A Once in a Lifetime Trip for Kinship Families

It's not easy being a kinship caregiver, yet in Arizona there are more than 198,000 children living in households headed by grandparents or other relatives (US 2010 Census). Instead of resting or retiring, these grandparents and relative caregivers took on the responsibility of caring for some of Arizona’s most vulnerable children. Many of these families find that relearning how to parent and adjusting to a new lifestyle can be emotionally, physically, and financially challenging. Kinship, Adoption, Resource and Education (KARE) Centers provide support to kinship caregivers all over the state. That support has taken on many different forms in different areas of the state, but the KARE group in Phoenix has had one goal above all others: a grown up dream for their children…to go to Disneyland! This past Thanksgiving, that trip became a reality. The group of 17 families, made up of 72 children and adults, had been planning and fundraising for four years to raise the money to take the once in a lifetime trip. Initially, they had thought this vision was beyond their grasp as many of these families have never been to Disneyland or never have had the opportunity to even visit California. However, they worked as team, created a fund and found creative ways to add to that fund. They've sold tamales and fry bread, washed cars, baked cakes and cooked lunches. A few weeks ago, after four years of hard work, they finally reached the $20,000 they needed to cover the cost of the bus trip, two nights in a hotel and their Disneyland admission. “It was amazing to see how excited not just the kids were to visit Disneyland, but the grandparents too,” said Kinship Coordinator Joanna Marroquin who escorted the large group on the trip. “This whole trip has such a special meaning to them because it has been four years in the making. I am so amazed by their commitment and they should be truly proud of themselves.” To learn more about KARE programs statewide, visit www.arizonaschildren.org and click on “Permanency Programs.”

AzCA announces the formation of The Fred Chaffee Center for Excellence in Prevention Services

After 20 years of service to the children and families of Arizona, Fred J. Chaffee will step down from his position as President and CEO of Arizona’s Children Association in January of 2012. Members of the Board of Directors of Arizona's Children Association (AzCA) announced this week that they are establishing permanent recognition of Chaffee’s dedication and leadership to the agency by incorporating his name into some of the many programs that he helped build and sustain.

The Fred J. Chaffee Center for Excellence in Prevention Services promotes the development of healthy children, strong families, and safe communities. A component of the Arizona’s Children Association, the Center unites programs and initiatives within AzCA and its family of agencies that enhance the well being of Arizona’s diverse population. The Center builds on the legacy of former Executive Director Fred Chaffee and honors his leadership in transforming AzCA to an agency that works to prevent problems as well as to treat them.

“I am proud of the significant increase in prevention services provided by this agency during my time here,” said Fred Chaffee. “Prevention services enable our staff to work with families to address problems at their base, before they become long-term and more expensive to address. We realized early on that we needed to go upstream to prevent problems, rather than waiting downstream for the problems to come to us and our families.”

In 1992, Fred Chaffee joined Arizona’s Children Association (named Arizona Children’s Home Association at the time) as Executive Director, bringing with him many years of experience in the field of child welfare and behavioral health management. The last 20 years have brought much growth and prosperity to this agency. It was during his tenure that Arizona’s Children Association (AzCA) grew from a $5 million agency serving 5,000 children and families annually into a $40 million agency serving 46,000 children and families each year. Chaffee’s role was critical in expanding services statewide and in the mergers of AzCA with each one of its now seven members of its family of agencies.

The prevention services programs of Arizona’s Children Association are diverse and span statewide. Particular AzCA facilities including The Parent Connection, Golden Gate Community Center and New Directions Institute for Infant Brain Development and limited additional AzCA locations will receive signage designating their role as providers of prevention services.

“The success of this organization and the fact that we have reached our centennial this year is due in large part to Fred Chaffee’s leadership and innovation through both good times and bad,” said Tom Knox, past chair of the board of directors. “We have truly been blessed by having such a committed and consistent leader throughout these last two decades.”

