a publication by arizonans for children, inc. summer 2011 · meaningful, practical and fun for...

Summer 2011A Publication by Arizonans for Children, Inc.

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T H U R S D A Y ’ S C H I L D • P A G E 3

5�Sheila�Hanson,�Volunteer�with�a�Passion by Annie Ansell

8 The�Story�of�Annia�–�the�Magic�of�Caring�by Annie Ansell

12I�am�Very�Proud�to�be�Your�Grandmother�by Susanne Sauer

14Abby’s�Smile�by Ken Sherk

16Was�That�Disneyland? by Jeff Jayne

19Measuring�the�Impact�of�Arizonans�for�Children’s�Visitation�Centersby Charles Stayton

contents•features

president’s letter — Tennis Anyone? 4

education classes 7

AFC volunteer hours 7

kid thank you 18

donors and partners 23

Thursday’s�ChildThe title for our newsletter was taken from a line in a children’s nursery rhyme entitle “Monday’s Child”. It is supposed to tell a child’s character or future based on the day they were born.

Monday’s child is fair of face,Tuesday’s child is full of grace,Wednesday’s child is full of woe,Thursday’s child has far to go,Friday’s child is loving and giving,Saturday’s child works hard for a living,But the child who is born on the Sabbath DayIs bonny and blithe and good and gay.~ Anonymous

Editor: Susanne Sauer

Printer: O’Neil Printing

Art Director: Peggy Deal

Graphic Designer: Deal in Design

2011Summer�Issue

11University�of�Kansas�students�spend�their�Winter�Break�with�AFC�by Kate Feller

P A G E 4 • A R I Z O N A N S F O R C H I L D R E N , I N C .

president’s�letter

In 2010, due to the energy and unstoppable force provided by AFC Volunteer, Al Sondergaard, AFC added another program to its educational class series: Tennis. Al gathered the community

support and set up partnerships with Sunland�Village�East and the United�States�Tennis�Association (USTA) to provide these lessons. Sunland Village East provided the courts, instructors, and refreshments. The USTA provided racquets, balls, and the instructional materials. Arizonans for Children’s tennis program fit right in with the USTA grass roots campaign to expose as many people as possible to the game of tennis. Sunland Village East community and the tennis club wanted to use this opportunity to give back to the community and the foster children.

The first pilot program was set up for 20 girls from the Sacred Journey Group homes. In the spring of 2010 these 20 girls received 5 weeks of tennis lessons. The group home staff were asked to comment on the effectiveness of the program. One staff member commented on how patient and gracious the instructors were. Another noted that it was “a good productive way to spend a Saturday and to get some exercise.” A third was amazed at the team spirit that developed among the girls with the older ones helping the younger ones who started looking up to them as sisters. These lessons developed a spirit of camaraderie among the girls that they carried back to their lives at the group home.

And the good will was also felt by the instructors who have continued to volunteer their time and set up another 6 weeks of lessons in the fall with the boys of Power House group homes. After these two pilot programs were finished, the kinks ironed out and the enthusiasm of the group still operating on a high note, Al Sondergaard has gone on to organize the third set of classes for April 2011.

AFC is very grateful to our partners at USTA and Sunland Village for this wonderful addition to our educational classes series and are very grateful to these organizations who not only supplied the manpower to get this program going but also provided tennis rackets and balls to the participating children. ♥

Photographs provided courtesy of Jeff Sikes, United States Tennis Association - Southwest Section

Kaye McCar thy, Pres ident


When you meet Sheila Hanson the first thing you are likely to notice is the big grin on her face and her infectious laugh.

Sheila began volunteering for Arizonans�for�Children a little over four years ago, starting with the first toy drive for foster children in Maricopa County. Her employer, Bank�of�America, partnered with the Phoenix�Suns and The�RoomStore to collect toys before the approaching holiday season. Sheila remembered, “I attended an awards luncheon and I heard a testimonial from a man who came up through the foster system. He had just graduated from law school and was starting his

career representing the children in foster

care. It broke my heart and

set me on the path to find a way to

contribute.”

Sheila was on a trip to Japan

the day the toys were

sorted and she had

Sheila Hanson, Volunteer wIth A

By Annie Ansell

Be patient, give what I

can and if one youth gets it, then we

have made a difference.

PASSIononly seen photographs of the accumulating gifts. She exclaimed, “Our cafeteria meeting room area (which seats 200 people) was waist high in toys! The Phoenix Suns and Suns Wives and the Room Store were all on campus sorting. We filled three semi-trucks with close to 10,000 toys!! After that, we worked with the Room Store to come up with a better solution for sorting, and now they donate warehouse space so we sort the toys each week.”

Not completely fulfilled with just her volunteer work on the toy drive, Sheila jumped at the opportunity to get involved with Arizona�Saves, a non-for-profit program whose mission is ‘to change lives with financial skills and knowledge.’ Sheila has had firsthand experience with the program’s benefits. After volunteering for Arizona�Saves, Sheila courageously sought assistance from the program to help her own credit problem. “I just didn’t understand credit until I had to fix it,” Sheila admitted. Through a series of life choices, she found herself in a very deep hole and felt embarrassed by the stigma of a low credit rating and felt that working two jobs to try and pay her bills would


gained confidence in an interactive program that would be meaningful, practical and fun for youths. The program is now also being taught in Spanish. Sheila and her colleagues currently deliver this financial literacy program to foster youth through a partnership with Arizonans�for�Children.

Sheila found assurance in her teaching role when she connected with a class of twenty teenage girls. She and her teaching partner had a friendly, easy method of explaining goal setting, budgeting and making a savings plan. She admitted that the secret to her presentation was to “be patient, give what I can and if one youth gets it then we have made a difference.” She stressed how life changing ‘money sense’ can be when you start young. “Having financial confidence is so important to reaching your goals in life,” Sheila believes.

