It was an emotional event for town officials and community leaders Jan. 13 as they broke ground for Gilbert’s Crime Victims Advocacy Center and announced a foundation to support it.

The ceremony was kicked off by Assistant Town Manager Leah Rhineheimer, who invited members of the audience to share a specific word that comes to their minds when they think of the center.

Police, town and non-profit members shared words like “survivor,” “hope,” “dignity,”

“compassion,” “champion” and “gratitude” as they put blue rocks in a bowl that will be placed in the completed center.

To Mayor Scott Anderson, the center represented a plan for Gilbert’s future where all its residents enjoyed the same quality of life that the community enjoys today.

“You know the pillars of the ‘City of the Future’? One of those pillars is prosperity, and a prosperous community takes care of their own, and that's what we will be doing with this advocacy center – where we've taken care of our own,” he said.

“I appreciate all those who have worked so hard to see this come to pass.”

Gilbert Police Chief Michael Soelberg, who lobbied for several years for the center, noted that some citizens questioned why the town needs one if it’s considered a safe place to live.

“Domestic violence, sex crimes, elder abuse, child abuse – there are no borders,” he said. “It affects everybody, regardless of your race, religion, your ethnicity, your gender. It has an impact.”

Soelberg said oftentimes such crimes turn into homicides.

In the last year alone, Gilbert PD responded to 1,890 calls for service regarding domestic violence, with 1,500 involving adults and just under 200 involving children, he said.

“The need is real,” Soelberg said.

“The need is next door. Hopefully it is not within your household, but it is all around you… As our community continues to grow, the need will continue to grow as well.”

Soelberg also thanked Jessica Nicely, the founder of Winged Hope, a nonprofit supporting victims of family violence, for working with the town to make the center a reality and raising awareness in the Valley about the cause.

The center’s construction will cost approximately $43 million, with the town contributing $20 million from the General Fund and the rest coming from Federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars.

The construction of the center at Civic Center Drive and American Heroes Way is expected to be completed late next year, which is when the center will begin its services for victims.

The town will then plan future phases for the center to add to more services.

Currently, Gilbert Police relies on its partners at Mesa and Chandler cities to support the needs of the victims and the dedicated center will bring services like forensic exams, evidence collection, interviews and victim advocacy services together under one roof.

For former Mayor Brigette Peterson, the topic of domestic violence was a personal one, having grown up in a home with domestic violence and alcoholism.

“In those days, people didn't deal with these topics the same way that we do today,” she said. “We've grown as a society, but we've also seen an increase in child abuse, domestic violence and sexual assaults.” 

Peterson recalled that during a 2024 town event to raise domestic violence awareness, 1,400 flags, for each domestic violence case in Gilbert from August 2023 to August 2024 were placed on the Town Hall lawn.

“My greatest wish would be that there wouldn't be any flags or any need for this Advocacy Center, but reality tells us otherwise,” she said.

Calling the center a “flagship project” for the town, Peterson said that she was extremely proud to be part of the planning for the building and now, the groundbreaking.

Former council member Kathy Tilque, who took over as the town’s domestic violence liaison from Peterson when on the council, said she could personally attest to the sense of hopelessness a victim feels when they find the courage to ask for help and no one is there to answer the call or worse, sends them away.

“This specific project is exceptionally near and dear to my heart, because I know without any doubt that this Advocacy Center will profoundly and positively impact countless lives and provide extremely important resources to future victims,” she said.

“But the Advocacy Center can't tackle this issue alone.”

Tilque announced at the ceremony that she will be the founding president of the Gilbert Advocacy Center Foundation, a nonprofit that will support the center by bringing community resources and partnerships alongside fundraising.

Tilque encouraged town citizens to know more about the foundation.

The foundation website lists Kathleen Dowler, director for community integration for Dignity Health, as the foundation’s vice president; Sarah Watts, Gilbert Chamber CEO/president as its secretary/treasurer and Trinity Donovan, CEO of the Chandler-based non-profit AzCend, as its director.

The foundation’s first donors and founding partners included Tilque and her husband, Greg Tilque, Salt River Project, graphic design studio DB Creative Design LLC and real estate law firm Whithey Morris Baugh PLC.

Town Manager Patrick Banger expressed his gratitude to all the elected officials present, including the current council and former council members Scott September and Eddie Cook, now Maricopa County Assessor.

“I also want to specifically recognize our partners in DFDG, Hill International, Bo Arch and Gilbane, who will be seeing this project through once we break ground to completion,” he said, thanking the architecture and construction associates.

The ceremony ended with Rhineheimer and Tilque lighting a “Pillar of Hope” with their candles as the audience raised their electric candles.

The town had also encouraged the community members to drop off stuffed animals that will be donated to the completed center for the victims and which were on display at the groundbreaking site.