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.

Golden Gate youth ready for new school year thanks to Cox Communications

Excited kids lined up this past Saturday as Cox Communications provided necessary school supplies for the youth at Golden Gate Community Center, a member of Arizona’s Children Association family of agencies. Students served within the Golden Gate Community live primarily below the poverty level, often doing without basic school supplies and uniforms needed, but Cox Communications has generously stepped in to provide needed items to start their school year off right.

In previous years, donations of school supplies for these children has been provided by another donor, but when they were not able to follow through this year, Cox stepped in at the last minute to ensure that none of these children headed to school empty-handed. Cox Communications’ support will allow nearly 100 children to start school with the basics and help relieve some of the financial stress that can burden families at the beginning of the school year.


“We are so thankful to Cox for making the back-to-school event a wonderful occasion,” said Joanna Marroquin, kinship coordinator for Golden Gate Community Center. “The families were so happy to have had this help.”

With a mission ‘to provide programs and services that improve the quality of life for children and families in west central Phoenix neighborhoods’, Golden Gate has always been a beacon of hope to those in the surrounding community. Golden Gate Community Center offers an array of fitness, recreation, health and education programs and classes for children, youth, adults and seniors.

For more information about the programs and services at Golden Gate Community Center, visit www.goldengatecenter.org or call 602.233.0017.

Golden Gate Community Center celebrates 75 years of providing services to children and families

Golden Gate Community Center is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its founding in 1936. Local community members joined Golden Gate staff and supporters on Saturday, August 6 at the agency’s semi-annual health fair to honor those who have contributed to our success over the past 75 years and a commemorative plaque was presented to mark the occasion.

With a mission ‘to provide programs and services that improve the quality of life for children and families in west central Phoenix neighborhoods’, Golden Gate has always been a beacon of hope to those surrounded by poverty, gangs and much crime. Golden Gate has a tradition of working with the community and provides an excellent example of how to build and sustain community.

Golden Gate Community Center was founded in 1936 by the Episcopal Church as the East Madison Street Settlement. Incorporated in 1952 as a settlement house, Golden Gate was a true community center offering a well-baby clinic, sports activities, a home training course, and a kindergarten.

Displaced by the construction of Sky Harbor Airport in 1986, many residents of the old neighborhood were dispersed, but a significant number came with Golden Gate to rebuild their community near its new and current location at McDowell Road and 39th Ave. Sadly, most tight-knit communities, once disrupted, fail to hold together. The fact that Golden Gate has been able to do that and continues to prosper so many years later is a testament to its importance to the community.

In 2004, a merger with Arizona’s Children Association allowed Golden Gate to develop significant partnerships with organizations across the city and county, to bring unique and innovative programs to the center. In 2005, Congressman Ed Pastor, Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox, Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon and Councilman Tom Simplot hosted a Tardeada celebration of Golden Gate’s service to the community and Governor Janet Napolitano proclaimed October 23, 2005: “Golden Gate Community Center Day.”

Golden Gate currently serves over 10,000 children, youth, adults, and seniors annually through a wide variety of minimal or no-fee programs and services for tots to seniors for the surrounding largely Hispanic neighborhoods. "We work with our community residents, of all ages, to determine the kinds of programs that are needed for our neighbors and then we go to work to make them happen," said Phyllis Habib, director of Golden Gate Community Center, “Golden Gate is a part of Phoenix’s legacy and a significant part of the state’s history.”

A brief outline of Golden Gate’s history including photos throughout the agency’s history can be found at www.goldengatecenter.org/aboutus.htm.

For more information about the programs and services at Golden Gate Community Center, visit www.goldengatecenter.org or call 602.233.0017.

Arizona’s Children Association donates historical archive

Arizona’s Children Association recently donated a significant collection of historical materials to the Arizona Historical Society to increase accessibility of the information while ensuring ongoing preservation of the materials.

Arizona’s Children Association was founded in Tucson, in 1912, as a receiving Home for the dependent and neglected children of Arizona. The agency has grown tremendously over the years to provide a diversity of services now available within each county of Arizona. Their story is a testament to the people of Arizona who have remained committed to providing hope for children and families.

The bulk of the collection contains materials from 1915 – 1960 and includes early newsletters, Board minutes, business correspondence, accounting journals, a treasure trove of photographs and scrapbooks as well as the memoir of one of the original founders, Minnie Tevis Davenport. The oldest document in this collection is a scrapbook, from 1915, containing newspaper clippings from “opening day.” The donation does not contain case records or adoption information.

