Tucson nonprofit honoring community members who help children, families

Arizona ranks poorly among states in overall child well-being, and a force of volunteers and staff at Child & Family Resources is determined to change the statistics.

They will shine a light on community members who are assisting in that effort during the 10th Anniversary Champions for Children and Families Luncheon on April 9 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Reid Park.

“Those numbers really jump out at you; they are so troubling. We have 92,000 children statewide in the care of young parents between the ages of 18 and 24, and 75 percent of those are living below the poverty line,” said Lindsay Vix, development assistant with Child & Family Resources. “The bright spot this year is that Arizona has become a champion of home visitation programs where we can address those constituencies.”

Child & Family Resources is at the forefront of the home visitation program movement, serving 20,000 individuals in their homes statewide; 8,900 of those reside in Pima County.

“Home visitation is really important in the birth to age 5 group since preschool and early childhood education hasn’t been well funded in our state,” Vix said. “Many of the parents we work with struggle with financial hardships. They have few resources and less time to invest in their kids and are under lots of stress, which can hinder effective parenting. Our home visitation programs offer family support specialists and parent educators who go directly into the homes to provide support networks and resources for these families.”

Child & Family Resources in-home support includes Healthy Families and First Steps, which provide prenatal and child development education and support; and Building Bright Futures, which utilizes a Parents as Teachers curriculum for parents of children from birth through age 5.

The nonprofit also offers programs for parents and guardians of teens; provides hands-on training for best practices to local child-care providers and offers special resources for young parents ages 12 to 19 in Pima County. It also spearheads a variety of programs and workshops geared toward middle school and high school students, including Mobilization for Positive Futures; Strengthening Families; Liberty Partnership Kino Neighborhoods Council; and Guy Talk for boys ages 14 to 17.

“Prevention programs for youth are a major growth area. We teach kids to build resiliency and look at affirmed consent, which is all about encouraging communication about boundaries and the responsibility of both parties in a relationship to understand and respect each other’s limits,” said Vix.

The upcoming luncheon highlights the diverse programming while celebrating those who are vital to the organization’s mission, said Linda May, member of the board of directors and co-chair of the event with Dr. Eve Shapiro.

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May credits honorees Mary Jan Bancroft, winner of the Martha K. Rothman Lifetime Achievement Award, and Gabe Zimmerman Emerging Champion Award winners Lauren Deakin and Tai Summers with distinguishing themselves as community advocates for children and families.

Bancroft is the founder of Make Way for Books, a nonprofit dedicated to early literacy that provides programs and services to 30,000 Southern Arizona children annually. Deakin is a prosecutor with the Pima County Attorney’s Office and Summers is a Pima County deputy attorney; both have worked extensively to prosecute cases of domestic violence, child physical abuse, child sexual abuse and online crimes against children.

“I believe that showcasing these honorees helps to make Tucson a more just and compassionate community; people realize the good works that others do and are encouraged by them,” said May.

May said her experiences in the nonprofit world taught her that it is vital to show gratitude to the unsung heroes working to improve society.

“That is part of being a good member of the community: You need to thank all of the people who do the work that you are not able to do for one reason or another,” she said.

She also believes a healthy community is built on a foundation of healthy children and families.