How Ark’s Cinco de Mayo Charity Golf Tournament is building a stronger Tucson community
Supporting Survivors with SACASA
In 2022, the Tucson Arkns held their inaugural Cinco de Mayo Charity Golf Tournament in support of the Southern Arizona Center for Sexual Assault (SACASA). All proceeds from the event went toward the crisis services, advocacy, support, therapy and education for individuals and families impacted by sexual trauma provided by SACASA. By giving survivors a safe place to heal, gain strength, access treatment, learn coping skills and develop trusting, caring relationships, SACASA aims to reduce the trauma and incidence of sexual assault, and Ark is proud to have provided this incredible monetary support with the help of our partners and connections in the Arizona community.
Our event in 2022 was a huge success, raising over $22,000 to support survivors of sexual assault. Partnering with Tri-Lambda: Tech Nerds Unite!, Tucson’s favorite IT networking group founded by Ark in 2020, this tournament marked a significant milestone in our Ark Impact mission to support the communities that support us.
Tech Nerds Unite and the Arkns hit the course again in 2023 for our second annual Cinco de Mayo Tournament, and after receiving overwhelming support from golfers, sponsors and other attendees, we shattered the previous record, raising over $45,000 to support SACASA’s mission.
“We could not be more appreciative of Ark’s support for our community and cause that they demonstrated with the Cinco de Mayo Charity Golf Tournament,” said Katlyn Monje, Director of SACASA. “The company pledged its full support to our mission of helping survivors heal, and their invaluable efforts to support the many sexual trauma survivors in Southern Arizona were appreciated by so many.”
Building Stronger Families with Parent Aid
This year, Ark and the Tech Nerds are focusing their efforts to support Parent Aid, whose mission to put an end to child abuse is invaluable to the Arizona community.
Founded in the late 1980s by a group of passionate community leaders who, upon hearing countless stories about broken families, child abuse and neglect, decided they could no longer turn a blind eye, Parent Aid has remained steadfast in their vision that all children should be raised in homes knowing they are loved, cherished and cared for, by caregivers who can rely on and contribute to a community that appreciates and supports them. Their staff is highly trained in helping families understand and overcome the challenges they face, partnering with thousands of children and families in Pima County since 1990 to turn the tide and strengthen families in their community.
Parent Aid offers multiple programs to support families and children in the region, including Parent Partners In-Home, countless Community Parenting Classes, Family Enrichment Workshops and the Love Like a Dad program, which is the only program in Tucson dedicated to developing more responsible and nurturing dads.
Ark has been a long-time supporter of Parent Aid, participating in their Adopt-A-Family program to provide holiday cheer, gifts and monetary support to Tucson families in need. In 2024, when Parent Aid was looking for ways to make their space more colorful and welcoming, Arkn Joe Wells inspired our Arizona team to lead the charge, commissioning a bright, lively new mural on the side of their building.
The recently completed mural, a colorful depiction of an adult hand reaching out toward a child’s hand, perfectly sets the positive, inspirational and hopeful tone that Parent Aid aims to bring to those who walk through their doors.
“Ark’s support of Parent Aid and the greater Tucson community has been incredibly inspiring to see,” said Allan Stockellburg, Executive Director of Parent Aid. “While it certainly isn’t without challenges, we’re proud of the work we do to uplift children and caregivers, and we’re excited to get people involved and educated this May.”
Parent Aid’s strength-based approach to building families’ capacity to heal, persevere and succeed has helped them reach thousands of children, caregivers and parents in Pima County. Ark is grateful for the opportunity to champion their invaluable mission through our Cinco de Mayo Charity Golf Tournament, and we look forward to joining forces with other industry and business leaders in Arizona to amplify their reach and help provide the funding needed for the training, classes and workshops that contribute to a more unified, healthy and prosperous Tucson community.
We hope you’ll join us on the green on May 3, 2024, to build strong connections in the community, engage in some friendly competition and, most importantly, support and celebrate Parent Aid’s remarkable impact on our neighbors, friends and families.
