I thought my friend Dale was coming to say hi and tour the Arizona Helping Hands facility where we provide essential needs to children in Arizona’s foster care system.  It turned out that Dale and his wife Pam were not stopping in for a social visit, they were coming to access our assistance.

Foster Dads don’t have nine months to wrap their heads around the responsibilities of parenting. They are called on often at a moment’s notice because children desperately need that one caring adult who will be present in their lives.

I met Curtis four years ago.  He came to Arizona Helping Hands to receive beds, cribs, clothing, diapers, sports equipment and more to help his family.  His daughter’s life had been tragically stolen in a moment, and his FIVE grandchildren needed grandpa’s love and safety.  Curtis took in his grandchildren despite the fact that as a schoolteacher he had limited resources.

Volunteering is so important to our day to day operations of serving the 14,000+ children in foster care...Your work matters, and we can’t wait to have you back beside us.

The coronavirus has shut down or slowed down many businesses throughout the United States, but the essential services provided to children in foster care by Arizona Helping Hands have continued on through the storm.

Governor Doug Ducey has again issued a proclamation declaring the month of May to be Foster Care Awareness Month.  The Governor urges “all citizens to do something positive to improve the lives of children in foster care.”

The coronavirus pandemic has challenged businesses to take a hard look at how they operate and utilize their team to continue to be viable in this environment. For nonprofits like Arizona Helping Hands whose services have been deemed essential, the question is how to make our services available to families in need while keeping our staff and an army of volunteers safe.