The Freedom From Religion Foundation – Valley of the Sun Chapter was originally formed in 2011 by a Phoenix group led by Anne Mardick. Anne championed an active group but at the time did not formalize the group’s status as being an official FFRF Chapter. When Anne passed away in February of 2018, a group of members decided to breathe new life into the organization. They were led by Zenaido Quintana and Richard Dewey, both longtime members of FFRF. They began regular meetings in June of 2018. After months of planning, a kickoff event was scheduled for December 7, 2018 at the Humanist Society of Greater Phoenix (HSGP) meeting center in Mesa, Arizona. Over 60 people showed up and many volunteered to make a commitment to keeping the group going. On February 2, 2019, The group met again and elected a new Board. Committees started work on setting up the formal organizational structure, getting the organization registered as an Arizona Corporation, getting an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS, getting C501(c)(3) non-profit status from the IRS and finally completing the paperwork to become an official Chapter of FFRF. On June 14, 2019, with significant help from the late Michael Steiner, all needed actions were complete and FFRF-VS was granted official Chapter status.
