Child Crisis Arizona will celebrate the opening of its highly anticipated 38,000-square-foot Center for Child & Family Wellness on Wednesday, Sept. 25 with a free, interactive open house from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The 2.4-acre Child Crisis Center for Child & Family Wellness, located at 424 W. Rio Salado Parkway in Mesa, is a state-of-the-art, net-zero campus offering myriad programs and services, including counseling, parenting classes, and child enrichment activities, all designed to create a safe, nurturing, and supportive environment where children and families can thrive. The campus, a statewide center of excellence, is a testament to the power of community collaboration and philanthropy.
“This Center for Child & Family Wellness would not be possible without our transformational donors that made this vision a reality, including The Diane & Bruce Halle Foundation, Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust, The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation, APS Foundation, Thunderbird Charities, The Kemper & Ethel Marley Foundation, and the Neely Foundation. Additional financing was made possible through the new markets tax credit program through City of Phoenix PCDIC-IDA and Enterprise Bank & Trust as well,” said Torrie Taj, CEO of Child Crisis Arizona. “Their generosity has allowed us to realize the vision of a centralized campus, providing crucial wraparound services for children and families in need across the state of Arizona.”
The child- and family-friendly open house will feature live music, refreshments, healthy appetizers from the newly opened community kitchen, photo opportunities with the Phoenix Suns Gorilla, arts and crafts for all ages, guided tours, food trucks, booster seat installation demonstrations, giveaways, lawn games, and the chance to bring items for a time capsule to commemorate the occasion. Members of the community may also visit at this time to sign up for resources to enhance childhood and parental development.
“We have invited each of our community partners that will have programming on our campus to be part of the fun as well, including United Food Bank, Ballet Arizona, one-n-ten, Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona, Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Central Arizona, Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona, and Gabriel’s Angels,” said Taj. “Each partner will host a table, game, demonstration, or booth to showcase their organization.”
Ballet Arizona will also be giving a performance for all guests as an added treat.
“During the open house, members of the community are encouraged to bring clothing items for toddlers– as part of a celebratory donation drive, with all items being donated to the children and families our programs provide for,” said Taj.
Prior to the open house, Child Crisis Arizona leadership will gather with city and state officials, board members, capital campaign members, and transformational donors for a special private ribbon cutting and dedication.
“We will also unveil our Donor Kaleidoscope sculpture at this time, which features beautiful hand-crafted glass medallions in a kaleidoscope of colors before welcoming the entire community to enjoy it as part of our celebration,” said Taj.
