2020 COMMUNITY ACTION PLAN

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PURPOSE AND STRATEGIES

The Collaboration’s purpose is to increase involvement and investment in proven programs/practices that will have a positive impact on key quality of life indicators around poverty. We accomplish this through an annual process of:

• Research and identify “what works,” or the Collaboration’s “Blue Ribbon programs,” to impact various aspects of poverty. These programs will fall into the United Way’s three impact areas of a) learning, b) empowering, and c) caring. More specifically, the Collaboration is promoting best practices in the following areas:
  
  
  1. Child development
  2. Youth mentoring and character development
  3. Financial counseling and homeownership assistance
  4. Job training and placement assistance
  5. Family counseling and support
  6. Affordable health care alternatives
     
     
  The Collaboration believes that these activities represent key critical support programs needed to help low-wage working families today.
  
  Outside experts assist the Collaboration in selecting six model programs annually. The selection process focuses primarily on program processes and outcomes.

• Bringing Valley leaders together at an annual summit to highlight the issues associated with poverty and profile our Blue Ribbon programs of excellence. A call for experienced business and civic leaders will be made to engage in a process designed to promote community service/awareness.
  
  
• Engage select civic leaders to go through a year long community engagement program where business professionals are linked with the Collaboration’s Blue Ribbon programs. Each participant, working in teams, will partner with these agencies to help them focus on improving an identified weakness in their organization. Results will be highlighted at the next annual City of the Future Summit. Civic leaders will also engage in conversations around community values and involvement. The project is being facilitated by faculty and staff from the University of Phoenix.
  
  
• Solicit broader community action by reaching out to members of the business, faith, government and philanthropic community (in particular, emphasizing the Collaboration’s Blue Ribbon programs).
  
  
• Facilitate collaborative relationships that link those with resources to needs.

GOALS

• Build partnerships to assist our most effective service agencies. This includes encouraging investment and strengthening the capacity of programs that are making a difference along with forging public/private partnerships that meet basic needs.
  
  
• Develop leaders with a commitment to social responsibility. This includes hosting an annual City of the Future summit and providing meaningful leadership engagement and community involvement opportunities.

CURRENT PROGRAMS

AZ LeaderForce

AZ LeaderForce is an initiative of the Collaboration for a New Century. AZ LeaderForce provides the framework to develop a network of compassionate community leaders (“Coaches”) and human service partners (“Blue Ribbon” agencies) that are taking action. By 2020, the Collaboration hopes to engage more than 400 community leaders through AZ LeaderForce who will work with proven programs that will positively impact more than 500,000 people.

Every year, the Collaboration identifies six Blue Ribbon non-profit agencies that have high-potential to positively impact the community, but need a little strategic guidance. These agencies are chosen to participate based on their track record for being innovative, community-based, holistic, collaborative, and outcome-focused. Each agency must also fit into one of six human service categories: child development, youth mentoring, affordable housing, job training, family support and affordable health care.

Coaches are community leaders interested in sharing their expertise with a Blue Ribbon non-profit agency to help improve and expand the agency’s services. Over a nine-month period, the Collaboration brings together teams of Coaches with Blue Ribbon agencies depending on expertise and agency needs. Coaches also have the opportunity to receive training on advanced leadership concepts by faculty from the University of Phoenix and other guest speakers.

See AZ LeaderForce for more information.

 

ANNUAL SUMMIT - CITY OF THE FUTURE 2020

The Collaboration holds an annual "City of the Future 2020 Summit" to raise awareness among business and civic leaders of the struggles of the poor, particularly low-wage working individuals and families, and the importance of increasing prosperity and raising the state’s quality of life.  The Collaboration uses this event to discuss its goal to do something about it by the year 2020, and offer specific ways for the community to get involved.

As the United Way of America’s State of Caring Index has shown, Arizona has hovered near the bottom over the last decade. Notable problems include: housing distress, increasing numbers of high school dropouts, teens using drugs, crime and the medically uninsured, and the rising number of families with children headed by single parents.  However, recent findings suggest that some progress has been made.  Forbes ranked Arizona 36th on its “Best States for Business” ranking in 2009.  This ranking measures six vital categories for businesses: costs, labor supply, regulatory environment, current economic climate, growth prospects, and quality of life. However, the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 2009 “Kids Count” report ranks Arizona 40th in the nation on 10 indicators of child well being, including education, death rates, and poverty.  While conditions are slightly improving, more individual involvement is needed.