Shirts with a Message

One of the highlights of summer at Golden Gate Community Center, is the annual t-shirt design competition. For four years now, the challenge is on as kids of all ages put in their best effort to create a design to be chosen to represent the Center. The kids draw out their ideas on a t-shirt template and staff serves as competition judges. The various designs each year show just how connected these youth are to the Center.

The kids will tell you that the shirts they wear are a point of pride for them because it identifies them with the Center and they are proud to claim that the artist is their friend.

This year’s winner is 8th grader Angelica Herrera, shown here with her winning design which reads "Golden Gate Community Center, Another Word 4 Family." She has been coming to the Center for two years now with her sister and she participated in the summer activities daily.

The best part is that the staff is able to cover the shirt costs even with their limited summer budget. Grants for their summer budget have continued to decrease each year, but staff ensure that a portion is reserved for the production of the shirts so that everyone is included in the feeling of unity that these shirts provide.

To learn more about the programs and services offered by Golden Gate Community Center, visit www.goldengatecenter.org or call 620.233.0017.

A History of Thanksgiving

In November 1921, the founding members of Arizona's Children Association, then called Arizona Children’s Home Association, realized their dream of building a receiving Home for the children of Arizona. One week before Thanksgiving, the agency moved from a modest 14-room rental house into a permanent two-story Home located on the south side of Tucson. This original building remains central to our agency operations and is now called “Angel House”.
The story that follows is an excerpt from the memoir of our most recognizable founding member, Mrs. Minnie Davenport. As she recounts the events of “Moving Day” and “Our First Thanksgiving” it is an opportunity to reflect, in thanksgiving, for all those who have made this agency possible.

"The [new] receiving Home faced east on south 8th avenue. The main floor consisted of a large living room, a hall-way leading to a large nursery room, two north rooms for children and a separate room for the nurse and matron. On the south end of the build was the dining room, kitchen, and pantry. In the basement was a laundry, playroom and furnace room. The second floor consisted of a girls dormitory, boys dormitory – room for ten single beds [each] – a room for the cook and housekeeper, two bath and toilet rooms, a clothes room with shelves and a small closet for linen and clothing. There were plenty of windows and radiators, so the place was properly ventilated and heated. The walls were tinted in light tan with white ceilings. The wood work was silver grey through-out the building. Two large homemade tables for the dining room were also painted the color of the wood work. The baths were in all white porcelain – tubs and showers.

All was in readiness for the move, as the city water had been piped on the premises. We paid to put in separate electric light and telephone extension, so besides the cost of a [thirty-five] thousand dollar building, funds were raised for all other necessities through friends. A new range was placed in the kitchen and through some grocery store closing out, we had an opportunity to secure a large ice box and Arizona Ice Company said they would supply us, gratis, all the ice we need. On November 14 [1921] we planned to move.

The ladies were placed on committees of three, to assist at ten o’clock. Mrs. N.C. Plumer, Mrs. S.M. Franklyn, Mrs. H.E. Heighton, Mrs. E.G. Spoerleder and Mrs. Geo. Reid, arrived [at the rental home] at 430 West 5th Street, filled their cars with bedding, groceries and linens. Then they placed the babies and children, too young to attend school, in the cars with the nurse and cook and went to the new Home. Mrs. Franklyn, Mrs. Plumer and Mrs. Heighton, were to oversee the placing and arranging of the furniture and all beds were to be put up in the nursery and two dormitories.

Mrs. Albert Steinfeld sent two 9 by 12 rugs, a couch, two rockers, and a wicker living room set, which made the place look homey....Each furniture store sent complete beds and cribs, small chairs, and dining room chairs. This, with the furniture we had from the old receiving home, made it possible to care for 50 children, but there were only three women on the staff: a nurse, housekeeper and cook. We had advertised for a trained matron whom we hoped to have there to take over, but illness in her family delayed her taking the position for ten days. Mrs. Geo. Reid and Mrs. Spoerleder made many trips to and from the two Homes. The Citizen and Tucson Transfer Companies gave us free service.

