Ruth Collins
Members of the Mesa Citizen of the Year Association have chosen Mesa’s 2018 Citizens of the Year, with Ruth Collins selected as Woman of the Year, and Steve West as Man of the Year.
Ruth is a lifelong resident of Mesa who has been active in community volunteer activities for many years. She is the daughter of Ross and Anita Farnsworth, who served the Mesa community in significant ways and instilled in their large family a great desire to volunteer and help those in need.
For many years, Ruth was an active participant in her family’s community activities, as well as school and church volunteer duties. Ruth was impacted deeply when she learned that many school children did not have access to food on the weekends. She decided to try to remedy this serious problem, in 2008, by starting a nonprofit organization called Arizona Brainfood. This program provides weekend food packets for school children in need.
As one of the individuals who recommended Ruth for this award stated, “The spirit of service displayed by Ruth Collins is the spirit of Mesa—taking care of those in need.”
Steve West is a well-known civic leader, community volunteer and attorney. He has served on a wide array of community nonprofit boards. The following is a partial listing of some of those boards: Mesa United Way Grand Canyon Council, Boy Scouts of America, The East Valley Partnership, Mesa Boys and Girls Club and Visit Mesa.
Steve West
One notable example of his volunteer service was his work as the co-chair for the 2010-11 Mesa United Way annual campaign. Although Mesa was still feeling the serious effects of the Great Recession, the campaign met its goal.
As his nominator stated, “I have been significantly impressed with Steve’s service and commitment to Mesa. He has an inspiring history of service to the community.”
The Mesa Citizen of the Year Association is one of the oldest groups of its kind in the State of Arizona. Founded in 1935, the organization annually selects two individuals in the community who have dedicated a significant amount of time to volunteer activities.
This year’s award recipients will be honored at the Association’s annual banquet on Tuesday, Feb. 19, at the Hilton Phoenix/Mesa. This community celebration of volunteerism will begin with a reception at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner. To purchase banquet tickets, please visit mesacitizenoftheyear.com, or contact Deborah Elliot at debnesell@cox.net, or (480) 969-2731.