Tom Leyda and the Sally Award for outstanding volunteer support
Melany Stroupe
Tom Leyda, a longtime volunteer, PebbleCreek resident and Salvation Army board member, has been presented the 2014 Sally Award by The Salvation Army. The Sally Award honors an advisory board member for outstanding voluntary service to the Army. The award has been bestowed locally since 1963 and is the highest honor given locally by The Salvation Army’s Phoenix Advisory Board to one of its members. Past Sally Award winners include prominent community leaders such as the late Kax Herberger.
Leyda has been an active member of the Phoenix Advisory Board since 2010 and has made a major impact on the Army’s Red Kettle program held during the most important annual fundraising period for The Salvation Army. Leyda is a key player in handling logistics for the scheduling of more than 1,200 volunteers for Real Estate Wednesdays. Every Wednesday in December, members of the real estate industry including realtors, title companies, brokers, lenders and affiliates, volunteer to ring bells at more than 180 locations. Leyda spends countless volunteer hours assigning locations and is the primary liaison between these real estate professionals and The Salvation Army.
The presentation was made at the annual volunteer appreciation event by the Salvation Army’s Southwest Divisional Commander Lieutenant Colonel Joe Posillico and Advisory Board member Mike Karlson, 2013 recipient of The Sally Award.
“Tom’s contributions have advanced the mission and ministry of The Salvation Army in immeasurable ways. Real Estate Wednesdays alone account for more than $200,000 in donations that support our programs all year long. We are blessed to have Tom as a remarkable supporter of the Army,” Posillico said.
“Receiving The Sally Award was unexpected and really took me by surprise,” said Leyda. “It is an honor for me to work on behalf of The Salvation Army.”
About The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is an evangelical part of the universal Christian church established in London in 1865. Nearly 30 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through the broadest array of social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged children. For more information about local programs, volunteering or donating, go to: www.salvationarmyphoenix.org.