Annual Meeting Shows Community in Action

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Every year, our Annual Meeting and Community Impact Celebration reminds me of why this work matters.

This year's breakfast brought together so many of the business and community leaders who make northern Arizona the special place it is. We celebrated the close of a very successful annual campaign and reflected on the difference we can make when we work together.

Outgoing Board Chair Armando Ruiz said it beautifully: "I have been able to witness first-hand the power of partnership and collective impact. I am so proud of the work we are doing with youth."

From the desk of:

Liz Archuleta

President & CEO

A highlight of our meeting was hearing about the successes of four programs United Way of Northern Arizona supports through collaboration with nonprofit partners, who illustrated how your investment is transforming lives.

Boys and Girls Club of Flagstaff Branch Director Amy Miller noted that with help from UWNA, the Club served 350 young people last year with tutoring, arts, workforce readiness, and leadership development programs. She shared the story of Julia, a high school freshman and three-year Club member whose leadership earned her an invitation to the Summit for America's Youth in Washington, D.C., where she'll meet with members of Congress to advocate for young people. That's what this community's generosity makes possible.

Superintendent Michael Penca of the Flagstaff Unified School District celebrated UWNA's 20-year partnership with FUSD with the KinderCamp™ program, which helps children with little or no preschool experience start kindergarten ready and confident. He also shared how during the recent government shutdown, UWNA provided $13,750 in grocery gift cards to support families. The cards were distributed to families by teachers and counselors.

Stuck Community Flagstaff Executive Director and Licensed Acupuncturist Nox Chetcuti described how United Way funding helped Stuck expand its Mobile AcuDetox services for at-risk youth, bringing trauma-informed acupuncture and wellness care into community spaces where young people already are. The outcomes after a single session are striking: 95% of participants reported reduced stress, 88% felt increased self-worth, and 79% experienced decreased anxiety and depression. She even gave attendees a demonstration of how acupressure on the ears can reduce stress. It was a reminder that innovative, accessible care can open doors for young people who need it most.

Dawn Bogart Co-CEO of the Homeless Youth Connection, said its mission was to help Arizona's vast number of homeless highschoolers, who are 87% more likely to drop out than their stably housed peers. HYC serves 700 youth ages 13–21 across 130 high schools — and 95% of them stay in school and complete their education. That number says everything.

The morning also gave us a chance to celebrate some big milestones from this past year: KinderCamp expanding into Holbrook and Joseph City, the opening of the WellPoint Bijou Teen Center in Holbrook, and our inaugural Youth Leadership Summit.

We said a warm thank you to retiring board members Josh Maher and Mark Cox, and welcomed incoming members David Martinez III, Eric Fernandez, and Ethan Amos. Congratulations to our new officers: Board Chair Kyla Garrison, Vice Chair Todd Parker, and Secretary/Treasurer Steve Peru. Armando Ruiz also will stay on as our immediate past chair.

We were also proud to honor these outstanding individuals and organizations:

Helping Hands Award — Beth Otterstein & Beth Giacalone
Community Builder Award — Nestlé Purina Petcare
New Campaign Award — Mountain Line
United is the Way Award — Grow Arizona Workforce Network
Stepping Up for Youth Award — Scott Pettitt and the Wharton Foundation, and Mayor Becky Daggett and the Flagstaff City Council
Volunteer of the Year Award — Irene Bailey (in memoriam)

We also thanked and recognized Armando Ruiz for his two years of service and outstanding contributions as Chair of the Board, and Gabe Smith of Kinney for her untiring commitment and dedication as Chair of the UWNA Annual Campaign.

Thank you to our breakfast sponsors: Coconino Community College, Kinney, the City of Flagstaff, Core Construction, and Findlay Toyota. Their support made our celebration possible.

I'll close with the words of our Campaign Chair Gabe Smith because they've stayed with me since the moment she said them at our celebration:

"Long after today is over, what will define this community isn't what we said or celebrated, but the lives that are steadier, stronger, and still standing because our community chose to show up."

Here's to showing up - and showing that United is the Way.

UNITED WAY OF NORTHERN ARIZONA

1515 E. Cedar Ave. Suite D-1 Flagstaff, AZ 86004

928-773-9813 nazunitedway.org

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