Letter to Council

City of El Mirage — Regular Meeting (2024-06-18)

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May 17, 2024 
Mr. Robert Nilles 
Deputy City Manager 
10000 N. El Mirage Road 
El Mirage, AZ  85335 
Dear Mr. Nilles: 
Thank you for taking the time to meet with Shannon Armstrong of Northwest Valley Connect 
(NVC) to hear about our exciting new partnership. After ten years serving seniors, veterans and 
individuals with disabilities in the northwest valley, we are delighted to share that the Foundation 
for Senior Living, FSL, will be acquiring NVC to strengthen and expand transportation services in 
our community. 
FSL is a 50-year-old nonprofit that provides housing and social services to elders and individuals 
with disabilities without regard to race, religion or social status. Over the years, FSL has grown and 
created an integrated system of care that allows adults to age in place through a continuum of home 
and community-based services. 
The acquisition of NVC by FSL will ensure northwest valley residents continue to receive vital 
transportation services. Our collective goals are to increase ridership, expand our service area, and 
strengthen operations to reduce scheduling times, as well as increase volunteerism, and decrease 
administrative overhead. 
We can assure you that FSL honors the commitment between the City of El Mirage and NVC and 
that we will continue to provide El Mirage residents timely and reliable transportation services as 
agreed upon. Running NVC as a program of a much larger, more efficient organization will 
significantly reduce administrative overhead without compromising service. NVC will no longer 
have to manage finances, raise funds, run payroll and manage HR, allowing the team to focus on 
what we do best—assuring seniors, veterans, and individuals with disabilities can get where they 
need to go. 
A thoughtful, achievable transition plan is in process for a June 30th transfer of assets. We plan for 
NVC to keep its name and mission intact. Our committed and caring staff—drivers, scheduler, call 
center employees will continue to provide the exemplary service you have come to know and 
deserve. Our current associate director, Shannon Armstrong will concentrate on a seamless 
transition while improving services, increasing ridership and expanding service area. 
As part of this process, we need the City of El Mirage to sign a letter of consent to the assignment 
of the current contract to FSL. We are here to answer any questions or concerns you may have. 
Please reach out to me: ED@NorthwestValleyConnect.org, or Shannon: 
Shannon@NorthwestValleyConnect.org, or give us a call at 623.282.9304.

We hope you are as excited as we are with this wonderful news. 
Sincerely, 
Alisa Chatinsky  
Shannon Armstrong 
Interim Executive 
Director Associate Director