Arizona Helping Hands (AHH) is grateful to have received a grant from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust for $100,000. Funds from the grant will assist AHH in underwriting the Licensing Safety Program over the next year. This program provides free Life Safety Inspection items including fire extinguishers, first aid kits, smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors, outlet covers, and magnetic locks to foster families so they can become licensed by the state.

“Arizona Helping Hands helps create stability and safety in the lives of Arizona’s children in the foster care system,” said Gene D’Adamo, President and CEO of Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust. “The Trust is pleased to help underwrite the Licensing Safety Program to increase the number of licensed foster homes in our communities.”

AHH is committed to serving Arizona’s most vulnerable population, the 14,000 children in foster care who have been abused and neglected. Since 2015, the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust has donated $350,000 to AHH programs, providing much needed funding, and Bringing Hope to Children in Foster Care.

So far in 2021, AHH has provided over 1,000 families with the items needed to pass Arizona’s Life Safety Inspection, ensuring a safe home environment, which include fire extinguishers, smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors and more.

“By providing these essential licensing safety items free of charge to new foster care and kinship families, Arizona Helping Hands relieves the financial burden from the exhaustive list of items necessary to pass the Life Safety Inspection,” said Jodie Sprayberry, President and CEO of Arizona Helping Hands. “With helping to lift the barriers to becoming foster parents, Arizona Helping Hands assist in increasing the number of licensed homes.”

“Arizona Helping Hands is grateful to the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust for their continued partnership and support,” said Jay R. Spector, Chair of the AHH Board of Director. “Without the Trust’s support, and the support of so many in the community, families who want to become licensed foster care families and homes, would find it more difficult to do so.”

AHH services remain unduplicated. Kinship and foster families rely heavily on the support, programs and essential items from the organization to help them get started on their fostering journey and throughout at no cost.

“Arizona Helping Hands is amazing! They gave us safety items for our home when we were working to be licensed. Then, when we got our first placement, they gave us a crib, clothes, and books and toys. We have four wonderful foster kids now. We feel so blessed,” said Karishma a local foster parent.

For more information about Arizona Helping Hands, visit azhelpinghands.org. For more information about Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust, visit ninapulliamtrust.org.