Kris Jacober with Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation and Tamanie Sheldon with Arizonas Children Association E1
On this episode of 3C Amplified we discuss the needs of foster children, their foster families and the agencies who serve them. Did you know that each day in the State of Arizona approximately 24 children will come into foster care? Kris Jacober, Executive Director of Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation shared this statistic as well as her agency’s mission to help bring some normalcy to the lives of children and teens in care. Last year her nonprofit was able to grant more than $1Million so children and teens in foster care could participate in extracurricular activities, like sports and music, post-secondary education and for life’s surprises, like car maintenance.
Tamanie Sheldon, Program Director for Arizona’s Children Association, relayed the message that there is a great need for families willing to care for teens in foster care. Her agency is spending the month of May, also known as National Foster Care Month, recruiting new families to fill this need.
Want to get involved and help make a difference? Listen now to hear how you as a business owner or individual can help by becoming a mentor, hosting a backpack or toy drive, offer free event space, or participate in AFFCF’s Keys to Success Program.
The mission of the Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation is to improve the lives of children in foster care in Arizona by funding social, athletic and educational activities and items that are not paid for in any other way. AFFCF pays for athletic registration, music lessons, theme park tickets, martial arts, gymnastics, summer camp, swim lessons and more. AFFCF also funds post-secondary scholarships for young men and women who have aged out of foster care. And, the AFFCF Keys to Success program provides one on one career development and employment services for youth in foster care and who have aged out of foster care, ages 16-21.
Kris Jacober is Executive Director of the Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation and President of the Arizona Association for Foster and Adoptive Parents. Kris is most proud of her role as foster mom, and the care that she and her family have provided for 17 children in foster care over 15 years.
Prior to joining the Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation in 2011, Kris filled marketing, communications and fundraising positions at Arizona’s Children Association and Aid to Adoption of Special Kids.
Kris is a graduate of the University of Michigan and moved to Arizona to ‘never be cold again.’ She is also a graduate of Valley Leadership Class XVII. Kris and her husband Joe were recognized by the Children’s Action Alliance as the 2013 Phoenix “Champions for Children.” She is also active in the ‘Recycle Your Bicycle” drive to collect and refurbish bikes for children in foster care. Kris and her husband Joe have been married for more than 33 years and have three children.
Follow AFFCF on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
Arizona’s Children Association (AzCA) is the best resource for helping children and families in the state. Our mission is to protect children, empower youth and strengthen families. Founded in 1912, we are now one of the oldest and largest statewide child welfare and behavioral health nonprofit agencies in Arizona. Our professionally trained, caring and dedicated staff provides a broad spectrum of services that help create and sustain a healthy family environment. We meet the needs of our local communities by providing foster care & adoption, behavioral health services, family preservation & reunification, kinship services, parenting education, and transitional youth services. Our programs serve more than 40,000 children, individuals and families in all 15 counties of the state each year. AzCA is nationally accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA).
Tamanie Sheldon has worked in Child Welfare cumulatively for 11 years and worked specifically with Arizona’s Children Association in different capacities for nearly 6 of those years. Tamanie currently works as the Program Director of Foster Care and Adoption for Arizona’s Children Association and co-chairs for the Project Jigsaw committee. She has a Bachelor’s in Social Work from Arizona State University and continues to be an ambassador for the children and youth in foster care and the LGBTQ community within the child welfare realm; assuring persons from the LGBTQ community have the resources and information to become parents through foster care and/or adoption.
Follow AzCA on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
About 3C Amplified
3C Amplified is a space to highlight businesses, nonprofit organizations and individuals collaborating to amplify their impact in the community. We share real world examples for how partnerships allow for growth both within our businesses and our communities. Listen in as we share how others are connecting, creating and collaborating and how you can be part of something greater.
About Jacqueline Destremps
Jacqueline Destremps is a creative marketing strategist and founded Another Hand Advantage, LLC in 2014 to help community minded small business owners and nonprofit professionals move forward more confidently with their marketing strategy. After graduating from Arizona State University with a degree in Psychology, she has spent her professional career working in both the nonprofit and for-profit sector.
She now enjoys being self-employed and the flexibility it provides to allow more time to volunteer, serve on nonprofit boards, choose pro-bono projects, run 100+ Women Who Care Valley of the Sun (which she co-founded in 2014) and travel the world. Jacqueline believes in creating connections between businesses and nonprofits in the community to stimulate growth and collaboration.