Sheila’s honesty about her own situation really struck a chord. While she was working in a financial institution, she tried to be careful, but very quickly found that unless you plan for your future with a budget, you can lose your way. “The budget is key,” she

said. “I don’t buy anything on credit, if I can’t pay cash for it,

I don’t buy it.” Every month Sheila sticks to her budget and any money that is left over is immediately transferred to savings.

Walking the walk and talking the talk has made it possible for

A�quote�by�Oprah�Winfrey�

best�summarizes�Sheila�

Hanson’s�commitment�to�

serve�her�community—

Figure�out�what�you�can�do�that�fills�your�heart�with�so�much�passion�that�you�would�do�it�for�free.

eventually destroy her. >

“I know this program works,” Sheila says, “I am living proof.” She admitted that no one ever taught her why it was important to take care of her money. As a teacher for the financial program, she felt she must ‘walk the walk’ and ‘talk the talk.’ Sheila used the exercises provided by Arizona�Saves to sort out her own credit rating. In the process she learned more than she ever imagined. Sheila’s motto is “You are writing your own story with your credit history, write a good one!”

According to Sheila, this program was originally written by and for adult learners. After delivering her first session to teenagers, she and her training partner felt

compelled to rewrite

the whole program

on their way

home. Two revisions

later, she

Sheila to visit Japan five times. “I use the skills I have gained by teaching the Arizona�Saves curriculum to save enough to pay cash for my visit each year.” What prompted Sheila to take that initial trip abroad? She travels to Japan because “I have always been fascinated with the Asian culture, and my brother travels there often for work, so one year he took me with him. I was hooked! The culture there is so different. I love the food and I feel as though I am home when I am there. I now cook Asian food at home – Japanese, Vietnamese


and Korean, and visit Tokyo on an annual basis.”

Sheila also taught her vast culinary skills in Arizonans for Children’s cooking classes. She recognized that, “The kids desperately need life skills, and the opportunity to interact with people outside of their environment. I love to cook, and never had anyone to teach me, so just another way to give them an opportunity!”

In the course of her various volunteer efforts, have any of her students made an impact on Sheila? “There have been a few. The first class we taught had a young girl who was learning disabled, and she just shined when we paid attention to her, and helped her walk through the activities. After the three week session, she asked the house parent if it was OK to give us a hug. That was pretty cool. A few months later she had been transferred to another home and when I walked up to her she asked if I remembered her. I am the worst for remembering names, but for some reason, I did remember her name, and she was very excited to be remembered.”

“There was also one boy that was wearing an arrest ankle bracelet, and has a child of his own. He was extremely bright, participated in all activities and encouraged the others to get involved. He was the one that really touched us, because we kept asking ‘what if he had a better opportunity?’ ” ♥

AFC Volunteer hours

Operating�Year Volunteer�Hours Number�of�

Volunteers2003 3,549 362004 4,007 452005 7,021 752006 6,844 962007 10,823 1202008 11,964 1802009 16,224 2402010 18,081 305

8�year�Total 79,805

educational ClassesAFC offers the following educational classes for foster children. If you are interested in teaching these classes, please call Annie Ansell at 602-252-2270

Justice League Seminars

Financial Literacy Classes

Cooking Classes

Sewing Classes

Dance Classes

Chess Classes

Tennis Classes

Computer Classes


Many Native American children are removed from their homes due to neglect, family violence and drug and alcohol abuse. They suffer with night terrors, bedwetting; temper tantrums, parentification (where the older children are forced to care for younger siblings) and intense fear of punishment.

The numbers of Native American Children in foster care in Arizona are disproportionate; only 2.7% of

Arizona’s children are native, yet 7% of foster children are Native American. Native American children are three times more likely to be referred to foster care than whites and twice as likely to linger in foster care.

Arizonans for Children’s tutor/ mentor program, along with many of our programs and activities, puts joy back into the lives of these children and gives them hope for a bright and happy

THE�STORY�OF

AnniA THE�MAGIC�OF�CARING

By Annie Ansell

future. This is the story of just one of those children, her name has been changed, but the story is true.

I had been warned about Annia. “She is a bad girl, always mean, always in trouble,” whispered the other children at the group home. “Annia needs someone to serve as a role model and to help her see the joy in her situation,” said the Group Home Manager. Her brothers and sisters were scattered through the four group homes only walking distance from each other. Each of her siblings were struggling with their grades, their attendance and developing social skills. Annia’s brothers and sisters stuck together and encouraged each other to behave badly.

You are part of me now

You touched me,

With your kindness and love

So enchanted.

Your soft lips are kind.

Your eyes glow with life.

I’m glad you touched me,

You’re part of me now.

Lloyd Carl Owle (Cherokee)


None of this prepared me for my first meeting with Annia. She was a beautiful Native American girl, slim and strong with shiny, thick and wavy hair. I could hear her voice before I saw her enter the room — a harsh, angry voice. She sounded irritated at having been pulled away from cartoons.

Annia was 9 years old, but looked much older. She did not look me in the eye when she was first introduced, but instead slumped down on the sofa next to me. Her body language said it all — legs crossed, fists clenched and a look of pure hatred in her eyes. I would admit to being concerned as to the value of matching this beautiful child with one of our volunteer mentors.

Jessica was there waiting to meet her, full of pure excitement I have seen over and over in our volunteers. She had called me the night before to ask if it would be alright to bring a little gift for Annia. I had agreed that it would be a nice touch, a good ice-breaker, and I saw Jessica clutching a sweet little gift bag with pink tissue paper spilling out over the edges.

