Cemex Supports Area Youth, From the Disabled To the Homeless To Military Children, Through Its Community Outreach Programs.
By Therese Dunphy
Building partnerships with organizations that support those in need has been an ongoing focus in Cemex’s Southwest region, explained Deborah Wells, director of public affairs, communications & social impact. Through an assortment of partnerships managed by Bri Kaites, community relations specialist, the company is committed to improving the lives of the communities in which they live and operate in.
Showing Heart
One partnership that is near and dear to Wells is Cemex’s support of The HEART Center. On Oct. 30, the Cemex Arizona ready-mix team donated three loads of concrete to create a wheelchair accessible pathway for a specialized high school catering to students with autism, Down syndrome and other mental/physical needs. The HEART Center creates a unique educational experience by incorporating horse therapy to empower these students to build the confidence needed for independence.

Easter baskets for the children at Phoenix Rescue
Mission.
Building for the Future
Another long-term partnership that grew out of the company’s relationship with the Arizona Rock Products Association is its support of the Phoenix Rescue Mission (PRM). In its fifth year, the partnership began with financial support during COVID. “Year over year, we continued to build the relationship,” Wells says.
Its focus is now on the Women and Children’s Center. “It’s just a fabulous organization,” she said. “It’s for women and children who are living on the street or otherwise displaced from a home situation.”
The PRM downtown campus provides life-transforming solution to women and their children facing hunger, homelessness, addiction and trauma. The complex offers day care, preschool, and bus transportation to the elementary school as well as volunteer doctors and dentists who serve its residents.
The faith-based program requires residents to help maintain the facilities, whether working in the on-site garden, in the kitchen, or performing housekeeping responsibilities, among other options. It also hosts a career center with computers and assistance in building resumes and refreshing interview skills. This has led to a high success rate in women making the transition back to independent living.
Over the last year, the CEMEX Arizona team assembled 50 Easter baskets for the children at PRM, 50 hygiene kits called “Hope Totes” for people facing homelessness in downtown Phoenix and donated turkeys and non-perishable foods to supply Thanksgiving meals to families at the Mission.

Easing Transitions
Cemex also uplifts foster children and teens aging out of the system through OCJ Kids, a program that provides resources to ease the transition as they navigate into adult life. On March 9, the Cemex Arizona team hosted an event for Women in Construction Week and connected with multiple female group homes for an afternoon full of educational and empowering activities.
A team of Cemex women carefully planned out three stations that would inspire these foster teenage girls to be strong, bold, and creative. This included painting empowering words on river rocks, designing their own body scrubs and listening to a dynamic panel of Cemex women who shared the different employment opportunities in the industry.
Cemex employees discussed their life experiences and the path that led them to their current position with the company representing an assortment of fields, showcasing both degreed and non-degreed opportunities. One driver shared her story of growing up without the security of a home and how her job has transformed her life.
“While some women may come to us without any skills, if they have the will and the tenacity, we’re going to teach them and give them those skills,” Wells said.

Supporting Children of the Military
“I’m really proud of our partnership with Operation Homefront,” she said, noting that the company employs numerous veterans while many employees, including herself, have family members who have served or are currently serving in the U.S. military.
For the last three years, Cemex has supported this vital organization that provides resources and support to military families living in the areas they operate in. The Back-to-School Brigade program spans to both the Southwest and West regions, including operations in Arizona and California.
Employees from a dozen different plants around the Southwest and West region gather to fill a total of 350 backpacks with all the necessary school supplies and donate them to Operation Homefront. Military children are invited to pick out their backpack and kick off the school year well stocked. Cemex is committed to serving veterans and the communities they have worked so hard to protect.
Therese Dunphy has covered the aggregates industry for nearly 30 years, while also serving multiple roles as a public official. As the owner of Stone Age Communications, she provides communications consulting services to help aggregate producers build stronger relationships within the communities they serve. She can be reached at [email protected].