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Family Camp means different things to different people. For the children, it can mean the company of others whose journey parallels their own. For parents, it can mean the very same thing. But for some, family camp can be a reality check. AZAFAP provides these Foster/Adoption/Kinship family-friendly get-aways twice annually (a third is rumored). The... Read More

I have been responsible for the oversight and management of large groups and small groups of employees over the span of my career. Many years ago I coined the term “quirk dynamics” to describe this experience. Diversity in the workplace brings many gifts but it also brings many misunderstandings and conflicts as a result of... Read More

I sat with foster and adoptive parents at AZAFAP’s Family Camp in Prescott a few weeks ago. I’ve been attending Family Camp for about 20 years now. It would be hard to say which part of it I like best but the dance on Saturday night has to be up there. This year it was... Read More

I moved from a large city to a small rural college town 4 years ago.  I have kept busy with grandchildren and building a house. I stay in touch with old friends, now scattered all over the country. I am fortunate to feel close to both of my children.  Finally, I get to run into... Read More

I remember a teen I worked with long ago; some people just stay with you forever for lots of different reasons.  (Heads up: This is a pretty dark memory.) I was very young and way in over my head as a therapist at a residential treatment center in a large city. I’ll call him Sam.... Read More

Kris Jacober, Linda Bee and Nancy Williams recently went to Las Vegas to bring this home! The work of AZAFAP impressed the folks at NACAC enough to decide to bestow on us this great honor and recognition of all we do. Kinship, Adoptive and Foster Families in Arizona have enjoyed to benefits of the many... Read More

I saw a wonderful piece of research the other day out of Harvard (https://medium.com/thrive-global/this-75-year-harvard-study-reveals-the-secret-to-happiness-and-success-3cf0002510fe).  It followed 456 poor people in Boston from 1939 to 2014 (the Grant Study) 268 graduates from Harvard’s classes of 1939–1944 (the Glueck study) It concludes that nearly everything in life is impacted by WHO is around you, and how those... Read More

[et_pb_section bb_built="1"][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text _builder_version="3.19.3"] The work of a foster parent is so very underestimated. The work of any caregiver is chronically under-valued and under-appreciated but the “work” a foster parent takes on is unique in this regard.  This work is done in one’s own home; there is no retreat from a traditional workspace, no separation... Read More

What does love look like for a 3-year-old boy whose mother is in jail? As the Director of Family Support Services, calls like this always came to my desk. Often the inquiry was about the children seen in the Wednesday’s Child segment on Channel 12.  Sometimes, an adoptive parent was looking to understand what the... Read More

I’m an intermittent reader.  For years I will read voraciously but sometimes I hit dry spells and struggle to get through anything. I try to let myself put books down that haven’t caught my interest or are otherwise disappointing but after reading Lonesome Dove, this is really hard.  It got so good after starting out... Read More