Arizonans for Children

Arizonans for Children was so excited to have AZ Ballroom Dance Academy on site at the Phoenix Visitation Center Friday September 28, 2018!   There were 28 kids in foster care that attend and they learned a variety of dance steps such as the cha cha, merengue and more!  They laughed, they learned, they danced and they got to be a kid. Anytime we can allow these kids to experience the things kids not in the system get to is a great day.  Some of the kids were hesitant at the beginning but by mid point of the workshop they were all up and enjoying themselves. The kids were loading into the vans taking them back to their group homes and there were several questions asked as to when they could come back. Dance is fun, dance is exciting, dance is healing. Thank you AZ Ballroom Dance Academy!  You have created life long memories and how wonderful is that? We wanted to get a group picture but cannot capture the kids faces due to...

What do you get when you combine kids in foster care, goats and yoga? A wonderfully good time! Super BIG Thanks to  Lil Goat Town  for introducing the children we serve to your goats and yoga. The sunset was stunning, the goats hilarious and the laughter heart warming. This has to have been one of my very favorite events EVER! 🐏 🐐 🌵 💓 🧘‍♀️ 🧘‍♂️ The calming serenity of yoga coupled with the hilarity of the goats and the sunset on the beach sand, tiki torches surrounding the area - this was an evening the kids (and a staff, a board member and all the mentors) will never forget.   There are times when I've talked to the kids in foster care as we interview them to match them with a volunteer Mentor when the kids cannot remember the last time they laughed.  Thanks to Lil Goat Town their laughter echoed through the desert.  This memory will last a life time and how healing is that?

Arizonans for Children is a 501 (c) 3  charitable organization  and therefore your donation is tax deductible if you itemize your Federal income tax return. Under Arizona law ( A.R.S. 43-1088.G.2--tax credit for donations to a Qualifying Foster Care Charitable Organization ) Arizonans for Children, Inc. is a Qualifying Foster Care Charitable organization and cash donations  are entitled to a  tax credit of $500 for single individuals and $1,000 for married couples filing jointly  on the Arizona tax return.  This credit can reduce taxes for these tax filers more than a regular deduction for contributions to charitable nonprofits, because they may get a dollar-for-dollar reduction in taxes owed.  A tax credit is significantly more beneficial than a tax deduction.  A tax credit reduces your taxes, dollar-for-dollar. A tax deduction reduces the taxable income upon which your tax liability is calculated. You do not need to itemize ...

One of my favorite parts of my job is seeing the Mentor visit posts and updates.  I so enjoy reading over Mentor logs and hearing about the changes in the kids lives.  Sometimes they are very uplifting and sometimes I'll need to offer some guidance but either way having a consistent person in the child's life changes them.  It gives the kids a restored hope, they start to believe in something. If you have joined the Arizonans for Children Facebook Group   than you have seen Mentor Kathy and her Master Mentee.  Kathy was matched with her mentee in May 2017 and their relationship continues to grow right along with her mentees confidence and exuberance for life. This past weekend Kathy took her Master Mentee to the i.d.e.a. museum in Mesa.  Arizona is full of wonderful museums and activities that a Mentor can explore with their mentee! In Kathy's words:   "A morning at the museum with Master Mentee! This week he turned 7 y...

Tuesday September 25th is National Comic Book Day!  Share your love of comics with kids in foster care - drop off new or gently loved comics at either Arizonans for Children Visitation Centers. I bet there are events all over the valley to celebrate comic book day. Finding the right reading material can spark a life long love of literacy.   How fun would it be to set up a comic book station at both centers? Have you ever created your own comic book?  Imagine a child in foster care creating one.....would they overcome the trauma they experienced on the pages of the comic book? or would they allow their future dreams unfold on the pages?  Know of a great comic book store? Let us know! # comicbookday   # FosterCare   # ArizonansforChildren

Arizonans for Children was lucky to have Hillsong Church on site today to sort and organize as we prepare for the Annual Arizonans for Children Holiday Party for kids in foster care. Today volunteers sorted gifts by age group and gender.  They also bagged and tagged quilts that have been lovingly made and donated for this party and the children we serve. Hillsong volunteers even help sort and shelve box after box of books that have been donated by MCSO for the Arizonans for Children Little Library Literacy Program! Overall it was a fantastic day of service, getting a start of all the holiday party preparations. Thank you Hillsong!