“This is for you Annia,” Jessica bubbled, “You don’t have to keep it if you don’t like it, I won’t be offended.” I saw Annia grab the bag out of her hands, dump the contents onto her lap and there were two very pretty silver necklaces with two half hearts that said ‘best friends’. “If you like it, you can give the other part to your own best friend,” said Jessica. A grunt was all that Annia replied.

Typically, I only stay for part of the time during a match meeting, as I feel it is so important for the child and the mentor to get to know each other without feeling overwhelmed by others. In this instance though, I dreaded leaving. Jessica was a veterinarian, a kind-hearted lovely person who travelled all over the world administering to animals. Yet, in that first few moments of their meeting, she looked so vulnerable to me – I wasn’t confident that this match would work.

Annia had been in care for over three years now. With no acceptable family member able to come forth, it would appear that she and her siblings would be in care for a very long time. A grandmother had been caring for the children but was considered unfit. She had abused all the children, leading to their immediate removal from the home. This seemed to close the door to the four siblings ever having a suitable placement.

Over the next few months, I received phone calls saying that Annia was not allowed out on activities with her mentor due to poor behavior. We try very hard to appeal to the guardians not to use the mentors as part of the foster youth’s punishment, so as to allow the relationship to continue to grow. Yet, at times a youth who is unruly and causing disruption to a group home will be restricted.

Jessica stuck with Annia, and would simply come back the following week. She would try to encourage her to be on her best

behavior by teasing her with all the wonderful things they could be doing on their days out. This seemed to make a difference with Annia and she began to improve in her schoolwork and her behavior. Consequently, she received the best report cards that she had ever had. Recent research in Pima County shows that Native American children experience more changes in foster placements while out of their homes than all other ethnic groups. This was to be the case with Annia.

Just as these positive changes were progressing, I received a frantic phone call that all four group homes would close. All the children — who had lived just footsteps from each other for the past two years — would>�

P A G E 1 0 • A R I Z O N A N S F O R C H I L D R E N , I N C .

be moving to group homes throughout Maricopa County. These new placements were scheduled to occur by 9:00 the next morning.

I received very distressing phone calls from the mentors of all the children in these group homes, but within 24 hours I had managed to locate all the youths and gain permission for their mentors to continue with them at the new group homes. Some of the mentors now had to travel over an hour to meet with their youth. This was especially true of Jessica and Annia, yet Jessica never missed a single meeting with Annia.

The last time I saw them together was at an activity Arizonans�for�Children organizes for youths in foster care called “Dreamchaser – Lean on Me.” This program is dedicated to connecting abandoned, abused and neglected youths in foster care together with abandoned, abused and neglected animals being cared for on a ranch located in New River.

Annia was afraid of horses, and Jessica as a large animal veterinarian was so patient with her. I observed the way she gently let her find her confidence, and praised her for the smallest of efforts. Two hours later, with success written all over her face, Annia threw her arms up in the air in triumph while Jessica held the reins and trotted through the exercise field with her horse.

The moment that took my breath away, though, was just after the

ride. Jessica and Annia were all cuddled up, sitting together on a hay bale watching the other foster youth. Annia’s face was beaming, there was no trace of the sullen, angry girl I had met a few months before, and around her neck was the lovely heart necklace. They walked arm in arm to visit all the animals together, with the sound of gentle laughter coming from their huddle.

A few months later, it was discovered that Annia had a Grandfather who was both capable and willing to take all the children to live with him on the reservation. We received less than 24 hours notice that she would be leaving and returning home. Jessica raced to meet Annia to say goodbye. They met at the local gas station as the group van was filling up with fuel for the more than 2.5 hour journey to take the children home.

Their goodbyes were sweet and happy. This little girl was so grateful to the lady who came every single week to see her even when she had been naughty. Jessica became a steadfast

companion who never, ever let her down and was always happy to see her. I spoke to Jessica a week later, and she said, “Hurry up and find me someone new, I miss Annia!”

I believe the moments Jessica and Annia spent together were magical. They allowed Jessica to learn more about Annia’s culture and traditions and they gave Annia moments of joy in an otherwise desperate situation. ♥

T H U R S D A Y ’ S C H I L D • P A G E 1 1

Over winter break, myself and five other students from the University�of�Kansas were lucky enough to be chosen to volunteer for Arizonans for Children. We were selected by a program at our school called Alternative Breaks that interviews students and places them in groups to volunteer in different states all over the country. This year was the first year the program worked with Arizonans for Children and after our trip we truly believe that ours was the most rewarding.

Upon arrival in Phoenix, we had no idea what to expect and none of us had received much experience with the foster care system. Fortunately, throughout the week ,our guides were able to teach us all about the programs.

Every day we experienced a different program that AFC had to offer. We went to Dream Catcher’s Ranch, an animal rescue ranch, to help out with the horses’ upkeep. We, organized a huge storage room that held the birthday presents that AFC distributes each month to the foster children who have birthdays. We were also able to spend time visiting different group homes and received the opportunity to participate in many activities with foster care children. Throughout the week we found that the program worked extremely hard to make differences in children’s lives by working to reunite them with their parents and making them life books to give each child a reminder of how special they really are.

When the week was over the group was sad to go. On our car ride home we had time to discuss the week and how fortunate we felt to have received this experience as well as meet some amazing people along the way. We feel very strongly that AFC has a lot to offer and strongly encourage other students to make the trip and get involved with this organization. Foster children will always need this kind of support and we are happy to see that there are such passionate and

hardworking people trying

to make a difference in their lives. ♥

University of Kansas students spend their winter Break with AFC

By KAte Feller


When children enter the foster care system, they leave behind

everything they know, everything familiar — their bedroom, their school, their family, their routine — EVERYTHING.If they relocate to another foster home at some point, which the vast majority usually do, everything changes once again. Imagine how traumatic this is for the child — to lose nearly every connection that child has, not once but many times over.

