Funds dedicated toward improving the quality of family and community life through low-cost housing, support services, and advocacy

TUCSON, Ariz. — August 1, 2023 — Compass Affordable Housing recently received a $25,000 gift from First Interstate Bank and the First Interstate BancSystem Foundation as part of their second-annual Believe in Local grant campaign. These funds will be deployed to support programs and housing that is affordable at the local, state, and national levels.

“We are incredibly appreciative of First Interstate’s generosity and support,” said Maryann Beerling, chief executive officer of Compass Affordable Housing. “This donation helps us to continue to improve the quality of family and community life in the Tucson area. We’re thankful to have dedicated partners like First Interstate working with us to support and strengthen our community.”

First Interstate Bank launched the Believe in Local campaign in 2022 to celebrate the Bank’s longstanding commitment to the communities it serves. Each year, 40 nonprofit organizations across the Bank’s 14-state footprint receive a $25,000 gift in support of their mission. Compass Affordable Housing was nominated by local First Interstate employees and selected from a pool of over 500 submissions thanks to its alignment with the Bank’s philanthropic goals.

“Giving back to the places we call home is central to who we are as a community bank,” said Richard Mullen, First Interstate commercial relationship manager in Tucson. “Our Believe in Local grant campaign captures our core values in action and is the ideal way to celebrate the nonprofit organizations that deliver the greatest positive impact. We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to further support Compass Affordable Housing in its work to make our community a better place to live, work, and raise a family.”

In addition to campaigns like Believe in Local, First Interstate makes annual donations and grants totaling at least 2% of its pre-tax earnings to local communities. These funds aid in the improvement of workforce development, boost early childhood education, mitigate poverty, and support nonprofit organizations.

For more information on First Interstate Bank’s philanthropic efforts, please visit the Bank’s website.

Colonel (Retired) Donald “Don” Blascak (88) passed away quietly on December 10, 2022. His daughter and son were by his side at the time of his passing.

Don was born, August 19, 1934, in West Orange, New Jersey, where he attended West Orange High School. After high school, Don studied Agricultural Science at The Ohio State University. Upon graduation, he was commissioned into the US Army as a 2nd Lieutenant on October 26, 1956 and served on Active Duty for 30 years, ultimately retiring as a Colonel on October 31, 1986. During his 30 years of service, Don served as: an Armor Officer; in the US Army Special Forces; with the Central Intelligence Agency; and in Military Intelligence. He commanded at every level from platoon through brigade. In addition to three tours in Vietnam, Don served overseas in Korea, Germany, and Panama. His awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, the Vietnam Service Medal and many more. He was inducted into the MI Hall of Fame at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. Don also received the Knowlton Award recognizing outstanding and continued service to the Military Intelligence community.

Early in his career he met and married Lila JoAnn Berry, of Fayetteville, NC. Together they travelled the world (home is where the Army sends you), and raised two children, daughter, Marlee and son, Marc.

Following a full career of service to the nation as an Army Officer, Don embarked on the next chapter of his life, giving to others and to his community. He was deeply involved in: the Stand Down for Homeless Veterans; the Festival of Hope; Hope Fest; the Tucson Planning Council for the Homeless, their Winter Shelter Committee, and their Discharge Planning Committee; and the Angel Tree program. Ever busy, Don sat on the boards of: Mission Tucson; Hope of Glory; Pima County Community Justice Board; Good News Newspaper; Interfaith Coalition for the Homeless; United Way – Supporting Senior – Compassion Capital Fund; the Tucson Coalition of Compassionate Care Ministries; and Compass Affordable Housing, Inc.. In support of the American Red Cross, he served in many coordinator positions, chairperson positions, and instructor for multiple courses. He also served as a Shelter Manager in support of the Rodeo Chedeski Fire and Hurricane Katrina response.

In addition to the military awards already mentioned, Don received the Robert Moore Award from Compass Health, and was recognized as Volunteer of the Year by Sun Sounds Radio Reading Service, and also as Volunteer of the Year by the Arizona Coalition to End Homelessness.

Besides helping others, Don had two passions, dogs and military history. He gave countless hours of service to the Southern Arizona Greyhound Rescue. Don never met a greyhound he wouldn’t adopt and at his height had three greyhounds calling his house their home. Don was fascinated, some would say obsessed, with the study of the Battle of Gettysburg. Through the years, he visited the battlefield more than a dozen times, led small gatherings on battlefield tours there, and created a collection of Gettysburg books and memorabilia perhaps second only to the actual Gettysburg Museum.

He is preceded in death by his father, Stanley Joseph Blascak, his mother Ruth Godfrey Blascak, and his wife Lila JoAnn Berry Blascak. Don is survived by his daughter Marlee Blascak Marshall, her husband LTC (RET) Timothy J. Marshall, grandsons Weston Timothy Marshall (22) and Jeb Owen Marshall (20), all of Lansing, Kansas. And, his son Marc Weston Blascak of Tucson, Arizona.

A Celebration of a Life Well Lived is scheduled for December 19th, at 11:00am, at Grace Community Church, 9755 N. La Cholla Blvd, Tucson, AZ.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to “Compass Affordable Housing” at 48 N. Tucson Blvd. #102, Tucson, AZ 85716 or to www.compassaffordablehousing.org

Happy Holidays from everyone at Compass Affordable Housing!

The mission of Compass Affordable Housing is to improve the quality of family and community life by developing affordable housing and by providing services and programs that benefit those most in need of assistance in our community. While we are actively trying to address the lack of low-cost housing, poverty and the economic consequences of COVID, we need your help to make our efforts go further and reach more households in need.

Your support is crucial to helping us solve these issues in Tucson.

