Every weekend, thousands of Arizona students face the same question: where's the next meal coming from? AZ Brainfood answers it — packing backpacks full of food so kids come back to school Monday ready to learn, not hungry. They've distributed over 1.28 million food bags across 110 schools and counting. Sertoma members volunteer alongside their team to pack those bags, because feeding kids isn't just a cause, it's a community effort.
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AZ Hands & Voices is a parent-driven organization supporting families raising deaf or hard of hearing children. No bias toward any single communication approach — spoken language, ASL, cued speech, or a combination — just guidance and emotional support from parents who've been there. Their Guide By Your Side program pairs trained parent guides with families navigating the early days of a diagnosis. Sertoma funds their work because access to support shouldn't depend on where you live or who you know.
For people with physical, social, or intellectual differences, the social circle tends to shrink after school ends. Love, Your Friend exists to change that: hosting pool parties, talent shows, holiday events, and weekly virtual hangouts that give members real friendships and a real community. Sertoma provides funding because connection isn't a luxuryt's a lifeline.
Hip Hop Homies with Xtra Chromies is a dance team for adults with Down syndrome. It's exactly what it sounds like: joy, confidence, and community through hip hop. Sertoma provides funding to help keep the music playing and the crew growing, because everyone deserves a stage.
Some people don't wait for permission to make a difference. Rosevelt Rawls started her mission to help abused children as a teenager in Mesa, using her voice to raise awareness and funds. As a Childhelp ambassador, she organized concerts that drew hundreds of supporters and raised significant funding for children in crisis. Sertoma is proud to help resource her work.
Troop 54 has been serving the youth of the East Valley since 1916 — and they're chartered right here by Sertoma Club of Mesa. Sertoma sponsors the troop so the next generation of leaders can build character, confidence, and community the way scouts have for over a century.
Service to mankind starts with the ground under your feet. Sertoma has adopted a stretch of Arizona highway and our members show up regularly to keep it clean. It's not glamorous. It's just the right thing to do, and it's one more way we put in the work, not just the words.
Every Fourth of July, downtown Mesa lights up with food, live entertainment, patriotic displays, and fireworks at the Arizona Celebration of Freedom. Sertoma co-founded this event, and while the City of Mesa now leads its production, our members still show up to volunteer year after year. It's one of the Valley's biggest Independence Day celebrations — and it started with a civic club that believed Mesa deserved one.
Sequoia is a K–12 charter school in Mesa built around small class sizes and a commitment to deaf and hard of hearing students. For Sertoma, supporting the D/HH community isn't a side project — it's at the heart of who we are. We provide funding and volunteer support to help Sequoia continue giving its students an education designed for how they learn best.
Every December, Mesa Santa Express transforms a light rail car into a holiday experience for local families — complete with songs, cookies, and a visit from Santa on Merry Main Street. Run by a local nonprofit, the event creates the kind of holiday memories that don't require a big budget. Sertoma helps fund the magic so it stays free and accessible to the families who need it most.
Arizona's original Thanksgiving Day race. Every November, thousands of runners and walkers gather at Red Mountain Park for the Mesa Turkey Trot — a 5K, 10K, and family fun run that's become a Thanksgiving tradition for the East Valley. Sertoma doesn't just sponsor this event. We run it. The Turkey Trot is our biggest annual fundraiser, and the proceeds go right back into the community through organizations like the ones on this page. It's fitness, family, and giving back — all before the turkey hits the table.
