June Newsletter

Teamwork

Helping Today, Building Tomorrow

June 2017 - Issue #118

www.AZAunited.org

In this issue...

Photo Contest

Parent Training

Frys Community Rewards

AZA Online

Announcements

Available Services

Job Opportunities

Employee Resources

Tax Credit Donations

Funding for Services

Recent Blogs

Link of the Month

The AZ Department of Education has youth and family scholarships available for the 17th Annual Transition Conference in Scottsdale, AZ. Scholarship application deadline is June 30th.

CLICK HERE

Send Your Family Photos to Win Prizes

Enter our annual contest for families! Send us your high resolution photos to be part of our 2017 AZA Families photo collage.

Our theme is This Is Our Family. Choose your favorite pictures and complete the following sentences with your submission:

"Our family ______."
"AZA Family since________."

See the photo above for ideas. Other examples include:

"Our family is a team and we help each other out - AZA family since 2011"

"As a family, we enjoy outdoor activities - AZA Family since 2015"

Creativity is encouraged! The deadline is Monday, July 10th. Prizes include, gift cards, movie tickets, tickets to sport events, toys, etc.

How to enter:

Visit this website to upload your photos securely: www.hightail.com/u/AZAunited
Submit as many as you like! Send us the largest file size you have for best quality.
You will be asked to provide the text to accompany your photo(s), your full name and email so we can follow up with you.

Use of photos:

AZA United may use submitted photos for different materials such as staff trainings, public presentations, fundraising events, website, social media, etc. By entering the AZA United Photo Contest, you authorize AZA United to use photos submitted at AZA United's sole discretion. Contact us with any questions or special requests.
See last year's photo contest video here.

Parent Training Class Begins in July

Sign up now for Family Fundamentals, a hands-on program for parents to learn strategies that improve your child's communi cation, socialization and behavior.

Parent training is the primary focus of Family Fundamentals. Parents are trained to implement specific strategies, allowed ample time to practice implementation, and receive immediate feedback by a highly experienced clinician.

The cost of this program is designed to allow any family to participate without financial barriers. We have scholarships available for any family needing financial assistance.

Classes begin July 3rd. Enroll now - space is limited! For more info and to register, click here.

AZA Families Attend Comicon

We would like to thank Phoenix Comicon and Square Egg Entertainment for gifting us vouchers to Phoenix Comicon. Approximately 150 individuals were able to enjoy this event at no cost.

For Arizona Autism United, it is important that families have the opportunity to attend events in the community. Families discovered their inner geek and were able to make great memories within the exhibitor hall and panel discussions with their favorite stars! Families were excited to see Autism featured at Comicon. David Beaty, the creator of Focus (the new superhero with Autism) and Stacey Gordon, the local puppeteer who plays Sesame Street's Julia, were on hand to greet fans.

Here are some quotes that our families shared:

"My kids loved it! We had a blast. They were in awe of all the costumes. Thank you AZA!!"

"My boys were so excited to attend! They've never been to Comicon and loved to people watch. They got to meet Jack Sparrow and the Minions. Thank you again!"

For opportunities like this, continue to read our monthly newsletters and follow us on Facebook!

Shop at Fry's and Help AZA

Do your grocery shopping at Fry's, and support Arizona Autism United with the Fry's Community Rewards Program. Every time you shop at any Fry's store a percentage of your purchase will be donated to AZA. It doesn't cost you anything and it is very easy.
All you have to do is complete the steps below:

1) Sign up for an online Fry's account at https://www.frysfood.com/account/create (skip this step if you already have one)

2) Go to https://www.frysfood.com/topic/new-community-rewards-program

3) Select Enroll Now

4) Sign in using your email & password

5) Type 53510 to find Arizona Autism United as your organization for the Community Rewards Program

6) Select the box next to the AZA United's name

7) Then click on Save Changes or Enroll. That is it!

Once you have completed these steps, you will be connected to AZA United. Then every time you shop at Fry's, make sure to give your cashier your Fry's V.I.P. card or client ID number. AZA United will automatically get a donation from Fry's to help fund our programs for families.

If you have any questions or you need help please contact us at [email protected] or 480-302-5152.

AZA Kids Reach for the Sky

We at AZA United would like to thank American Airlines for hosting Brendan's Flight Experience. The event allowed children with autism to board a stationary plane with the support and guidance of their parents and therapists. The children were able to explore the aircraft, engage with a pilot and flight attendants and tour the maintenance facility of the American Airlines Hangar at Sky Harbor International Airport. Some of the children who participated had previously flown with much anxiety and reluctance to board an aircraft. Families were able to share their previous flight experiences with American Airlines staff to help guide the company in making travel easier for families affected by autism.

The mother of one of the participants shared, "Thank you AZA & American Airlines for giving us the opportunity to have this wonderful and extremely helpful experience! My son refused to sit down on our last trip and we were escorted out of the airplane. I did everything I could but my son was so anxious and scared. Today with your help, we were able to practice going inside the plane and out so hopefully our next trip will be much better! Thank you AZA for always helping us!"

Picture of the Month Happy showing off his AZA shirt and getting ready for Comicon! Got a great picture? Share the love! Email us at [email protected]