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Local Events
June & July - SARRC
ASA-GPC Meeting June 23 - Paradise Valley
Contact us for more information on any of these events.
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Link of the Month
Check out "Maximum Potential Kids," a complete DVD training program for parents or therapists on Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA).
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The "Thank You" Issue  For this issue of "Co-op Culture," AZA United would like to pay tribute to some very generous people and companies that have recently shared their talents, time and products to support our mission and help us help our children and families. Everyone featured here had something unique to offer that might interest you too, so take a look and see what you find! They all carry the AZA United seal of approval :-)
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Thank You for the Moments  Three local photographers conducted personalized photo shoots for some of our children and families. The results speak well over a 1000 words, and will be featured in our upcoming annual report, new brochure, and hallway museum-style pictures. Melissa Jill, who also captured some unfogettable moments at last year's candlelight vigil for the autism insurance bill, specializes in wedding photography. See more at www.melissajill.com. Audra Little, who also photographed last year's AZA United annual meeting, specializes in family portraiture and events. See more at www.audralittlephotography.com. Yvonne Hunter, who photographed our youngest attendees at this year's annual meeting, specializes in infant and child photography. See more at www.littleonesaz.com. Looking for the perfect documentarian? Make sure to call Melissa, Audra and Yvonne! And even if you're not...check out their websites anyway for fun because they're really good!!
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Thank You for the Atmosphere  We are so amazed by the work of Emily, our volunteer muralist (assuming that is a real word). Emily came to us through a glowing recommendation from one of our families who had a Peter Pan mural painted in their son's room. With absolutely no hesitation Emily offered to volunteer and paint a customized beach scene mural in our children's play area, instantly creating a world of itself within the office. Emily's talent seems unsurpassed to us, and she carries a contagiously upbeat attitude to boot! Come visit our office and see for yourself, our just visit Emily's website at www.muralsbyemily.com. You won't be dissapointed!
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Thank You for the Teaching Tools  What good is a clinic without supplies? We have been keeping ourselves busy gearing up for the launch of our new Training and Assessment Center later this year, a skill-building observable clinic located within the office where we can conduct child assessments and implement new programs, train habilitators, and provide ongoing support to families. As any parent who has run a home program knows, therapy supplies are not cheap. The issue is multiplied for us as we gather a wide enough range of items to accomodate the span of the spectrum and the many different children that will visit us. For this reason we are very grateful to three companies that responded to our requests and donated some of their valuable teaching products. Different Roads to Learning is a supplier of a variety of educational tools, including flashcards and videos, for children with autism. Great Ideas for Teaching offers speech and language enhancing products, including a series of social and language skill building workbooks for kids and adolescents - the best we've ever seen! Stages Learning carries teaching supplies specifically for autism, such as flashcards and games. As you shop around to find what might work best for your child, be sure to visit these three excellent websites!
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Thank You for the Comfort Zones  Our goal is to make each visit a memorable one for the children so that they are excited to come back and keep learning new skills. On that note, we're grateful for the next two companies for donating an outstanding selection of children's furniture and sensory equipment that are sure to make any situation a lively yet comfortable one. IKEA Tempe provided us with the latest in cool kids' furniture, like an egg chair, a teddy bear seat and a rocking moose. Affordable Therapy Solutions, a family business located here in Surprise, has a wide range of sensory based equipment and supplies, including weighted blankets, swings, and more. They started the business after experiencing the financial pressures themselves of raising a child with special needs. We are especially grateful for their donation - not only did they contribute many valuable products for a range of needs, but they built several items with their bare hands! Well, there may have been gloves involved, but you get the idea. If you are in the market for high quality sensory equipment, make sure to check them out first. Thank you IKEA and Affordable Therapy Solutions!
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And We'd Also Like to Thank...YOU!  Last but absolutely not least, we want to thank you. Whoever you are, whatever your connection is to AZA United, you are reading this now and thus supporting our ongoing hard work to constantly improve available services and supports for children with autism and their families in Arizona. Whether you are an employee with relentless patience and determination to make a difference in the life of a child, or a parent who has experienced the power of sharing our resources and working together for a greater good, or a supporter that donates time or money to see a worthy mission reach its potential, or anyone else that simply takes the time to notice what's going on in the local autism community...Thank you.
We know we are not the first to tell you that a challenging year lies ahead of us. The whole world is feeling it, and AZA United will be no exception. As we brace for a tightening state budget, our staff and board are carefully analyzing and considering how we can sustain funding cuts without sacrificing our commitment to quality and continuous improvement. We will need support from other sources more than ever. If you would like to help by contributing financially or otherwise, please contact us. As you've seen in this newsletter, there are many ways to help. Together, as a community, we will move forward. That's the co-op culture! | |
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Thanks for all you do, and don't forget to tell us what else we can do...for you! |
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