The Life Book program at Arizonans�for�Children is valuable to children who have a high probability of not returning home to their biological families. In the course of six to nine months, trained volunteers research the child’s life and sort through memorabilia and events. Eventually, the volunteers present a one-of-a-kind scrapbook and narrative all about the child. In many ways, a Life Book is similar to a baby book, listing details such as birth date, time,

I Am Very Proud to Be Your

Grandmother By susAnne sAuer

and place. The Life Book should also include photographs and a record of special events in their lives such as birthday parties, school events, holidays and vacations. Additionally, a Life Book will need to include information about their biological family and how they came into foster care. Another important aspect of a Life Book for foster children is the addition of photographs and details about the various foster homes where they lived. A nice addition would be an encouraging note from the foster parents, including special memories that they had with the foster child.

Several AFC volunteers researched and crafted as a team to gift not one, but TWO Life Books to one teenager in foster care. As the child’s life was researched, relatives and support people were called upon to contribute to this recipient’s book. Photographs of extended family members and former foster placements were inserted into the scrapbook. More pictures of Halloween costumes, fancy hair styles, previous pets and school awards made enough material to complete a second book. The final touch to the project arrived in the mail in early October as a loving grandmother put her thoughts in a heartfelt letter addressed to her granddaughter. With the contribution from the grandmother, the volunteers felt it was time to finalize the project and present the keepsake Life Book to “J”. The letter has been edited to extract identifying details to protect the privacy of the Life Book recipient:


Dear “J”,

You came into this world on January 19, 19__, in Glendale, Arizona. When you came home from the hospital, you and you mother lived with a friend of your mother’s. You lived there for a few months when you then came to live with Grandpa “R” and Grandma “N”. You lived with us for a year. What a year it was. We saw you roll over for the first time, crawl, and cut your first teeth. When you started talking, you never stopped until you went to sleep. After you moved to an apartment, Grandma came to visit very often to make sure you had diapers, food and clothes. You are now a very nice teenager and a wonderful person to be with. I’m very proud

of you! You have turned out to be a beautiful person, not just on the outside but on the inside. I am very proud to be your grandmother. Your grandfather was always proud to call you his granddaughter, before his passing in 2005. When I was a teenager, I loved to watch movies with Bob Hope and Frank Sinatra.

I loved playing volleyball and “Old Maid” or “Go Fish”. As a teenager there were always teenage girls talking “Boy Talk”. We talked about wanting to go with a boy on a date but never of having a place of our own and living with them before marriage. This was not permitted and really isn’t today! “J”, as you continue to grow to be a young lady, may you think of all the things you have gone through, that were not good that you would not want to repeat. Put them aside and take all of the good things and apply them to your life. It takes time to do everything so put your goals on the mountain top and work towards those goals.

Good luck!! Remember Grandma will always be here to help you as much as possible. Love,

Grandma “N”

Foster Children need life BooksThis is the very reason why a Life Book is so vital to foster children. It gives them a connection to who they are and where they came from. It answers important questions for them like why they are in foster care. It gives them a sense of belonging and a sense of ownership. If not for the collective efforts from the trained volunteers and contributors, the recovered memories and images of childhood may have been forever lost. Life Books are affirmations of happy times amidst a turbulent journey. A beautifully bound collection of memories, joyful images and messages of hope is the one thing foster children can count on wherever they may go. ♥


Thursday’s Child proudly tells about what Arizonans for Children (“AFC”) does for the 6,500 foster children in Maricopa County. Most of these activities by AFC are for large groups of foster children such as the 56,000 that utilized our visitation centers in 2010. Other large group activities include the monthly events sponsored by AFC including approximately 2,500 foster children who attended the Enchanted Island outing at Encanto Park in March of 2011. Smaller groups

of foster children attend AFC’s cooking classes, sewing classes, Justice League and the like. But there are some AFC activities that happily involve one-on-one interaction with a foster child. Witness our Life Book Program in which a volunteer prepares a life history scrapbook for a particular child. The same is true for the relationships in our Mentor/Tutor Program. In my case it has been separate legal representations of a number of individual foster children caught up in such problems as runaways, enforcing Child Protective Service obligations, etc. While these pro bono

representations have been personally rewarding to me, and hopefully to my “clients,” none has been as satisfying as my most recent case.

Abby, now 18, was only 16 when I began representing her in October of 2009. She had just come into the foster care system as a dependent child in June 2009. Her father was (and still is) in prison and her mother had abandoned her and left the state. But these problems, while depressing and heartrending,

were not all that Abby had to contend with. She had

severe dental problems. You see, as a 16-year-

old, Abby still had four of her primary (baby) teeth and was “congenitally missing” 14 of her permanent teeth!

Worse yet, she had “deep overbite” and

temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain

causing her jaw to “lock up” and resulting in severe pain

and migraine headaches. Quite simply, she couldn’t chew her food without pain. Understandably self-conscious, she was often reluctant to smile.

By November of 2009 no less than three eminent dentists (oral surgeons no less) had examined Abby and concluded that it was a “medical necessity” that she receive extensive reconstructive treatment including removal of the baby teeth, installation of braces, bone grafts, dental implants and, ultimately, crowns (caps).

