Receiving the Support Our Troops-Arizona grant check is Eloy Civil Air Patrol Squadron Commander Morgan Rayl with CAP Aerospace Instructor Tony Levatino (center) and five Eloy CAP Cadets (kneeling). SOT-AZ Board members pictured from left to right are Gerard Wittman, Martin Bender, Coralee Harr, Herb Smith, Sharon Ross, and Edd Michaud.
M.R. Bender
On Jan. 25, Support Our Troops-Arizona (SOT-AZ) board members presented a check for $3,000 to the Eloy Civil Air Patrol (CAP) Composite Squadron 131. The Squadron was chartered in 2018 to partner with the local schools expanding upon the aerospace education already being taught in the schools and to introduce the CAP cadets to aerospace-related careers. The SOT-AZ grant will help support a variety of CAP activities available to the Eloy cadets ages 12 to 18 every Saturday morning including flight simulator training, aviation-related field trips, and ham radio operations.
While most residents of Robson Ranch know SOT-AZ for posting the American flags on the main boulevards of our community on military related holidays, SOT-AZ has as its primary mission the support of our active-duty military, military families, veterans, veterans’ organizations, and military related community programs. Thanks to the generous support of the Robson Ranch community and local business sponsors, SOT-AZ has been able in the past three years to distribute over $150,000 in grants in accomplishing its mission. The $3,000 award to the Eloy Civil Air Patrol Squadron is part of SOT-AZ’s $60,000 grant budget for 2025.
Equally important to the financial support of SOT-AZ is the participation of volunteers in activities and fundraising events throughout the year. Many more volunteers are needed for SOT-AZ’s continuing success. To be directly involved in SOT-AZ, let your interest be known by submitting a volunteer form on the web at SOT-AZ.org, or simply call Herb Smith, SOT-AZ President (916–212-5396), Sharon Ross, Events Chairperson (520–660-2570), Keith Stepp, Flag Chairperson (602–826-5384), or Jim Harr, Co-Chair Veterans, Military and Families Committee (VMFC) (605–216-7088). Support Our Troops-Arizona invites all Robson Ranch residents to salute those who are now serving and those who have served in our armed forces to guarantee the freedom we all enjoy.