“We are very fortunate that our agency’s founders and early leadership had the foresight to preserve so many original materials,” said Arizona’s Children Association’s President and CEO Fred Chaffee. “As we celebrate our ‘First Century of Hope,’ we are also looking forward to the future and we recognize that it is our responsibility to ensure that these materials are protected and remain accessible for generations to come.”

The Arizona Historical Society Library and Archives’ actively collects and preserves materials that chronicle the history of Arizona. The story of Arizona’s Children provides a rare insight into the development of child welfare across Arizona.

“We are thankful to the Arizona Historical Society for their support of Arizona’s Children Association,” added Fred Chaffee. “Our agency has a proud and interesting history that will now be preserved as a significant part of the state’s history.”

To learn more about the history of Arizona's Children, visit www.arizonaschildren.org and click on AzCA Centennial.

Discover How Infants and Toddlers Learn

Why are the years from birth to 5 years old so important?

How does a child learn?

Parents and caregivers often struggle to understand the best choices for their child when there are so many products for sale that promise drastic changes in your child’s development.

These are the kinds of questions that New Directions Institute for Infant Brain Development (NDI) answers so that parents and caregivers can help children develop healthy brains. This information is provided in Wired for Success® Workshops that are provided free of charge at locations all over the state.

Wired for Success® explores brain development with a special focus on Security, Touch, Eyes (vision), Play, and Sound, the five key components of NDI's S.T.E.P.S. to Early Brain Development® curriculum. This workshop addresses new and cutting-edge developments in neuroscience and presents practical methods for stimulating healthy early brain development in children. It provides parents and caregivers with training and tools to help every infant, toddler and preschooler in Arizona develop a healthy brain and enter school ready to learn.

Upcoming dates and locations listed below. We invite you to please join NDI for one of these free workshops:

Tempe:
Saturday, July 16, 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM,
Tempe St. Luke's Hospital, Tempe
(en español)
Sponsored by First Things First

Tucson:
Saturday, July 16, 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM
University of Arizona Medical Center
Sponsored by Freeport-McMoRan

For more information call 602-371-1366 or visit our website www.newdirectionsinstitute.org.

New schedule information updated regularly online.

Foster Parents of the Year Award

May was National Foster Care Awareness Month and our foster care programs celebrated their families with events across the state. Among the celebrations, we are very pleased to announce that Lin LeClair-Turner and Dan Turner and Phillip and Theresa Michelle McNeal, two of our very own Arizona’s Children Association foster families, tied for the “Keith Smith Foster Parent of the Year Award” in Pima County. This award is given by the Child Abuse Prevention Awards (CAP) to honor those who have made a difference in the continued fight against child abuse.

Lin, Dan, Michelle and Phillip were honored at the Tucson Juvenile Court as a part of the 2011 March for Children activities. This distinctive award is given “to an outstanding foster parent(s) who has made an impact in the lives of children and youth in foster care.”


Lin and Dan have been foster parents since 2005 and have made incredible contributions to children over the past six years. They have taken in 26 children, most of whom have significant developmental delays and/or medical needs. Lin and Dan note that their goal has always been that no foster children will leave their home until placed in a permanent home. Lin and Dan have achieved this goal time and time again. Their AzCA licensing worker described them as “persistent and loving advocates for children between the ages of zero and five. They have a true understanding of the importance of healthy bonding and attachment for children within this age range.”

Although it is hard to believe that they would have time, the Turners are also long term, active members of the Foster Care Review Board and the Arizona Association for Foster and Adoptive Parents where Dan also serves as Board Member.


Phillip and Michelle McNeal have been foster parents since 2006. Their AzCA licensing worker describes them as “a foster family who goes above and beyond in providing the children in their care with love, acceptance, and a sense of family.” Michelle and Phillip care for children of all ages, including youth with emotional or behavioral issues that are difficult for other families to handle. They never seem to refuse a placement, even if they are only given short notice.

Phillip and Michelle have cared for more than 40 children since they began. They have dealt with mental illness, mental retardation, aggression, oppositional behaviors, threats of violence, learning disabilities, drug use, and much more, yet they are able to remain positive and act as mentors to other foster families by speaking at trainings intended to recruit more foster parents to provide care.

Foster families are needed across the state. We will provide the training, resources and support your need to change a child’s life. To learn more about AzCA’s foster care program and find out how you can get involved, visit www.arizonaschildren.org and click on ‘Permanency.’