Abby’s Smile

By Ken sherK*

Abby�is�thriving�on�other�fronts�as�well.�

She�is�highly�motivated,�has�excellent�grades,�will�graduate�high�school�in�

May�2011


Shortly after Abby was taken into the foster care system in June 2009 her inmate father wrote to our President, Kaye McCarthy, asking Kaye to do whatever possible to obtain the necessary dental treatment for Abby. Kaye quickly responded by communicating with the examining dentists and coordinated their efforts, making sure that each of them understood the need for terming Abby’s treatment as a “medical necessity.” In spite of Kaye’s success and the conclusions of the dentists as to the dire need for treatment of Abby’s teeth, and notwithstanding Arizona law requiring the Comprehensive Medical and Dental Plan (CMDP) to provide for medically necessary dental treatment for those in foster care, the CMDP denied the need for any treatment at all in October 2009. Kaye McCarthy then obtained a commitment from Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation to pay for a TMJ evaluation and brought Abby to my office for what turned out to be the beginning of this most interesting representation.

Our appeal from the October 9, 2009 denial by CMDP was filed December 8, 2009 and, summarily denied by CMDP on December 26, 2009. Consequently, I requested a hearing on Abby’s behalf at the Office of Administrative Hearings.

The February 2010 hearing before an administrative law judge turned out to be a cross-examiner’s dream. The CMDP medical director admitted that the denials were in “error” because

nothing in either denial explained what was meant by “another service that cost less and works as well.” Further the director admitted that Abby needed “a lot of dental work done” and it was “going to be medically necessary.” She also acknowledged the “considerable pain and locking of her jaw and difficulty eating” that Abby was having. Then the paid CMDP dental consultant, who had recommended denial of treatment without ever examining Abby, agreed that it would be a “medical necessity” to follow the examining doctors’ recommendations. Abby, her caseworker and foster mom all testified and made good impressions. After the day-long hearing it was obvious that the judge was strongly leaning in our favor. Consequently, after the hearing was over it was no surprise that the CMDP director sought out Abby and her case worker and began making arrangements for Abby to be seen by dentists at the A. T. Still University of Health Sciences, Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health in Tempe. Better late than never.

While our appeal was still pending Abby was indeed examined by seven professional specialists at the dental school and a comprehensive treatment plan was worked up calling for all of the procedures recommended by the dentists who had previously examined Abby. Further, CMDP committed to pay for all of the procedures except for the caps (deemed cosmetic) but the dental school agreed to

do those on a pro bono basis. A formal settlement agreement reciting all of this was entered into by CMDP and myself on behalf of Abby.

Abby’s current status is that she has now received the braces, bone grafts and implants and is awaiting the caps compliments of the dental school. Abby is thriving on other fronts as well. She is highly motivated, has excellent grades, will graduate high school in May 2011 and is enrolled in nurses training at ASU for the fall semester of 2011. Abby is employed and in the Young Adult Program which continues foster care benefits after a child turns 18 and until age 21. Abby also has an excellent case worker and caring foster mom.

If there is a dark side to the story it is the realization that there are likely other foster children in the system that have been denied statutorily guaranteed benefits through bureaucracy and red tape. Fortunately, in Abby’s case we were able to cut through all of that and provide a wonderful child with the care and treatment she deserved. You ought to see her smile now. For me, the whole experience of representing Abby made me proud to be a lawyer and grateful to be a small part of the good done by Arizonans for Children.

*Ken Sherk is a director in the Fennemore Craig law firm, past president of the Maricopa County Bar, past president of the State Bar of Arizona, and vice president and founding member of Arizonans for Children. ♥


The day was March 19th, 2011. Thousands of people looking to escape possibly a bad day, bad week or bad month, flocked to the refuge of Enchanted�Island�Amusement�Park for the day. No matter which way you looked, the place was crawling with activity. From bicycle police officers, a fire truck, inflatables, pedal boats, a carousel, to tons of food, there was plenty to do for the masses who visited that day.

Inside of a little church on the southwest side of town was a dream about making a difference in the lives of some people who tend to be forgotten. Some little known church by the name of Grace�Walk�Community�Church created an idea to give the foster children of the valley the best possible day they could. A day that would be ALL for them and geared for their entertainment. What better way than a carnival?

Filled with high hopes Grace Walk Community Church set out to have at least 500 children attend the first carnival in 2010. Not knowing what to expect, Grace Walk began preparations. Through the friendship and direction of the City of Phoenix District 7 Councilman, Michael Nowakowski, Grace Walk was directed to approach Enchanted Island Amusement Park to be the host venue for the carnival. With no regard to making a profit, the owners of Enchanted Island Amusement Park jumped

on board the idea of hosting the carnival and made the facilities available for no charge.

With the biggest piece of the puzzle now in place, the next challenge would be to get the children to the event. That just happened to be a specialty for Kaye McCarthy of Arizonans for Children. Kaye and her organization took on the task of informing all the foster families, group homes, and agencies about the first ever carnival, to the tune of 976 children and 448 “adults” attending. The feedback was unanimous. The children wanted this carnival to be an annual event. At the end of the day, one child asked her foster parent if that had been Disneyland. Who knows, maybe this was the only Disneyland she had ever been to. Instead of a mouse, Enchanted Island has a parrot. Isn’t that close enough?

Now with credibility and the feedback of the 2010 carnival, all collaborative partners threw in their expertise to tackle the 2011 carnival. With the purpose of this carnival being so close to the heart for so many people in this city, the support for 2011 grew. Through friendships, new partners joined our team, such as the Valley�of�the�Sun�United�Way, Phoenix�Police�Department, Phoenix�Fire�Department, Target, JSL�Management, and other organizations.

By JeFF JAyne


Through the combined efforts of all supporters, donors, and partners, this year we saw 1,315 children and 572 “adults” have an incredible spring break weekend. Over 2,400 people attended the carnival this month and there was no shortage of food, drinks, fun or smiles. To see that many people at Phoenix’s version of “Disneyland” for the day having all the fun their strength would allow them, was priceless.

