brighter, and it makes us feel good to help.”

Dan and his fellow Federal Division employees worked to put together the following holiday-themed activities to benefit military families this year:

At Marine Corps Base Camp Yuma, Ariz., they gave 40 $50 gift cards to the Officers’ Spouses’ Club and 60 $50 gift cards to the Marine Corps Community Service, totaling $5,000 all together. The organizations will distribute the commissary gift cards to young Marines and their families to help feed them over the holidays. This was in addition to 60 $50 commissary gift cards Sundt gave to the Marine Corps Community Service to help Marines and their families at Thanksgiving.

At Fort Sill, Okla., Sundt recently held a barbecue to celebrate two successful projects and used the opportunity to encourage a number of its subcontractors to match the Sundt Foundation’s $3,000 grant to the Armed Services YMCA (see below). An additional $1,856 was raised from a number of subs and suppliers, bringing the total to $4,856. The check was given to the organization during the week of Thanksgiving, and was reported to be a huge help.

Federal Division employees working at Fort Sill also sponsored four military families for Christmas, which involves purchasing gifts for their families as well as toys for a “Holiday Joy” event that took place on Dec. 20.

The Sundt Foundation joined in the Federal Division’s generosity by awarding $10,000 in grants to the following non-profit organizations that lend a helping hand to military families:

• $3,000 – Armed Services YMCA – Fort Sill, Okla.
• $2,000 – Hope for our Warriors – Camp Lejeune, N.C.
• $1,000 – Operation Santa Claus – Fort Bliss, Texas
• $1,000 – Santa’s Workshop – Fort Hood, Texas
• $1,000 – Toys for Tots – Camp Lejeune, N.C.
• $1,000 – USO of North Carolina – Camp Lejeune, N.C.
• $1,000 – Returning Heroes Home – Fort Sam Houston, Texas

Sundt also gave $5,000 to the following organizations at Fort Polk, La.:

• $1,000 – Fort Polk Army Community Service (ACS) Baby Center
• $1,000 – Fort Polk ACS Emergency Food Voucher
• $1,000 – Fort Polk ACS Survivor Outreach
• $1,000 – Fort Polk Child Development Center
• $1,000 – Fort Polk Youth Services

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Sundt employees placed the concrete foundation for the new playground equipment at Mesa Verde Elementary in Tucson.

Friends and family of Christina-Taylor Green, the youngest victim of the shooting rampage that occurred in Tucson last January, now have a place where they can remember her and be inspired by her short life. The Christina-Taylor Green Little Hands Playground at Mesa Verde Elementary school was built with contributions from a number of organizations, including $13,000 worth of concrete construction donated by Sundt’s Concrete Division and coordinated through the Sundt Foundation.

The project was organized by the Christina-Taylor Green Memorial Foundation as a living memorial and much-needed improvement to the aging playground, which hadn’t been upgraded since the school was built 35 years ago. Christina-Taylor was a third grader there when she lost her life last January during a public “meet and greet” event with Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.

The new climbing structures and playground equipment rest on a floor of rubber tiles (for improved fall protection) and are canopied by an expansive shade structure. Volunteers from Sundt poured the 2,500-square-foot, four-inch-thick foundation, which includes a four-inch curb around the perimeter to frame the rubber tiles. They also installed the aggregate base course sub base and water-cured the slab to prepare it for the tile adhesive.   

“Sundt was privileged to be part of this project,” said Sundt Foundation Vice President Tom Crohurst. “We hope the playground brings joy to many children, just as Christina-Taylor Green did to those who knew her.”

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Managers in Sundt’s Tempe office wore pink shirts to work on Monday, Oct. 31 to show their support for breast cancer awareness. They are gathered around the company’s 1970 El Camino SS, which is rolled out for charity fundraisers and community events.

Why do all of these Sundt employees have a rosy glow? They’re managers who were delivering on their promise to wear pink on Monday, Oct. 31 if Sundt employees met their goal of raising $2,500 for breast cancer research through the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk, which took place in Phoenix last Saturday, Oct 29.

Thanks to the Sundt team’s overwhelming success, pink shirts were seen throughout the company on Monday. The 53 walkers didn’t just beat their goal – they crushed it by raising $4,065 which is more than triple last year’s total of $1,250. Included in this total is $900 from the Sundt Foundation, which contributed $50 for each of the 18 walkers who are Sundt employees.