That day at noon, the children came from school and a picnic lunch consisting of sandwiches, cookies, milk and fruit was given them [at the rental home on 5th Street]. The lunch was furnished by Mrs. Blair, Mrs. Buchanan, Mrs. Spoerleder and Mrs. Davenport. After lunch the children returned to school and the women had about cleared the house of all boxes and furniture, leaving the laundry equipment, wood, coal and playground equipment, to be taken for the last load. After school, Mrs. Reid took the children to the [new] Home….Things at the Home began to hum, as the first Thanksgiving in the new Home was only a week off… We were in correspondence with Mrs. Williams of El Paso. She had retired as a field matron for the government Indian Service. She wired she would arrive on an early train Thanksgiving morning. She was to come direct to my home. Later she and I went to the Home and found a committee of women busily assisting in the preparation of the dinner, arranging the tables, and dressing the children who were all so good and bubbling over with excitement.

Two big turkeys and all the “trimmings” were brought out for the dinner, supplied by the Ladies of the Tucson Temperance Union. The children said “Yummm, yummm, yummm, it smells good, Mrs. Davenport, and won’t we eat!”…What a feast those children enjoyed. The cook baked a number of pies from the pumpkins the ladies furnished. Many lovely gifts came into the Home during the following weeks, but in spite of all, there were many articles needed."

To learn more about our agency's 100 year history, visit www.arizonaschildren.org and click on "AzCA Centennial."

On November 4, Breakfast is the Most Important Meal of the …Night!

Hickman’s Family Farms to Host Best Pajama Party of the Year with 15 Breakfast Restaurants in the State to Benefit Arizona’s Children Association

Hickman’s Family Farms has partnered with 15 of the most favorite breakfast restaurants in the Valley and around the state to celebrate the third annual “PJs & Eggs – a Breakfast for Dinner Event” on Friday, November 4, 2011, beginning at 5 p.m. to benefit Arizona’s Children Association (AzCA) foster care programs statewide. For a list of participating restaurants and more information on the event partners, visit www.pjsandeggs.net.

Customers who have “breakfast for dinner” at each participating restaurant on November 4, are asked to wear their pajamas and bring a new pair (any size for kids ages 0 - 18), which will be donated to children in the AzCA’s foster care programs. In return, customers will receive a certificate for a free dozen of Hickman’s Eggs. Participating restaurants will donate a portion of the proceeds from the evening to AzCA as well.

On the list of participating restaurants is: Over Easy (Scottsdale and Arcadia), First Watch (Scottsdale location) U.S. Egg (Chandler location), Matt’s Big Breakfast (Phoenix), Scramble (Phoenix), Kiss the Cook (Glendale), AZ Bread Co. (Tempe), Red Allen’s at the Wigwam (Litchfield Park), Chicken Noodle Café (Wickenburg), SueAnn’s Apple Pan (Prescott), Good Egg (Tucson on Oracle), Robert’s Restaurant (Tucson), Gus Balon’s (Tucson) and The Hungry Fox (Tucson).

Pajama collection will begin in October at participating restaurants and will continue through the night of the event. Again, Carter’s kids clothing has partnered with “PJs & Eggs” to collect pajamas at seven different locations as well as give great discounts on purchasing pajamas. A complete list of participating Carter’s locations is also available on www.pjsandeggs.net.

“The event is in its third year with continued support from many of our restaurants that participated in our first year,” said Clint Hickman, vice president of sales for Hickman’s Family Farms. “It’s great to watch the event grow to other parts of the state and continue to support Arizona’s children in foster care around Arizona.” Hickman added, “Not only is ‘breakfast for dinner’ a fun way to spend time with the family; the meal is quick, nutritious, economical and a great tradition to start in any home.”