To this day, we are still unsure who benefited the most from the event. Was it the 1,315 children in our state’s care who were able to escape the daily drama of their lives or was it the hundreds of vendors, supporters, and volunteers who gave up their spring break plans for the weekend to invest in the lives of the children? This still remains up for debate. Was it the child who stood side by side with the Phoenix�Suns�Gorilla and flexed his muscles, or could it have been the hundreds of volunteers who held back their tears as they saw the joy and excitement on the faces of the children whose day probably did not start off with a smile? Will we ever truly know

the hurt and pain some of these children are dealing with on a daily basis? Will many of us ever really know what a real broken heart feels like? Will we ever know their pain and hurt?

For many of us in the city, we may never know what it feels like to be physically removed from our home, family, or siblings, but we can do our part to show them our love and support. The purpose of this carnival isn’t to bring acknowledgement or recognition to the organizations involved in orchestrating it. It is about shining some light on the great need in our state. To have 12,000 plus children in our state separated from their families is heart wrenching and tragic. Our hope is that by people taking notice of this event, they too will take action and be like the hundreds, if not thousands of other unsung heroes in our city: the foster parents and group home workers. What a commendable job they are doing! Our world could use a lot more people like them.

We promise to make next year’s carnival in 2012 even better. ♥


Kids Say Thank YouKids Say Thank You

“It was my first time skating and I loved it!” Angela

I was really

happy to get a

basketball for

my birthday.

thank you,

Sean


IntroductionAs many familiar with our organization know, Arizonans for Children exists to facilitate opportunities and provide effective solutions to improve and stabilize the fragile lives of abused, neglected and abandoned children in child protective custody. This is our mission and our passion. Our three Children’s Visitation Centers, perhaps our core avenues for affecting such change, strive to establish and restore the best possible relationship with non-custodial parents and families in a specially designated, safe, comfortable and neutral environment.Since our founding, AFC has taken steps to understand the relevant outcome or impact measures linked with successful Children’s Visitation Centers. (Impact measures relate to the success or progress an organization has made in achieving its mission.) To this end, AFC has reviewed the appropriate empirical literature and conducted two user surveys to solicit the opinions of the families and staff that use the Children’s Visitation Centers.Using the impact measures identified in Arizonans for Children’s (AFC’s) 2006 self-evaluation and data from the recent follow-up self-evaluation, this report will comment on Arizonans for Children’s success in accomplishing its goals.

Results are derived from survey data (n=197) collected in all three visitation centers over a two-month period in 2008/2009.

Client Demographics Because we strive to tailor our services to the individual needs of our clients, our first step in designing our self-assessment was to try to decipher exactly who uses our centers. In summary, we found that

• Roughly equal numbers of biological parents and parent aides completed the survey (accounting for about 90% of all who completed the survey),

• Almost 80% of those who completed the survey stated that their case plan was family reunification,

• About half of the parents who completed the survey were single, and a quarter were married,

• 93% of parents stated that they had reliable transportation to the Visitation Centers, and

• 90% of children using the centers were younger than 10 years old, and 60% of that group of children was younger than 6 years old.

The proportion of families with reliable transportation to the Visitation Centers stands as perhaps the most conspicuous evidence of AFC’s vision and sensitivity to the needs of its families. Having chosen three

Measuring the Impact of Arizonans for Children’s Visitation CentersBy ChArles stAyton

locations that are exceptionally close to public transportation stops, AFC has maximized its relevance to families that often struggle to find consistent transportation.In comparison to the findings from our first self-assessment, one might notice that from 2006 to 2009 the proportion of case workers or case aides taking the survey decreased from 20% to less than 1%. While this is certainly worth noticing, we feel that this is at least partially due to variance in the way respondents interpreted the term “case aide.” Speculating beyond this interpretation, it is possible that case managers have trended toward meeting with parents and children in places other than our Visitation Centers for various reasons. Perhaps the range of pressures placed on case managers, from budget cuts to the tragically high numbers of children in care, have limited the time case managers have for traveling to locations other than those in their immediate neighborhood. In any case, the crucial proportions – those of parent aides (those who actually supervise and help plan most visits) and parents using the Visitation Centers – remained consistent from 2006 to 2009. Another notable finding was the high proportion of children ages one to five and the low proportion of children ages 11-16. According to Arizona >


Department of Economic Security (AZDES), the majority of children in out of home care are between one and five years old and between 13 and 17 years old. Although this overall trend was reflected in our findings (Figure 1), it appears that younger children account for a much larger proportion of visits than would be predicted by the statewide data. It would appear, then, that AFC’s Visitation Centers more often serve families with younger children. This finding will help AFC continue to tailor the Visitation Centers to the needs of its younger children, and begin to anticipate the needs of the teenage population.

Figure 1Age Ranges Proportion of All

Children in Out of Home Care

Proportion of All Children Using Visitation Centers

Children ages 1-5 33% 60%

Teenagers* 26% 12%* AZDES data uses the age category of 13-17, while AFC used two age categories – 11-16 and 17-18. Data in Figure 1 are for all children in out of home care ages 13-17 and then all children using AFC’s Visitation Centers ages 11-16.