“I’m really thrilled about how many people participated and how much money we were able to raise this year,” said Ellisa De Rosa, Sundt’s Corporate Director of Office Services and Facilities and the organizer of the team of walkers, called ‘Sundt Supporters.’  “More Sundt employees walked than last year and the year before that, including several executives who participated for the first time. It was a lot of fun, and the feeling you get is pretty powerful because you know you’re doing something important for a good cause.”

More than 11,000 people from the Phoenix area participated in this year’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk, raising over $700,000.

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This James Reynolds painting is one of several western-themed pieces auctioned to create five special Sundt Foundation grants to benefit the Tucson community.

Sundt employees are extremely committed to our nonprofit, the Sundt Foundation, which has awarded more than $4.5 million in donations since its founding in 1999.  In light of the companywide enthusiasm for giving back to the communities in which we work, we are especially proud to announce that the Foundation recently raised more than $50,000 through an art auction to fund five special grants for organizations in the Tucson area.

By auctioning the western-themed artwork from our former Sundt Tucson office that wasn’t a fit with our new building’s contemporary design, we were able to award $10,000 grants to each of these local organizations: The American Red Cross Southern Arizona Chapter, Candlelighters Child Cancer Foundation of Southern Arizona, El Rio Community Health Center, Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona and the University Medical Center Foundation.

We’re also very excited to know how some of these grants will be used to impact lives:

• El Rio Community Health Care Center wrote to tell us that its team members were surprised and overjoyed by the fact the grant is three times the amount they requested. The funds will be used to support the center’s children’s immunization, asthma and dental programs.
• Rather than buying food, the Community Food Bank let us know it is allocating this grant money to pay for four or five semis to truck in a recent donation of 120,000 to 150,000 pounds of high-quality nutritious produce for low-income families.
• Candlelighters Child Cancer Foundation of Southern Arizona says it will use the money to rent a better facility for its 2012 summer camp for kids with cancer. The team had been scouting location options to replace the DIY setup of years past, and noted this well-timed grant is exactly what is needed to help it rent a new space!

You can learn more about these special grants here.

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Each quarter, the Sundt Foundation convenes to review and approve grants that support nonprofits in the various communities where Sundt Construction, Inc. has offices and projects. This past quarter, the Foundation awarded 47 grants and a total of $132,000 to local organizations in Phoenix, Tucson, Sacramento, San Antonio and San Diego.

Established in 1999 by Sundt to give employees a means of giving back to the communities where they live and work, the Sundt Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization that offers financial support to various local organizations whose missions are to solve problems and improve lives. While there are many pressing social issues in every community, our Foundation focuses specifically on serving the needs of disadvantaged children and adults.

On Sept. 30, 2011, Sundt’s CEO and Chairman J. Doug Pruitt will retire after 45 years with the construction company.  At that time he will also step down from the Foundation’s board of directors, a position he has held since its inception.  In a recent interview about his lengthy construction career, he was asked what achievements ranked among his proudest, to which he responded: participating in the creation of the Sundt Foundation.

“I would have to say that I’m extremely proud of the Sundt Foundation… The Sundt family had a long history of contributing to our society in many ways, but we hadn’t created an environment that encouraged our employees to get involved in charitable giving and volunteerism. The Sundt Foundation has given them that opportunity. They have really risen to the occasion and have donated more than $4 million to charities. They have also volunteered thousands of hours helping charities like Sojourner Center, Crisis Nursery and others with building or renovating their facilities. Companies and their employees have a responsibility to give back to the community. I’m extremely proud of the employees of Sundt for what they have done.” – J. Doug Pruitt, interview with AZRE Magazine. (Read the interview here.)

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Sundt Construction employees build communities in more ways than one – through construction projects, but also through their support of community organizations by way of their own nonprofit entity, the Sundt Foundation. In addition to the financial contributions employees make to the Sundt Foundation, many staff also volunteer their time and talent.

Last weekend, members of the San Antonio branch of the Sundt Foundation volunteered to build handicap ramps to benefit the San Antonio STAR Soccer Complex and Morgan’s Wonderland parks.  The San Antonio team members constructed ramps for two full-size portable classrooms at the STAR Soccer Complex. The portables will be used for storage of grounds and maintenance equipment of both parks. The ramps were built in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

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