Westlake Ace, Salvation Army collect fan donations for Lawrence families

Westlake Ace Hardware shoppers in Lawrence were helping turn spare change into box fans for families who may face the first serious heat wave without reliable cooling. The annual Fan Drive, run with The Salvation Army, was collecting donations at the Kasold Drive and 23rd Street stores through June 6.

The campaign targeted a real public-health risk, not just a seasonal appeal. Extreme heat is a leading cause of weather-related deaths in the United States, and older adults, pregnant women, babies and young children are among the people most likely to suffer heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Kansas health officials also warn that urban heat islands can make city neighborhoods significantly hotter than surrounding areas, adding to the danger during heat events.

That is why the Lawrence drive focused on box fans, a low-cost item that can make a measurable difference in a home without central air or reliable cooling. Westlake Ace said shoppers could round up at checkout or add a small dollar amount, and the money was used to buy new fans that were distributed locally by The Salvation Army. The Salvation Army Lawrence Corps said it serves area residents with basic-needs programs, and the fan effort fit squarely into that wider safety net.

The local effort had already shown what small donations could do. Last year’s Lawrence drive raised enough money to distribute 73 box fans across the community. Across the company, Westlake Ace Hardware and The Salvation Army said the campaign had raised more than $1 million and provided more than 70,000 box fans since it began in 2012 at a single store in Hutchinson, Kansas.

For 2026, Ace Retail Group said donations were being accepted at 209 owned Westlake Ace stores nationwide, but the Lawrence stores were the ones collecting money for local families. The drive gave Douglas County residents a concrete way to help before summer temperatures climbed further, and it underscored how a few dollars at a checkout line could translate into cooler rooms, safer nights and fewer dangerous hours for neighbors already at risk.