For Christmas this year we decided to adopt some local families and dedicate our shopping efforts to them. With the help of the Red Rock Cafe in the VOC, we planned to collect money, clothing, and toys for the families we adopted. With a great plan set, we just needed some families which I expected would be easy to find given the economy. I emailed several local organizations around northern Arizona telling them of our plan and offering to help. After a few days of no response, I’d try another organization until finally I was running out of options. Not one of the organizations I contacted responded which still surprises me to this day. We had all but given up when we went to the chiropractor and he had a sign hanging in his office for Cornucopia Community Advocates. I was feeling a little jaded but I decided to send an email to Harvey Grady, the President of the organization. He responded quickly with gratitude and the names of three local families that he thought could use some extra help. Little did he know, I was the one feeling grateful that someone actually responded and helped to fulfill our plan! We will never forget the experience and we owe that to him.
Cornucopia Community Advocates does a little bit of everything it seems. Their mission is to: Improve community spirit and effectiveness by sharing resources. Their home page is a directory of local resources for people in the Verde Valley community. With over 1,200 agencies and 2,700 services listed in the directory, it is essentially a one stop shop for anyone in the community looking for assistance or interested in getting involved in some way. In addition to this service they offer several of their own programs including: Kid’s Piggy Bank, WINGS, Healthcare assistance, scholarships, Restorative Justice, and Community Gardens. Many of their programs spend 100% of donations directly to assist those benefiting from the program. Many of the programs provide financial assistance to families in need. The goal it seems is to build community involvement by helping those in need for the success of the community as a whole. Restorative Justice for example, pairs adult mentors with at risk youth to keep them out of the juvenile justice system. It is a great organization that touches many lives in different ways. I imagine their biggest need is financial assistance but some programs require volunteers so visit the website if you are interested in helping them to build a better community.
