Pictured left-to-right: Brian Smejkal, Terry Young, Lt. Zachary Good, Lt. Breann Good, Mary Bechtold, Maj. Mark Harwell, Eddie Dunham, Charlie Durham, Ryan Quattrocchi, Brian Jackson, Richard White.

The Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club of Sand Springs will be getting a fresh parking lot next month thanks to generous community donors. Dunham’s Asphalt Services will be covering half the cost of a new overlay project, and other local organizations and philanthropists have stepped up to pay for the remainder.

Montie and Betty Box (Montie Box Realty), Brian and Cary Smejkal (BubbleTown Carwashes), the Sand Springs Home, and BancFirst Sand Springs have all made contributions to help improve the safety and aesthetic appeal of the Salvation Army branch at 4403 South 129th West Avenue.

The Salvation Army offers after-school care, summer day camp, youth athletics, swimming lessons, and water aerobics, but the current parking lot has been a safety issue for the children and elderly clientele who struggle with navigating the uneven surface and potholes.

Donors and Salvation Army officials gathered Thursday for a ceremonial ground-breaking event, but the actual construction will begin in October. Angus Church, next-door to Salvation Army, has volunteered to make their parking lot available while the Salvation Army’s is under construction.

“I’m honored to have had the opportunity to work with City Councilman Brian Jackson, as well as all of the other key players involved in spearheading this donation for The Salvation Army Sand Springs Corps,” said Ryan Quattrocchi, Project Manager for Dunham’s Asphalt Services, Inc. “As a former Sandite, playing football on those same fields I see today just 15 years ago, it’s gratifying to be with a company that places importance on taking care of their community and surreal to be in the position I am today to be able to give back to this non-profit in the hometown where I grew up. The Salvation Army will always hold a special place in my heart and we hope they’ll be more than pleased with their new parking lot and trust our donation will pave the way for a bigger and brighter future for the youth of Sand Springs and the community as a whole.”

“We take pride in serving this great community and we are very grateful to the generous donors who are making it possible for us to move forward with a parking lot project at The Salvation Army Sand Springs Corps and Boys & Girls Club,” said Lieutenant Breann Good. “Our entire parking lot is getting a facelift and not only will this enhance the appearance of our facilities but it will make it safer for the seniors who come to swim and for everyone who attends our programs.”

For more information on the Salvation Army visit https://www.salarmytulsa.org/boys-girls-club-sand-springs/