This year we have all witnessed the crisis the lack of affordable housing has caused in communities throughout the United States. In Tucson, rents have increased as much as 200% forcing many people with jobs into shelters, hotels and homelessness. To address this, Compass Affordable Housing is developing more housing and has started plans to help the households we work with obtain paid job training and employment assistance. Also, we intend to expand our reach to assist more people experiencing homelessness. The enclosed flyer is a brief summary of our recent work and accomplishments and goals for the new year.

Every donation from the community helps our work reach its maximum effectiveness. We encourage you to take advantage of the Arizona Tax Credit program. Arizona makes tax credits available to donors in the amount of $400 for individuals and $800 for couples when you donate to a Qualified Charitable Organization (QCO). Compass Affordable Housing is an approved charitable organization in Arizona. Our QC0 number is 20341.

This year we have all witnessed the crisis the lack of affordable housing has caused in communities throughout the United States. In Tucson, rents have increased as much as 200% forcing many people with jobs into shelters, hotels and homelessness. To address this, Compass Affordable Housing is developing more housing and has started plans to help the households we work with obtain paid job training and employment assistance. Also, we intend to expand our reach to assist more people experiencing homelessness. The enclosed flyer is a brief summary of our recent work and accomplishments and goals for the new year.

Every donation from the community helps our work reach its maximum effectiveness. We encourage you to take advantage of the Arizona Tax Credit program. Arizona makes tax credits available to donors in the amount of $400 for individuals and $800 for couples when you donate to a Qualified Charitable Organization (QCO). Compass Affordable Housing is an approved charitable organization in Arizona. Our QC0 number is 20341.

Our mailing address is Compass Affordable Housing, 48. N. Tucson Blvd., Suite 102 Tucson, AZ 85716. More information about us can be found at www.compassaffordablehousing.org where you will find our Annual Reports (Impact Tab), information about Your Healthy Home Market in the News Tab and information about the housing we own and the programs we implement. There is also a Donate Button at the top of each page.

When you donate to Compass Affordable Housing you are part of a community-first approach that helps us allocate our resources and create community value. Thank you in advance for your contribution. Your donation will impact the lives of many.

Sincerely,

Maryann Beerling, Chief Executive Officer

For questions about donating to Compass Affordable Housing, please call 520-627-1956.

Send cover letter and resume to:

infoCAH@compassaffordablehousing.org

Please do not apply if you lack any of this experience.

Happy October! We hope that you are enjoying the cooler weather inArizona. We have been busier than ever at Compass Affordable Housing. So much so that we fell behind a bit with our newsletter, now slated for November and our Annual Program Data Report.

Please refer to https://compassaffordablehousing.org/impact/#Annual-Report on this website to view the report.

You will see in the report that we delivered over nine tons of food to low-income households living in CAH-owned properties and to people in the larger community. We call it Your Healthy Home Market (YHHM). This innovative program started several years ago at the urging of volunteers and staff wanting to find other ways to help people with fixed and little or no income afford to eat healthier, improve their diets and improve their health. There are no fees to tenants who shop for free. There has never been government funding or grants funding this effort.

We rely upon donations from people like you to help keep YHHM operating every year.

The market is set up and taken down at our apartment communities by tenant volunteers and then we deliver to local non-profits and shelters that serve women, families and youth. We also have our own gardens. One is at Alvord Court (photo above) and Downtown Motor Apartments. Both of those gardens provide fresh produce for tenants residing at each property.

The Market is an expansion of our Tenant Services program. It addresses the effects of food poverty by helping low-income households increase food security, access nutritious food, improve diets and learn about dietary habits that affect their wellbeing.

For questions about donating to Compass Affordable Housing, please call 520-627-1956.

Compass Affordable Housing has a comprehensive Tenant Services division that delivers much needed support at the properties we own. Among them is a project called “Your Healthy Home Market” (YHHM).

YHHM addresses the effects of food poverty experienced by the households we serve and those from the surrounding communities. It is a volunteer run market staffed by tenants and community members. The market enables low-income households to increase food security, access nutritious food, improve diets, and learn about dietary habits that affect their wellbeing. Three times each month Your Healthy Home Market delivers 600-1500 pounds of fresh food (each time) that includes proteins, vegetables, grains, fruits, breads, plants and herbs, and harvested produce from the Alvord Court Community Garden. Local partners provide educational sessions that range from learning about produce, budgeting for food, food and health, cooking techniques, etc. After the class tenants and community members “shop” for food at no cost to them.

The Market is supported by tenant volunteers, vegetables grown in the Alvord Court Community Garden, and collaborating partners such as Gap Ministries, the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Program and professionals from the community. Community education sessions include information about the produce on hand, budgeting, food and health, and cooking techniques. Here are some pictures of our most recent Your Healthy Home Market being set up to serve our tenants at Tucson House and Glenstone. We love what we do at Compass Affordable Housing!

For questions about donating to Compass Affordable Housing, please call 520-627-1956.

On May 24th, Compass Affordable Housing hosted 19 women from Mexico, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Columbia, the Dominican Republic, and Costa Rica.

Sponsored by the University of Arizona’s Center for Latin American Studies these young women are enrolled through the Study of US Institutes (SUSI).

The SUSI grant for Indigenous and Afro-Descendent Women Leaders hosts 40 university student women leaders from Latin America every year. These young women are students of medicine, architecture, engineering, law, etc.

They were serenaded by a mariachi band of students from Tucson and spent the morning with us.

We discussed leadership, social services, poverty, food, housing issues in all of the countries and how activism can make a difference. It was an inspiring and heartwarming event for everyone.

Thank you SUSI for the opportunity!