The Collaboration uses the Summit to showcase these issues and highlight its work with AZ LeaderForce.  So far, four Summits have been held:

• Over 300 people were in attendance at the First Annual City of the Future 2020 Summit held on September , 2006 at the Camelback Inn.  Featured speaker: Don Soderquist, retired Senior Vice Chairman of the Board of Wal-Mart.
• Over 150 people were in attendance at the Second Annual City of the Future 2020 Summit held on February 29, 2008 at the Tempe Center for the Arts.  Featured speakers: Benito Almanza, President, Bank of America; Jerry Colangelo, Chairman, Phoenix Suns; Rita Davenport, President, Arbonne International Inc.; Vince Roig, Board Chairman, Helios Education Foundation.
• Over 180 people were in attendance at the Third Annual City of the Future 2020 Summit held on March 6, 2009 at the Tempe Center for the Arts.  Featured speaker: Brad Casper, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Dial Corporation.
• Over 160 people were in attendance at the Fourth Annual City of the Future 2020 Summit held on February 26, 2010 at the Marriot Buttes.  Featured speaker: Frank Broyles, former University of Arkansas Football Coach and Athletic Director.

SavingsDrugCard.Com

SavingsDrugCard.com provides a free drug card that will help all Arizonans lower their prescription drug costs.  Interested individuals simply download this card by visiting http://www.SavingsDrugCard.com and can immediately start saving up to 75% at most major pharmacies located in Arizona including: Costco, CVS, K-Mart, Osco, Safeway, Target, Walgreens, and Wal-Mart.

The card is being made possible through a partnership between The Collaboration and United Networks of America, which is one of the largest providers of managed healthcare products and services in the United States with over 240,000 participating providers serving more than 40 million members.

Today in Arizona there is a desperate need to make prescriptions more readily available for the uninsured and the underinsured.  With 19.6 percent of Arizonans lacking health insurance, this issue is significant as the number of uninsured continue to grow.  The Kaiser Foundation also reported that in 2007, Arizonans spend over $3 billion on prescription drugs annually, with the average cost of each prescription at $54.07.  As the numbers of uninsured remain high and the cost of prescription drugs continues to grow, SavingDrugCard.com is a great way to help provide relief at no cost to the user.

Collaboration ACTS

The Collaboration has piloted a volunteer partnership of citizens, faith communities and business organizations to serve the needs of people in Scottsdale - one act at a time.  The initial focus has been providing simple home repairs and improvements for elderly homeowners of limited means.  Examples include: exterior house and trim painting, weed pulling/yard clean up, landscape design and remodeling, spreading new landscape rock, etc.  So far four events have been completed (Fall 2006, Spring 2007, Fall 2007, Spring 2008, Fall 2008, Fall 2009).  Future events are in the works.  "Scottsdale ACTS" partnered with the City of Scottsdale and local non-profit agencies to help 15 elderly and disabled homeowners on nine service weekends.  Over 400 volunteers contributed their time, including members from nine Scottsdale churches.

NON-PROFIT PARTNERSHIPS - BLUE RIBBON AGENCIES

The Collaboration is looking for non-profit organizations to facilitate partnerships with the community.  We identify, through a rigorous screening process, "Blue Ribbon" social service agencies that have proven results.  Six agencies are selected each year and announced at our City of the Future Summit. These agencies receive technical assistance for business executives and civic leaders in a one-year partnership to build their capacity and expand their impact in the community.

Selection criteria. The Collaboration reviews dozens of programs annually that meet the needs of low-income people in our communities.  Building upon the work of the United Way, the Collaboration highlights programs that make the most difference in helping people overcome poverty, based on research and an effectiveness review. These programs fall in three impact areas:

1. Learning – Providing children, youth and adults with opportunities for quality learning and skill development.
2. Empowering - Helping families and individuals achieve greater self-sufficiency by empowering them with skills and knowledge.
3. Caring - Assisting people in crisis with vital basic services to help them get back on their feet.

More specifically, the Collaboration is promoting best practices in the following areas:

1. Child development and safe environment for kids
2. Youth mentoring and character development
3. Affordable housing and financial counseling
4. Job training placement and assistance
5. Family support and counseling
6. Affordable health care options through various alternatives

The Collaboration believes that these activities represent the key critical support programs needed to help low-wage working families today. In determining which programs are among the best in the Valley of the Sun, the Collaboration uses impartial experts who make their selections based primarily on a review of program processes and outcomes.