Willmeng Construction recently celebrated the completion of work for Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center (SARRC) on its new Kathryn G. Bosco Campus at Power and McKellips Roads in Mesa. The grand opening event marked a major step for SARRC, which provides valuable, evidence-based programs that support individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) from childhood to adulthood statewide, ensuring that impactful services are accessible to every resident of Arizona.
“Our community is very fortunate to have SARRC in it and we are thankful to all of the support from the community and groups like the Thunderbirds and Rick Steele and family for helping to make this happen,” said James Murphy, CEO of Willmeng. “Willmeng exists for people to build their genuine place of purpose, and that’s both inside Willmeng and outside. These campuses afford people true support to find their genuine place of purpose, and the impact is real. We could not be prouder to be a part of what SARRC is doing in our community.”
This was Willmeng’s second campus project for SARRC following the work the firm did on SARRC’s Paiute Neighborhood Center renovation in Scottsdale in 2021. For the Kathryn G. Bosco Campus, Willmeng worked with the design team to refresh an aging, 14,497 square foot building and completely reconfigure the space to accommodate SARRCs unique needs. The updated campus will consist of four preschool classrooms and one flexible classroom for teens and young adults. In addition, the space is supplemented by a series of administrative, meeting, multipurpose room, restrooms, and support spaces.
The exterior enhancements to the courtyard include a shaded playground, turf, and seating areas. The team also resealed and restriped the existing 100-space parking lot and re-lamped the original light poles. Careful consideration was made to maximize the construction budget and ensure that everything positively impacts the teaching, learning, and activity spaces for the students and staff.
The playground has been named to honor Rick Steele, founder of SelectBlinds, who helped SARRC acquire this new facility. Other major organizations provided support and generous donations for the facility improvements, including Thunderbird Charities, Scottsdale Saguaros Children’s Charities and Arizona Complete Health, which presented a $100,000 check to SARRC at the event.
SARRC has been at the forefront of autism research, education and community support in Arizona for nearly three decades. With the rapidly growing need for effective autism services, the organization set an ambitious strategic plan: to become a statewide organization that puts these services within reach of every Arizona family by 2030.
The new Mesa campus plays a crucial role in achieving that vision. As the first Autism-Certified City in the U.S., Mesa made a natural choice for SARRC’s newest campus.
“We’re excited to open SARRC’s fifth campus in the East Valley, extending our reach and increasing accessibility to our state-of-the-art programs and services,” said Dr. Daniel Openden, president & CEO of SARRC. “We are currently in the midst of a $13 million capital campaign to establish four additional campuses across the state, including the West Valley, Tucson, Flagstaff/Prescott, and North Phoenix/North Scottsdale. We've successfully raised $12 million, and now we need our incredible community’s support to secure the final $1 million to reach our goal. And thanks to a generous donor, we’re thrilled to announce a $50,000 matching challenge starting today—every dollar donated will be doubled, maximizing the impact of each contribution.”
Learn more about SARRC’s statewide expansion and donate to bring essential support within reach of all Arizonans at autismcenter.org/AtoZ.
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