Photo courtesy of Benevilla
The leadership and staff of the nonprofit Benevilla extend a warm welcome to their new 2023 board of directors and a sincere thank you to their 2022 board of directors for helping Benevilla continually grow and meet the ever-increasing needs of the community.
With their direction and dedication, Benevilla was able to launch their newest program offering, the Benefitness Adaptive Gym. The Benefitness Adaptive Gym ensures physical fitness, and a healthy lifestyle is no longer out of reach for anyone. Unlike a typical gym, Benefitness provides specialized small group and individual fitness programs and classes as well as modified equipment for individuals in wheelchairs, people who have limited motion, and those who are differently abled. “In partnership with Benevilla leadership, the Benevilla Board of Directors is constantly adapting and finding ways to restructure our programs and services to meet the evolving need of our community,” says Benevilla President and CEO Joanne Thomson. “The opening of the Benefitness Adaptive Gym is another example of how extraordinary the leadership and direction of our board has been.”
Benevilla was created as a not-for-profit organization in 1981 by citizens of the Sun Cities area out of concern local health and wellness services were not readily available to the community’s residents. Their mission was to promote health and independence by providing supportive services to their neighbors. Beginning as a group of 30 volunteers and a handful of employees helping with errands and home care services, Benevilla has grown into a network of Life Enrichment Day Programs, multiple support and educational services, a daycare and preschool, comprehensive care-management programs, and social activities––all directed by a caring, dedicated, and innovative board of directors continuing to keep Benevilla relevant and a critically important resource in the northwest Valley.
The 2023 Benevilla Board of Directors include Pastor Kim Sterner, pastor Lord of Life Lutheran Church (board chair); Oana Constantinescu, First Bank, senior vice president (vice chair); Brian Laurie, Edward Jones Financial Advisor (secretary); Larry Vering, retired CPA (treasurer); Chris Arlaud, licensed Medicare broker; Shannon Arriola, MC, Arriola & Associates, Inc. (ex officio); John Bridgford, investment broker, Merrill Lynch; Merlyn Carlson, retired secretary of agriculture for the state of Nebraska; Erica Dorward, chief operating officer, Banner Del Webb Medical Center; Joe DeBlasi, retired businessman; Alex Juarez, communications director, AARP Arizona: Dr. Richard Stuckey, retired executive VP of the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology; and Mike Zongolowicz, retired CPA.
Benevilla thanks the following Board Members, who termed off the Benevilla Board at the end of 2022, for their service and dedication to the agency and the community–– Lora Johnson, Birt Kellam, and Conrad Graff.
Throughout 2022, the Benevilla Board of Directors served over 800 hours in service to the success of the agency and to the people they help. While many also juggled personal and professional commitments over the year, the dedication of the Benevilla Board always rose to the occasion when help was needed.
