Sun City, Ariz., July 11, 2016 — Northwest Valley Connect (NVC) is relocating from
Surprise to Sun City, where it will be housed in a building owned by the Sun Cities Lions
Foundation at 9445 N 99 th Avenue Peoria, AZ 85345. The Lions Foundation has offered a
low rent three year lease to NVC as an incentive and is very happy to have the
community transportation nonprofit working this Sun City area. NVC will be moving in
August 1 st . The phone numbers and email addresses will remain the same.
“We are so pleased to have a bigger space to grow our programs,”’ said Kathryn
Chandler NVC executive director, “and the Lions are really wonderful to work with! They
understand the need for seniors and persons with disabilities to have the rides they
need for medical appointments, shopping and the very important social trips.”
NVC was jointly launched by Benevilla and Sun Health in 2014 and has been operating
out of space in the Benevilla facility on Greasewood Street in Surprise.
Since it opened, NVC has launched a Call-Click- Connect Center (623-282- 9300) operated
by volunteer operators, hired and trained sixteen volunteer drivers for the Ride Connect
program, accumulated three vans – two of which are wheel –chair-accessible and
started providing Group Connect trips to malls and other area locations.
The Call Center answered 1,457 calls in 2015 and has answered 1,909 calls in the first
half of 2016. The new office provides much-needed space for two call operators to
answer phones during the peak times of the day. It also has a fenced area, a garage, and
meeting space for training, volunteer recognition events, community and board
meetings.
Front L to R…Lions Foundation Treasurer Bill Wentling, Lions Foundation
Executive Director John Bliss, Kathryn Chandler Northwest Valley Connect Executive
Director, Lions Foundation Secretary Myles Daitzman.
Back Row L to R…Lions Past District Governor Ed Lydon, Lions Past
District Governor Ann Roberts, Lions Past District Governor Susan Lydon, Lions Past
International Director Dave Roberts
About Northwest Valley Connect
Northwest Valley Connect (NVC) is a nonprofit transportation coordination service for
residents of the northwest region of the Phoenix metropolitan area. NVC was formed
through a partnership of local nonprofits Sun Health and Benevilla to address the gaps
in transportation services in the area. Working with government, private, nonprofit and
volunteer transportation providers, NVC aims to educate the population it serves on
existing transportation resources as well as provide new senior transportation options
to service unmet needs. With 100,000 seniors living in the area, and a rapidly aging
population, NVC is not only meeting a demand, but it is an essential ingredient to ensure
citizens of the Northwest Valley are able to maintain a vibrant and independent quality
of life.