Family StabilityChildren in foster care have a greater risk of exposure to such factors as poverty, maltreatment, poor mental and physical health and multiple placements during their stay in foster care . Dr. Brenda Jones Harden, in her study, Safety and Stability for Foster Children: A Developmental Perspective, concludes that stable and nurturing families for foster children will “bolster [the child’s] resilience and ameliorate negative impacts on such developmental outcomes as health, academic performance, social and emotional well being”. For the purposes of Dr. Harden’s study and the current discussion, family stability is defined as a “family environment” where care-giving practices provide children with the consistent, nurturing care they need to thrive.Because of our mission to facilitate family stability, we are encouraged when the case plan goals of clients using our visitation centers reflect the desire for reunification. While we realize that not all families will be reunified, we are also not surprised when families report that the Visitation Centers were of primary importance in keeping the goal of

reunification within reach. Based on our most recent survey, the Centers serve clients with four primary case plan goals:

Figure 2Case Plan Goal 2009 Survey 2006 SurveyFamily Reunification 78% 78%Adoption 4% 11%Legal Guardianship 1% 5%Long-Term Foster Care 4% 6%No Response 13% N/A

The real narrative that emerges from these responses is the steady proportion of those assigned to the goal of reunification (78% in 2006 and 2009). When compared with the proportion of all children in foster care throughout Arizona with the case plan goal of reunification in 2006 and 2009 – 49% and 50%, respectively – it appears that families using our Visitation Centers are more likely to have a reunification goal. Given that consistency and persistence of visits have been shown to contribute to family stability one would hope that AFC Visitation Center usage remained stable from 2006 to 2009.

Figure 3Visitation Center Usage 2009 2006Many More 10% 26%Regularly Over Six Months 23% 27%5-15 Times 37% 28%1-5 Times 19% 19%Once 8% 1%

Before interpreting these findings, it is important to note that the normative length of time in foster care for children with a family reunification case plan goal is 18 months. It is therefore encouraging that Visitation Center usage remained consistent in the normative category, “Regularly over Six Months.” Likewise, it is heartening to see the percentage of children decrease in the “Many More” category. When asked to estimate the importance of the Visitation Centers in aiding the family reunification process, almost three quarters of all respondents rated their experience at the Visitation Center as the most important factor or one of the most important factors. This proportion remained constant when


examining only those families slated for family reunification. Of the families who visited the Visitation Centers regularly over six months, sixty percent rated their experience as the most or one of the most important factors in the family reunification process.

Visitation Center usageThere was little variation in the findings related to Visitation Center usage. Respondents almost universally expressed satisfaction with the Centers. For instance, 96% of respondents agreed that the Centers helped promote interaction between parents and children. This proportion corroborates the finding from 2006 when 100% of respondents agreed that the Visitation Centers helped their families interact. Always mining for more specific feedback, we asked those who agreed with this assessment to choose which Visitation Center activities and/or resources were the most helpful in promoting interaction (Figure 4). First, the high proportion of respondents choosing the “talking,” “playing games,” “playing with toys,” “watching tv/movies,” and “reading” comes as no surprise. These findings confirm what our volunteers already know from experience – families see the Visitation Centers as a safe place to relax, have fun, and participate in family activities. Given the success of our birthday and holiday parties, we were surprised to see that such a modest proportion of respondents selected these two activities.

Taking a closer look, however, it is likely that the transition to off-site holiday and birthday parties (precisely because they were so popular) may have caused families to dissociate the events from the Visitation Centers. These results thus underscore the possibility that the efforts AFC makes to provide holiday and birthday parties now fall under a somewhat separate programming category.

Figure 4Talking 77% Watching TV/Movies 65% Other 12%Reading 56% Playing in Gym 11%Playing Games 72% Painting, Drawing 38%Playing with Toys 74% Birthday Parties 15%Making Snacks 6% Holiday Parties 14%*Percentages reflect the number of people who selected a resource divided the total number of people who answered this question.

We also asked respondents for a straightforward assessment of the how well the Visitation Centers are functioning across several different dimensions – Safety, Comfort, Cleanliness, Convenient Location (Easy to Find), Convenient Hours, Professionalism of Volunteers, Friendliness of Volunteers, and Variety of Things to Do. In each dimension, the majority of respondents rated the Centers as “excellent.” In fact, the proportion of respondents who provided an “excellent” rating more than doubled the proportion of respondents who provided a “good” rating in every dimension. Overall, more than 90% of respondents gave the Center’s either an “excellent” or a “good” rating in the “Safety,” “Comfort,” “Professionalism of Volunteers,” and “Friendliness of Volunteers” dimensions. More than 80% of

respondents gave the Centers an “excellent” or “good” rating on the remaining dimensions with the exception of “Cleanliness” (79% of respondents gave the centers an “excellent” or “good” rating on this dimension). Not surprisingly, “Professionalism of Volunteers” and “Friendliness of Volunteers” were the two dimensions with the highest proportion of “excellent” ratings. At 78% and 76% of respondents providing an

“excellent” rating, these two dimensions were almost ten percentage points higher than the dimensions with the next-highest proportion of “excellent” ratings (“Variety of Things to Do” and “Comfort” at 68%).

evaluation Data andlimitationsAs with any survey, certain limitations come into play that >should be considered when interpreting results. • Results are based on the

assumption that respondents expressed candid and honest opinions.

• Results are based on the assumption that data previously collected and provided by the organization was accurate.

• Results are based on the assumption that financial information provided in the >


2003, 2004 and 2005 audits are accurately represented and complete.

• A limitation of the Evaluation may be that responses from case workers and child-care professionals are based primarily on observation and they may have a limited knowledge in child developmental work and intervention programs.

• A limitation of the Evaluation is that considerably more information on child abuse, family reunification and visitation centers is available but not incorporated here.

• A limitation is also imposed on the extent of information obtained through background research. In order for this information to be incorporated into future Arizonans for Children’s programming, a more in-depth study of existing research is required.

• A limitation of the Evaluation may be that it is restricted only to those respondents participating in this evaluation; other non-participating individuals may express differing opinions.

• A limitation of the Evaluation is that final results have been averaged and extrapolated from surveys returned.

• This Evaluation has all the limitations associated with

survey and interview research and application.

• Data collection began in November 2008 and was completed on January 2009.

• There were 197 respondents.

