Arizonans for Children

For families experiencing time in the foster care system it can be difficult to not give up.  Life lessons and gentle reminders are vital to the families we serve as well as the children in our Mentor program. Never Give Up Hello Kids!! Today I’m going to share a story about the thirsty crow. Once upon a time, a beautiful black crow named Jack lived in the great Sahara Desert. As we know, water in the desert is always hard to find. But our little friend Jack found a small pond beside a palm tree, where he lived, and drank water from it, whenever he felt thirsty. One day, all the water from the pond got over and Jack was left with no water to drink. Jack thought that the pond would fill itself again and he waited. After few days, he saw that the pond was still empty. He thought to himself – “If I stay in the same place, then I will not be able to survive much longer”. Jack decided to fly away in search for water. After hours of flying, he spotted a clay po...

No Amber Alert Today….. We see a lot of wonderful things at the Arizonans for Children Visitation Centers and quite a bit of heartbreaking things as well.   Today was devastatingly heartbreaking.   A mom tried to kidnap her children from the center.   We don’t know what brought this family to our center or what circumstances made her feel this was her only option but today those kids suffered due to her actions.   Fortunately for everyone involved the kids are safe. They are safe thanks to the parent aid that called for security as she continued to try to de-escalate, Phoenix Fire who just happened to be driving by and witnessed everything, volunteers that helped whisk the kids to safety and our security guard that restrained the mother until Phoenix Police arrived. I went to talk to the kids to see how they were after all emergency services left and the first thing the youngest said to me was “I’m sorry my mom hit you.” These kids have scrapes, bru...

Special thanks to the Arizona Ghostbusters and the Miss Arizona titleholders for helping us raise awareness for Foster Care Awareness Month. Right now we have over 100 kids in foster care across Maricopa County waiting for a mentor to spend time with them. 8 hours a month time commitment for 1 year. 1 less movie a week will make the difference in the life of a foster child. Ready to make an impact in the life of a child in foster care? Its summer break, so now's a great time to step into their life to help guide them in the choices they are making. Enjoy these videos and help us spread the word! #FosterCareAwarenessMonth Mentors needed for kids in foster care. 8 hours a month. 2 hours a week. Over 100 foster kids waiting for a mentor. Arizonans for Children also needs volunteers for the 2 visitation centers for supervised visits. Flexible scheduling. Thank you Geno, Carolyn, @AZ_Ghostbusters @MissAmericaAZ @MissAZUSA Titleholders, and Vict...

The work we do at Arizonans for Children never stops.  We try every single day to improve the lives of the children and families we serve. May is Foster Care Awareness Month Arizonans for Children would not be nearly as effective without the fantastic team we have. Andrea  is the Director of Supervised Visits at Arizonans for Children and so much more. Her dedication to ensuring children get to spend time with their parents in unwavering and where we all should strive to be. Andrea defines the Arizonans for Children mission and lives it every single day. She leads by example and isn't afraid to get down in the trenches. Andrea comes up with the best ideas and suggestions; from redefining volunteer and intern roles to Wacky Wednesday. She is a natural leader and motivates by gently lifting others and finding their strengths. Arizonans for Children would not be what it is today without Andrea. Andrea, no matter how you pronounce her name is the wack...

One of our favorite things at Arizonans for Children is to see updates from our Mentors.  Mentor Bridget shared this update: " My Mentee and I participated in a walk for St. Jude children and then enjoyed being pampered later, with Jel manicures." Thank you Bridget for showing this young lady in the foster care system how good it feels to participate in a walk that benefits the community!  Your nails look lovely ladies! Hands on Greater Phoenix invited Arizonans for Children to the Biltmore to pick up duffel bags that were beautifully decorated and stuffed with goodness!  We will hand these out at our Back 2 School Bash in July for teens in foster care.  This is a great start to collecting what we will need to make this event a success. Thank you Sales Force and Hands on Greater Phoenix! The Arizonans for Children Phoenix Visitation saw our first Sack Meal donation thanks to Ariel! I spoke with a mom that ha...

I don't remember how we connected but meeting the folks from WearMe Pro has been life changing, especially for the children we serve at Arizonans for Children - kids in the foster care system. For a couple years now WearMe Pro has donated thousands of sun glasses to Arizonans for Children.  We have given them out at our Annual Holiday Party for kids in foster care for 2 years in a row and this year at the Foster Festival at Enchanted Island Amusement Park.  The WearMe Pro table was always full of kids choosing the perfect pair.  They even brought the WearMe Pro mascot Ivy whom the kids (and adults adored!) We passed out glasses at our Back 2 School Bash and will be doing so again this July along with backpacks and school supplies. These glasses make the kids feel special and deserving.  They frequently comment that they have never had anything as nice as these glasses. A while back I met with the WearMe Pro team and they had some great ideas to help ou...