Child Crisis Arizona Completes $25 Million Fostering Bright Futures Campaign; Funds Support Construction of Child Crisis Arizona Center for Child & Family Wellness

(PHOENIX ­– November 30, 2023) – Child Crisis Arizona is pleased to announce the formal completion of its three-year, $25 million Fostering Bright Futures Campaign, which supports the construction of the Child Crisis Arizona Center for Child & Family Wellness, a 38,000-square-foot, climate-friendly, net-zero campus that is set to open in 2024. The state-of-the-art Center for Child & Family Wellness will offer a broad spectrum of programs and services, including counseling, parenting classes, and child enrichment activities, all designed to create a safe, nurturing, and supportive environment where children and families can thrive. The facility, a statewide center of excellence, will be a testament to the power of community collaboration and the transformative impact of philanthropy.

The campaign announcement was made during Child Crisis Arizona’s annual Donor Appreciation Luncheon at the Royal Palms on Nov. 28. Among those in attendance were senior leadership members from The Diane & Bruce Halle Foundation, Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust, The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation, APS Foundation, Thunderbird Charities, The Kemper & Ethel Marley Foundation, and the Neely Foundation.

“We were beyond thrilled to gather so many incredible donors together in one place, on Giving Tuesday no less, to celebrate them and show our appreciation for their generosity,” said Torrie Taj, CEO of Child Crisis Arizona. “Their transformational gifts have allowed us to realize the vision of a centralized campus in Mesa, providing crucial wraparound services for children and families in need.”

The news comes on the heels of Child Crisis Arizona’s expansion of services statewide in recent weeks. In addition to its current comprehensive programs and services, Child Crisis Arizona is now partnered with Arizona’s early childhood agency, First Things First, to provide resources for every baby born in Arizona by delivering free Parent Kits to hospitals and birthing centers. They also have staff with boots on the ground throughout Arizona to mentor and support youth with its Extended Foster Care program.

“Child Crisis Arizona always answers the call for those in need,” said Steve Zabilski, president and CEO of the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust. “The gifts given in support of the new Center for Child & Family Wellness will enable the agency to expand its reach and provide even more children and families with the support and resources they need to overcome life’s challenges.”

Although this capital campaign fundraising effort has successfully closed, this is just the start of an incredible effort to ensure Child Crisis Arizona continues to meet the ever-growing needs of the community. Already this year, the organization has served over 20,000 individuals through prevention and intervention programs and is on track to double that in 2023. With this in mind, the agency continues to pursue other active campaigns, like their annual Tax Credit campaign that allows Arizona taxpayers a dollar-for-dollar tax credit against state tax liability by contributing Arizona Qualifying Foster Care Organization.

For more information about Child Crisis Arizona and its programs, or to inquire about opportunities for involvement and support, please visit childcrisisaz.org or contact Justin Duran, Vice President of Development & Communications at Justin.Duran@childcrisisaz.org.

About the Child Crisis Arizona Center for Child & Family Wellness

Set to open in 2024, the Center for Child & Family Wellness will centralize Child Crisis Arizona operations and become the new home to services for low-income children and families, including foster care and adoption services; family education; children’s counseling; health and wellness, basic needs; centralized kitchen and food distribution; centralized administration and philanthropy; foster teen programs; art, dance, and music therapy; and volunteer and staff training. It will also allow for strategic collaborations with such organizations as Ballet Arizona, United Food Bank, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona.

At full build-out, the Center for Child & Family Wellness will feature:

• Meeting rooms that can convert into larger spaces for community classes aimed at providing educational opportunities ranging from financial literacy to parenting skills to drug trends in teens.
• A Health and Community Wellness area, which will include space for wellness exams, basic needs distribution, and food distribution.
• An art and music therapy space, hosting partnerships with Ballet Arizona and bringing the arts to vulnerable children within our organization and community.
• A Counseling Support Center with four sensory and play therapy rooms.
• A Foster Care and Adoption wing, offering foster or adoptive families realistic training and ongoing support to prepare them for placement of children of all ages and backgrounds.
• A donation center and a volunteer center.
• A full-service kitchen to provide meals for our clients throughout the east valley.
• A Safe Kids Car Seat Safety Station, across the parking lot, that will offer classes on proper car seat installation and will distribute free car or booster seats to low-income families.

Additional spaces include a children’s playroom, community partner hub, technology center, job skills center, and innovation space.

The two-story campus will be among the first of its kind in Arizona to put sustainability at the forefront, meeting the highest level of standards for Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and attaining a Living Futures Petal Project Certification.

About Child Crisis Arizona

Since 1977, Child Crisis Arizona (CCA) has served vulnerable children and families in Arizona and is committed to preventing child abuse and neglect through education and intervention. CCA offers emergency shelter and residential care for children and youth from birth to 21 and offers foster care and adoption services, early education as well communitywide parenting classes, workshops, support groups and much more. Child Crisis Arizona has positively impacted nearly 100,000 children and families since its inception. Visit childcrisisaz.org to learn more.