Dear Friends,

Thank you for your past support of Arizona Youth Partnership (AZYP) on Arizona Gives Day and throughout the year. I’m reaching out to tell you how AZYP is handling this day differently this year. We know that many organizations are in tremendous need to even keep their doors open and keep their staff employed. Through your past generosity, we are blessed to have stable funding at this time during this crisis.

In a normal year, we would be asking you to consider giving to us again. This year, we are asking for something different.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our lives in ways we cannot have imagined, and I’m sure there are more changes to come. Our commitment to the youth and families of Arizona is unchanged. Our mission is to build solid foundations for youth and families by partnering with Arizona communities to prevent and solve local issues such as substance abuse, youth homelessness, lack of educational opportunities, teen pregnancy, and challenging family dynamics. Our shelter teams in Kingman, Bullhead City, and Prescott Valley have continued to care for the youth entrusted to their care. Our case workers for the Starting Out Right program that supports pregnant and parenting teens continue to serve their clients via online video chat, email, and telephone. The remaining facilitators and administration staff have transitioned to teleworking. The incredible creative minds of our staff have, with the help of our curriculum publishers, been coming up with new and innovative ways to reach the at-risk youth of Arizona. Our programs are taught in partnership with dozens of schools around the state, and with the announcement that school will not be in session again this year, we will continue to work to find ways to assist in the delivery of our greatly needed prevention programs.

As I said earlier, Arizona Gives Day is coming up next Tuesday, April 7th. This year, here is what we would like to ask: Follow Governor Ducey’s Stay Home, Stay Healthy, Stay Connected order of March 30, 2020. By physically isolating ourselves, we can slow the curve of community spread; Strengthen your family by having dinner together, playing board games, and enjoying this unexpected time together; Send messages of hope to essential workers via social media by using the hashtag #thankyouessentialworkers; Support local blood drives, blood banks have reached a critical shortage during this time.

Open Doors Community School will be hosting a blood drive on April 8th at 13644 Sandario Road, Marana, AZ 85653. AZYP will be hosting a drive on April 14th at 7575 W Twin Peaks Road, Tucson, AZ 85743. You can sign up for either of these drives at this link. That’s it! Of course if you are able and would like to participate in Arizona Gives Day for Arizona Youth Partnership, you can click here, and donate during the the power hour from 9-10am, or all day! If you are using this time to complete your taxes, and would like to make a tax credit eligible donation, you can do that at azyp.org/donate. Most of all, we want you and your family to be safe and healthy.

We are continuing our mission. Our staff is working on innovative ways to go virtual for the current time, and we look forward to delivering our services to youth and families in person again throughout Arizona when this pandemic is over.

In health,

Lori Malangone

Chief Executive Officer