Arizona Association for Foster and Adoptive Parents

Each Spring and Fall, about 500 members get together in a park and enjoy food, activities, prizes, and entertainment set up by the pledge class of ASU's fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi. This is also a special event as it gives parents time to engage with other parents who are on a similar journey. Parents can share stories and resources, or connect children with former foster siblings and family or even biological siblings. This is truly an important connection event that families look forward to.

Arizona is hot! What better way to connect with others during those summer months than to go to a nearby resort and have a "staycation"! Families reserve their rooms and sign up for the coolest time of their summer. Included in the staycation are wristbands to the resort's waterpark, goodie bags for the children, and grab and go meals for each member of the family. There is no need to leave this summer oasis so children have all day to play with other children, and parents have all day to relax and connect.

Parenting children from foster care involves nurturing our most vulnerable population. Providing for children from families other than their own and meeting each child's individual special needs can be challenging and tiring. Every parent needs a break now and then, but that is not as easy to come by when you are a foster or adoptive parent. Typical babysitters in the neighborhood do not have the training to support the needs of many of the children. Parents Night Out events provide a safe space for parents to leave their children for a few hours so they can go and take a break. That break may look like doing the necessary shopping, going to a movie, chatting and sharing with other parents, or eating a quiet dinner without interruptions. Parents always come back with a smile on their face, ready for another day with their children!

Parents who are parenting children from foster care need to continue learning as their child grows through different stages of development. Children who have trauma in their past may react to different stages unexpectedly, and parents need some support! Also, foster parents who are continuing their license are required to earn a specific number of hours per year of training to renew. Topics related to the care of children who come from state custody are pertinent to healthy parent-child relationships. Parents are busy, so courses are offered online within an hour timeframe and at a time after the kids are already in bed. Strategies that can be utilized right away are emphasized in these courses. 2021 trainings will focus on educating children as well as the Neurosequential Model for Caregivers training.

This event is held each summer and has visited a variety of venues from the Children's Museum to a sports arena to a resort. Families sign up for the event, participate at the venue as a family, and each child receives a present that is appropriate to their age and developmental level. Over the years, funding for children's presents has been reduced by the state foster care system and families need support to provide these to the children who are currently in their family. AZAFAP includes all children in the family in all of their events whether they are a foster child, a kinship placement, an adopted child, or a biological child. Everyone feels good at this event!

For decades back to school shopping has been a tradition in most homes. Getting those brand new outfits is exciting and important to the self-esteem of youth. This event provides each child in the family with a brand new pair of shoes that they pick out at the shoe store! Families arrive at scheduled times and shop until everyone finds that perfect pair of shoes.

This event involves the community giving back. Typically, aside from 2020, partner businesses and volunteers collect used bicycles from the community. These bicycles are then gathered at a workshop site where hundreds of volunteers pour their time and energy to revitalize the bikes for children from foster care. A big pick up event is held on a weekend in December where parents can pick up the bikes that they have requested.
In conjunction with the Recycle Your Bicycle program, the Holiday Toys are provided to children in families who do not need a bicycle. The toys are brand new and selected based on the children's ages and developmental levels. Typically, parents walk through toy aisles, browsing, and choosing the perfect toy for each child in their family. During the pandemic in 2020, families selected a category of toy for each child and then picked up the requested toys at the bicycle site.

Together in a circle, parents share and learn from one another about ways to strengthen themselves and their families. Circles are established online but grouped geographically across the state so the members can connect with those near them in person when desired.

One of AZAFAP’s goals is to raise awareness of foster care and adoption in the community. These activities include:
• Adoption in the Park - Held in Tucson, AZ, this event celebrates adoptions that are occurring during National Adoption Day. Families gather to celebrate their family officially growing with others in the community for a special day!
• Blue Ribbon Event - May is Foster Care Awareness Month. Awareness is key for the community as those who do not interact typically with foster care may not understand the large numbers of children who have been impacted. This event brings awareness through signs, ribbons, bracelets, or any other creative way to illustrate the needs of children and the need for foster families.
• National Adoption Month- November is the month for Adoption awareness and celebration. In 2020, AZAFAP utilized social media to congratulate families, link to Arizona’s waiting children’s site, and had a drawing for beautiful donated quilts to go to children who were adopted this year.