AzCA’s adoption and foster care programs, offered in most areas of the state, are vital resources for matching children in need with safe and loving families. There are more than 10,000 children in Arizona’s foster care system ranging from newborn to 18 years old. “Most children come into foster care because of neglect and abuse with little more than the clothes on their back,” said Marc Kellenberger, senior vice president and chief development officer of AzCA. “With budget cuts affecting fulfilling the needs of these children and families, we are thrilled with the assistance by Hickman’s Family Farms and the participating restaurants in the third annual ‘PJs & Eggs’ event.”

Learning Responsibility through Gardening

The S.T.A.R. Program in Flagstaff doesn’t shy away from unique and creative ways to teach life skills to the youth in their program. The S.T.A.R. Program, which is an acronym for Skills, Training and Respite, is designed to help youth who have behavioral health issues. The program offers a variety of services to reduce caregiver stress and increase the skill base of youth enrolled in the program.

Russ Chesson, the program supervisor, learned gardening skills in his youth and saw potential in using a gardening program to teach life skills to the youth. Russ felt that a gardening curriculum would be an excellent platform to teach the importance of a healthy diet, teach responsibility through daily care and watering, and teach environmental responsibility through recycling and composting.

Russ presented the idea to his team and the staff jumped on board. The staff made sure all the kids had a role to play in the project. The older kids in the program were responsible for the building of the gardening boxes and younger kids were tasked with the watering and maintenance of the plants. Outside groups, including the Sustainability Cooperative, have come in to teach various topics, such as composting. The youth built a compost bin and have been able to watch the transition of the compost materials.

“Many of the youth don’t really get outside their neighborhood or ever learn where food comes from or how it is produced,” said Russ. “We wanted to give them something that they wanted to take care of and they have definitely done so.”

The best part for the youth is seeing the results of their hard work. The youth made a homemade pizza recently and were able to use pizza ingredients from their very own garden! They also plan to make their own salsa as a gift for one of their sponsors, Vora Financial, who helped provide funding for them to purchase supplies.

S.T.A.R. Programs exist throughout the Northern and Western Regions of Arizona including: Mohave, Yavapai, Coconino, Navajo & Apache Counties. To learn more about the S.T.A.R. Program, please visit www.arizonaschildren.org and click on “Intervention Programs.” If you’d like to help support the needs of the youth program, please contact Russ at 928.527.1000 ext.106.

Tucson Medical Center and the Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault join forces to provide crisis support

Tucson Medical Center and the Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault (SACASA) have teamed up in a unique collaboration to create the ideal resource and support center for recent survivors of sexual assault. Both agencies understand how important it is to respond immediately and professionally to the needs of a survivor or sexual assault, while also providing as much comfort as possible in such situations.

On September 22nd, community leaders and staff will gather for the grand opening celebration of this new state-of-the-art trauma forensic and support center. The grand opening begins at 9am and will begin with a ribbon-cutting celebration followed up by tours of the facility.

The Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault (SACASA), a member of Arizona’s Children Association family of agencies, has as its mission to reduce the trauma and incidence of sexual assault by providing treatment and promoting prevention of sexual abuse, incest, molestation and rape. The facility at Tucson Medical Center will provide the first step of medical support for recent survivors and SACASA staff will be on hand to provide emotional support services and conduct medical forensic exams.

“This center is a huge step forward in our community’s ability to provide the full spectrum of care that is so urgently needed in a crisis situation following an assault," stated Montserrat Caballero, program director of SACASA. “Sexual assault is a reality in Southern Arizona and it is our responsibility as a community to provide support. This facility will help meet the needs of survivors. This partnership is incredibly unique and highlights the level of compassion and care that Tucson Medical Center has for all survivors.”

The support facility, located in the Tucson Medical Center Emergency Department, includes a dedicated medical forensic examination room, a quiet space for family and friends, and a separate EMS entrance for additional privacy. All spaces and equipment have been generously donated to SACASA by TMC.

For more information or to RSVP for the grand opening celebration, contact Becky Holton at 520.327.1171 ext.2302.