ConclusionOn the whole, several themes and implications emerge from this survey:

• From 2006 to 2009, the proportion of families using the Visitation Centers and seeking reunification has remained steadily higher than the proportion of all Arizona families with children in out of home care and a case plan goal of reunification.

• The vast majority of respondents had reliable transportation to the centers.

• More often than not, families using the Visitation Centers are visiting children ages one to five years old.

• There is preliminary evidence to suggest that variance in the length of time families use the Visitation Centers is decreasing. More specifically, given the clustering of respondents in the “Regularly Over Six Months” and “5-15 [visits]” categories, it is possible that a routine or average length of time using the Visitation Centers is emerging. To speculate further, it is possible that families are

reunifying more quickly and are therefore meeting their state-appointed goals.

• Respondents indicated extreme satisfaction with the Visitation Centers in various ways, including the overwhelming perception among respondents that the Centers play a prominent role in promoting family interaction.

The response we received to the final question on the survey – would you use the Visitation Center again? – seems to be emblematic of how our clients perceive the overall value of the Visitation Centers. A staggering 96% of respondents said that they intended to continue using the Visitation Centers. Seven respondents left this question blank and only one respondent stated that she hoped not to have to use the Centers after a specific date. Factoring in this respondent’s opinion that the Visitation Centers were the most important factor in her efforts to reunify with her daughter, it appears that this respondent would continue using the Centers if her visits continue.

In closing, we are inspired by this snapshot of our efforts and the efforts of all of our families. We are excited to continue our endeavors to understand and facilitate the process of family visitation and development. ♥


Many thanks to Arizonans for Children’s large Donors & Partners:DonorS

2010 - 2011 CASh FunDIng SourCeS $2,000 AnD uP

C.W. Neely Foundation - $25,000 (March 2011)BHHS Legacy Foundation - $20,000 (January 2010)In-N-Out Burger Foundation - $12,000

(December 2010)Bank of America - $15,000 (August 2010)Season For Sharing - $10,000 (March 2011)James A. Rae Charitable Trust - $10,000 (July 2010)Chris Cole - $10,000 (August 2010)Nierling Foundation - $10,000 (July 2010)Sundt Foundation - $6,000 (December 2010)Boeing Employees Community Fund - $5,750

(January 2010)Snell & Wilmer Law Firm - $5,000 (December 2010)Fennemore Craig Law Firm - $5,000

(November 2010) Phoenix Coyotes - $5,000 (July 2010)Phoenix Rotary 100 - $5,000 (December 2010)Otto & Edna Neely Foundation - $5,000 (March 2011)Lina Juliber Charitable Foundation - $4,000

(January 2010)Kenneth J. Sherk- $3,800 (December 2010)Maricopa County Bar Foundation - $3,325

(June 2010)J. W. Kieckhefer Foundation - $3,000

(December 2010)Bonnett Fairbourn Law Firm - $2,500

(December 2010)Fred Paine - $2,500 (December 2010)Dr. Richard Morgan - $2,400 (December 2010)Kaye McCarthy - $2,000 (December 2010)City of Peoria - $2,000 (July 2010)Margaret T. Morris Foundation - $2,000

(December 2010)Atwood Health Foundation - $2,000 (January 2010)

PArtnerS

Americorps VISTA Angel TreeArizona Diamondbacks Arizona Helping Hands Arizona Model Railroading Society Arizona Science CenterArizona State University Ballet ArizonaBank of AmericaBlankets for BabiesBogle Junior High School Boy Scouts of AmericaBurlington Northern & Santa Fe Railroad C3 Dance StudioCasa Grande Museum & Archeological Park Celebration Lutheran Church Desert Heritage Church Earl’s Academy of Beauty Enchanted Island Amusement ParkFeeney’s RestaurantFennemore Craig PC Law FirmGrace Walk Community ChurchHandsON Greater PhoenixKenyon Plastering, Inc Mesa Community CollegeNational Charity League - Ahwatukee Foothills ChapterNational Council of Jewish Women Phoenix Art MuseumPhoenix MercuryPhoenix Suns Phoenix Symphony Phoenix VolunteersProject LinusShepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church Singular Sensation Dance StudioSunland Village Templo Maranatha The Room StoreTrinity Greek Orthodox ChurchToys for TotsUniversity of Advancing Technology USTA Southwest Central Arizona

• A R I Z O N A N S F O R C H I L D R E N , I N C .

DirectorsPresident . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kaye McCarthyVice�President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kenneth J. Sherk

Fennemore Craig

Treasurer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Charlie HilsabeckKenyon Plastering

Secretary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anthony EhmannFennemore Craig

Don Bivens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Snell & Wilmer

Susan Ciupak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fennemore Craig

Anna Garcia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . U.S. Bank

Maggie Raborn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .The Room Store

Jose Tezanos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fennemore Craig

Ted F. Warner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Warner, Angle, Hallam, Jackson & Formanek

AFC�StaffLifebook�Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Susanne SauerMentor/Tutor�Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Annie AnsellVisitation�Centers�Director . . . . . . .Carol Siekmann

Advisory�BoardJohn Bouma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Snell & Wilmer

William ClementsValerie ManningAl Molina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Molina Jewelers

Honorary�BoardHon. Janet Napolitano . . Secretary of Homeland Security

Hon. Jan Brewer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Governor of Arizona

Hon. Phil Gordon . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mayor of City of Phoenix

Betsy Bayless . . . CEO, Maricopa Integrated Health Services

Eddie BashaJackie Flowers

www.arizonansforchildren.org

2435�E.�LaJolla�Dr.�|�Tempe,�Arizona�85282�|�480.838.0085

a publication by arizonans for children, inc. summer 2011 · meaningful, practical and fun for...

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