A Partnership That Powers Independence: Southwest Gas Fuel for Life Supports PCOA COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP
When Southwest Gas employees give through their Fuel for Life program, they aren’t just writing a check. They are investing in the ability of Pima County’s older adults to live safely and with dignity in their own homes. This year, PCOA is proud to count Fuel for Life among our valued supporters, and we recently had the privilege of hosting the Fuel for Life team for an up-close look at what that generosity makes possible. Southwest Gas’s Fuel for Life program is built on a simple but powerful idea: employees choose the causes they care about, then give directly to them through payroll donations. It’s a grassroots model of philanthropy, driven by the people who work at Southwest Gas rather than dictated from the top. For more than a decade, that giving has added up to millions
of dollars flowing into nonprofits across the company’s service area, including right here in Pima County. Numbers on a page, though, only tell part of the story. That’s why the Fuel for Life team didn’t just send a donation this year. They came to see PCOA’s work firsthand. During their visit, team members sat down with the staff who show up for older adults every single day. They heard about the caregivers who quietly hold families together, often at real cost to their own health and finances, and about the clients who depend on PCOA’s case managers to stay safely and independently in the homes they love. They learned about one man in particular whose Social Security check had been delayed, leaving him without the resources he needed to get by, and how PCOA staff stepped in to
help him bridge that gap until his benefits were restored. It’s the kind of story that rarely makes headlines, but for that individual, it made all the difference. The visit also took the Fuel for Life team beyond conversation and into a hands-on look at Pima Care at Home, PCOA’s program that trains direct care workers and family members to become confident, capable caregivers. Walking through the training process themselves, team members gained a firsthand appreciation for the skill, patience, and heart it takes to care for an aging parent, spouse, or friend, and for how much PCOA’s guidance can ease that journey. Partnerships like this one matter because aging well is rarely a solitary effort. It takes case managers who answer the phone when a crisis hits, caregivers who show up day after day, and community partners willing to invest not just their dollars but their time and attention in understanding the need. Southwest Gas’s Fuel for Life program has shown up as exactly that kind of partner. On behalf of everyone at PCOA, and especially the clients and families whose lives are touched by this support, thank you to Southwest Gas and every employee who chose to give through Fuel for Life. Your generosity, and your willingness to see our work up close, helps ensure that Pima County’s older adults can continue to age well, safely, and with the dignity they deserve. ◆
September & October 2026, Never Too Late | Page 11
Pima Council on Aging
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