Promoting Opportunity & The Environment

Promoting Opportunity & The Environment Building upon its existing e-waste services for QC Office customers, Quality Connections is proud to announce the launch of its “Empowering Through E-Waste” program.  This initiative, made possible by a generous grant from the City of Flagstaff Neighborhood Sustainability Grant Program, will significantly broaden QC’s impact on local e-waste reduction […]

Our Work Training Crews

QC Work Training Crew members Jonathan and Ben in front of Late for the Train's Roastery.

QC Work Training Crews Brewing Up Skills at Roastery Each week, Quality Connections members Jonathan and Ben pile into a car with their Employment Services Specialist, Jade Gonzales,  and head over to a coffee roastery owned by Late for the Train.  There, as members of Quality Connections’ Work Training Crews, they perform janitorial work, cleaning […]

Expansion into Page Begins

Members of QC staff meet with participants and staff at Helping Hands.

Expansion into Page Begins Merging two organizations, even those with similar missions, can often be a complicated process. Different systems, cultures, and ways of doing things can create challenges along the way. But the transition as Quality Connections assumes operations of the Helping Hands Agency in Page has been remarkably smooth – and for good […]

NAU Honors Quality Connections Co-Founder

Melissa Bernasconi standing in front of a screen projecting her picture at the NAU Hall of Fame ceremony.

NAU Honors Quality Connections Co-Founder Melissa Bernasconi, who co-founded Quality Connections 25 years ago, was recently honored by her alma mater, Northern Arizona University, which inducted her into the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences Hall of Fame at a earlier this month. The recognition celebrates her decades of dedication to improving the lives of […]

Strengthening Ties with NAU

Kyan Bennett standing in front of the Old Main building at NAU

Strengthening Ties with NAU For years, Quality Connections and Northern Arizona have had a special relationship. Both of our founders, Armando and Melissa Bernasconi, relocated to Flagstaff to attend the school. Armando shared a dorm room at NAU with Ben Sutcliffe. Ben, who had cerebral palsy, ultimately was the inspiration for Quality Connections and its […]

Celebrating National Disability Employment Awareness Month

National Disability Employment Awareness Month Each October, as we celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), we take a moment to honor the contributions of individuals with disabilities in the workforce. This year’s theme, “Access to Good Jobs for All,” resonates deeply with our mission to empower individuals with physical and developmental disabilities to lead […]

Ryan Day’s Success Story with Fry’s Foods

Ryan Day standing in front of Fry's grocery story where he works

Ryan Day’s Success Story with Fry’s Foods When Ryan Day sets his mind to something, nothing can stop him.  Through Quality Connections adult learning program, the 25-year-old has tackled everything from creating recipes in the culinary program to being an on-air DJ for QC’s online radio show.  So it is no surprise that when he […]

New School Year, New Director at Evergreen Academy Preschool

New Director for Evergreen Academy Preschool A new school year is starting at Evergreen Academy Preschool, and it comes with some exciting changes for our organization.  The first is a new director. After launching Evergreen Academy Preschool and serving ably as its first director, Kelly Arnold recently relocated to Phoenix. In May of last year, […]

QC Summer Camp: Building Forts & Confidence

Members of QC's Summer Camp build a lean-to in Fort Tuthill County Park

QC Summer Camp: Building Forts and Confidence Twice a week, since the beginning of summer, QC Adult Day Program – Quality Connection’s Montessori-based classes for adults with developmental disabilities – spends the day at Fort Tuthill County Park, providing a summer camp experience for its participants.  “The whole Montessori philosophy is based on hands-on learning, […]

A Life Full of Adventure

Doug Arnett, Tonnya Jensen, and Armando Bernasconi, surrounding John Thoren.

A Life Full of Adventure John Thoren does not let his wheelchair keep him from finding adventure.  You can find the 45-year-old Phoenix native, who has cerebral palsy, on the slopes at Arizona Snowbowl participating in adaptive skiing. During the summer, he loves to camp in the forest. And he’s gone on several long-distance road […]

Overcoming Adversity to Teach Future Generations

Susan Decker standing in her preschool classroom

Overcoming Adversity to Teach Future Generations Susan Decker didn’t go to college planning to be an early childhood educator.  The Flagstaff native was in her first year at Coconino Community College, working on her general education requirements, when she started looking for a job to save up for the following semester’s tuition.  “There was a […]

Empowering Our Support Teams

Brandon Gill, Behavioral Health Coordinator, leads a training session at Quality Connections.

9 Empowering Our Support Teams Caregiving staff at Quality Connections – from workers in our six group homes to job coaches to the instructors in our adult day program – undergo extensive training before they work with our members with developmental disabilities. That training is conducted by Brandon Gill, our Behavioral Health Coordinator, who joined […]