I saw this image and post on Facebook and thought "this would be something wonderful to do at the Arizonans for Children Visitation Centers!" I am going to pick up 2 pumpkins this week - one for each Visitation Center. As the pumpkins fill with words of gratitude we can use them as center pieces at the dining room tables. Want to be a part of remembering all we have to be grateful for? Drop a pumpkin at either center: Arizonans for Children Phoenix Visitation Center 1112 W. Camelback Rd, Phoenix AZ 85013 open M-F 9-6 and Sat 10-2 Arizonans for Children Mesa Visitation Center 1020 N. Horne, Mesa AZ 85203 open M-F 10-6 and Sat 10-2 (housed in Desert Heritage Church)

A Volunteer dropped off a fantastic bag of Kindness Rocks at the Arizonans for Children Phoenix Visitation Center. Arizonans for Children gets Kindness Rocks decorated and donated by our community to have at both of our Visitation Centers. The centers are for families to have visits while the children are in foster care. These types of rocks are a wonderful way to give the families something tangible to hold and keep while working through the reunification process. The rocks  we hide, the kids love to try to find them with their parents and siblings. A perfect way to bond and engage. We have been collecting a great amount of Kindness Rocks for the Mesa Visitation Center so it was absolutely wonderful to get some for the Phoenix Visitation Center! Thanks to our community for adding kindness to our Visitation Centers! Would like to make some kindness rocks and bring them to the Arizonans for Children Visitation Centers for the families to discover? Or ...

Ahoy, Mateys! It be National Talk Like a Pirate Day! To celebrate, we will share with ye a few terms fer you to use today! Ahoy: Hello!  Avast: A command to stop Aye: Yes! Booty: Spoils from plunder/treasure Buccaneer: Term for a pirate, usually from the 1600s Cap'n: Captain Chantey: A song Cutlass: A type of sword used by pirates Doubloon: A gold coin Fer: For Jolly Roger: The popular skull and crossbones flag Kraken: A legendary sea monster Land lubber: A person who doesn't have much  experience at sea Mutiny: To revolt, usually against the captain Peg leg: A wooden leg Plunder: To take whatever you want Port: The left side of the ship Scallywag: A scamp, or rascal Sea dog: A pirate who is older and experienced Starboard: The right side of the ship Swab the deck: To mop the deck of the ship Swashbuckler: A daredevil Walk the plank: Walking the ship's plank until you  plunged into the sea Y...

Arizonans for Children provides many services for children in foster care.   We have 2 Visitation Centers where kids come to spend time with their parents and siblings in a fun, vibrant, engaging, educational, safe and supervised environment.   Many times, a visit at our center is the first time a child has seen their parent since the trauma that has brought them in to care.   Can you imagine the uncertainty?   The fear? The hope? The Visitation Centers are set up like a home setting with big deep comfy sofa’s, soft comforting music in the background, thousands of books to choose from, games, movies, activities and of course food.   This allows the child to direct the visit and set the parameters for their comfort.   They can choose where to go in the center whether that is to play pool or ping pong or to the dining hall for a meal or even the kitchen to cook together.   Each area of the center is set up for bonding and engaging.   Ar...

Kids in foster care miss out on a lot of special occasions with their family.  Today Wells Fargo volunteers hosted a "Celebration Day" for the families visiting the Arizonans for Children Mesa Visitation Center. These volunteers celebrated with a little one that turns 8 on Wednesday and her family.  They played party games with everyone on site and dished up ice cream and cake.  There were a lot of happy memories made this afternoon by some folks that care enough to take a couple hours out of their day. Arizonans for Children has 2 Visitation Centers where kids in foster care come to spend time with their parents and siblings in a fun, warm, comforting and safe environment.  Happy times like a Celebration Day all kids to create new memories of time with their parents and that allows them to heal from what ever trauma brought them in to the foster care system.   We could not do what we do without volunteers so thank you Wells Fargo for making this ...

Arizonans for Children S.T.A.R. (Story Time and Reading) Volunteers come to either Visitation Center and read stories. If a parent was never read to they might not understand the value and connection story time offers. Volunteers model the behavior and encourage the parents and children to read together. Very flexible volunteer opportunity! Stop by on your lunch break, after work or school, on Saturdays.  Open to volunteers of all ages! Start the process to become a S.T.A.R. today!  💫 www.arizonansforchildren.org Arizonans for Children Phoenix Visitation Center is located at 1112 W. Camelback Road, Phoenix AZ 85013 and is open Monday - Friday from 9-6 and Saturdays 10-2 Arizonans for Children Mesa Visitation Center is located at 1020 N. Horne, Mesa AZ 85203 and is open Monday-Friday 10-6 and Saturday 10-2 (housed in Desert Heritage Church)

  On a typical Saturday at Arizonans for Children our community comes together to volunteer to Help Families Heal. On 9/15/2018 we had volunteers at our Phoenix Visitation Center set up a variety of board games and encourage the families on site to play and engage. "I t's "Family Game Day" at Arizonans for Children! From Connect Four to Chutes & Ladders to Candy Land...good old fashion fun on a hot, hot day! It started with an idea from  Mikaela  and  Tracey  executed it! Our interns are finding ways to make a difference. Parents and children are conversing, laughing, and creating new memories. Have a beautiful weekend!" posted on Facebook by our Director of Supervised Visits Andrea Chavez There were 2 volunteer projects happening today at the Arizonans for Children MEC (Mesa Education Center). The Arizonans for Children STEM Pi-oneer program utilizes Raspberry Pi technology to give kids in foster care access to technology....