Arizonans for Children

What a weekend at Arizonans for Children!  Technology, technology and more technology! We were very fortunate to be part of AZ Give Camp's Hack-a-Thon where teams of developers volunteer their time and expertise to engineer solutions for non-profits.  The hack-a-thon started Friday afternoon at 3:00pm and went all the way until Sunday at 4:00pm! Thanks to my new best friend Chris Huie, Arizonans for Children participated in this fantastic opportunity.  Our team Tomas, Mandy and Cindy listened to our agency needs, tossed ideas around and came up with the perfect solution.  This team developed an electronic check-in system that will offer faster check in and out times that will translate into more quality time spent on a visit for the families using the centers. This new system also tracks the data creating seamless reports while respecting and protecting the confidentiality of our clients.  All of this was done with the knowledge that cost  is a...

The next Arizonans for Children STEM Pi-oneer class is getting ready to start and as I prepare and plan the importance and value of this class are in the forefront of my thoughts. Kids in the foster care system do not have access to technology.  How are they doing their homework?  Their life circumstances set them apart from other kids, lack of technology only makes it harder for them. In the Arizonans for Children Pi-oneer program the kids assemble a Raspberry Pi micro computer, download the operating system, explore the vast functionality of the Pi, learn about the importance of internet safety and security as well as learn basic coding and programming.  At the end of the final class the kids that have attended all classes take the entire computer system with them. Every aspect of this class is geared to the population Arizonans for Children serves, kids in the foster care system. The micro computer itself is very inexpensive and not a lot of people understa...

The Arizonans for Children STEM Pi-oneers class was lucky to have Paul with PEM attend and talk with the kids, kids in foster care last week.  Paul sat right with the kids and talked to them and listened to them offering valuable life lessons. The kids in class are good kids in a bad situation.  They did not chose to be in foster care.  They have been bounced around from placement to placement, school to school, family to group home.   To have someone to listen to them, actually hear what they have to say was powerful and healing.  It gave the kids a sense of value-that what they had to say and could contribute was important.   Within 15 minutes of the class ended I had calls asking when Paul would be back next.  That is pretty telling of the impact his conversation had.   Thank you Paul for being there and listening to these kids and sharing your knowledge and experience.   There is always a way to make a diff...

Sometimes I just can't believe all the good that happens at Arizonans for Children.  Every day the volunteers, parents, parent aids, kids, staff and donors just simply amaze me and this week has been no exception! Our Saturday STEM Pi-oneer class started with our volunteer Chrysta giving an engaging presentation on "Healthy Brains", then Christian taught the kids how to write a program to build block walls in the Raspberry Pi version of the game Minecraft.  We finished the day off with Paul with PEM talking to the kids about their future and the life they see for themselves.  Honestly I learned something for each of our presenters!  Paul told the kids about an acronym - IDEAL.  Want to know what it stands for?  email az4children.laura@gmail.com   On Saturday 10/20 at the Arizonans for Children Mesa Visitation Center Volunteer Alec and partners held a Fall Festival for the families on site.  The pictures look like it was a lot...

Saturdays are largely the busiest day for visits at Arizonans for Children and yesterday was packed at the Phoenix Visitation Center but not just with visits but a plethora of activities! On a raining Saturday without access to the playground, the families we so happy to see Geno come in the door!  They danced to The Time Wrap and did all kids of fun moves to Halloween themed songs.  It was absolutely FANTASTIC! Geno - Let's do the Time Warp again!   The winning Mentor/mentee Little Library theme team came by to start the painting process for our new Community Little Library.   Theme : Books Keep Imagination Going. The Mentor and mentee did a fantastic job of illustrating and bringing this library to life. I cannot wait to see the final project!! The Arizonans for Children STEM Pi-oneers class was happy to learn about the various brain parts and functions before they started to learn the programming lan...

  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....