Board Spotlight: Candace "Candy" Owens
About 45 years ago, Candace “Candy” Owens came to Flagstaff as a leap of faith.
Her former husband had gotten a job offer in the area and the couple were ready to leave southern California to find a place where they could raise a family. So she moved, sight unseen, to northern Arizona.
“I knew right away that I loved this place,” she said. “The whole community. It’s so diverse and so big; the second largest county in the United States.”
From almost the moment she relocated, Candy began working for the Recorder’s Office for the County, which is responsible for creating public records of all documents received by the County and also conducts all aspects of elections. She served as the County Recorder for 20 years and retired in 2013.
Retirement gave her more time to be with family (with husband Paul Hellenberg, the couple have a blended family of five children and seven grandchildren). She also carved out time to give back to her community, including serving on the board of United Way of Northern Arizona.
Candy was introduced to Quality Connections because her son worked at QC for a while.
“I met Armando and Melissa Bernasconi and I loved their mission and their program,” she said, referring to QC’s founders. “They are serving a portion of the population that is underserved all over. I saw the good work they were doing, not just in one area, but many areas.”
She joined the Quality Connections Board of Directors in 2018.
Candy said that what excites her about Quality Connections is that with the backing of a strong board, the organization is constantly looking to improve and expand its programs.
“I love the Montessori-based adult day program,” she said. “That’s just an amazing program. The group homes are wonderful. And they’ve just expanded in-home services, including offering respite care for family members. That’s so important for caregivers.”
The childcare services that Quality Connections began around the time of the pandemic – which ultimately evolved into Evergreen Academy Preschool – is another program that stands out, she said.
In addition to providing affordable early childcare to the community, Evergreen also provides free childcare to Quality Connection employees, a powerful benefit that helps ensure QC can retain talented workers.
Ultimately, she said, the story of Quality Connections is giving all people the opportunity to live their best life.
“We all want to be, as best as we can, independent,” she said. “I have never seen a program anywhere else that is as comprehensive as this one. They touch on a lot of things.”
She urged local businesses to take advantage of Quality Connections office supply social enterprise business – QC Office – which helps fund other programs at Quality Connections and provides important employment opportunities to individuals with disabilities.
“It just makes sense to buy through QC Office or have a toner contract with them,” she said. “It’s not only a way to buy locally; it’s how we are putting people to work who might have barriers to employment. Why wouldn’t we want to do that?”
Spring STAR Awards Honorees
Just before the holiday weekend, we celebrated by holding our quarterly STAR Awards party to recognize the extraordinary staff and members who make up the Quality Connections family.
STAR stands for Silver Tree Achievement Recognition and refers to the huge tree mural we have on one of our walls. Each leaf of the tree is a little “high five” – notes of congratulations, encouragement, or just thanks, written on colored paper handprints.
STAR recipients are honored for the progress they are making towards their goals – our members for the work they are doing to develop themselves and our employees for their commitment to supporting our members.
Congratulations to this season’s Silver Tree Achievement Award recipients!
Evergreen Academy Preschool
Tammy Lozano – Teacher
Rachel Strayer – Trainee
Employment Services
Brenden Neal – Member
In-Home Services
Destiny Joyce – Employee
Day Program
Claire Altisi – Member
Group Homes
Charlinda Nezzie – Direct Care Worker
Jacob Sloan – Resident
Coming Soon - Work Training Crews!
Our popular WORK TRAINING CREWS program is returning!
After a brief hiatus, we are excited to announce the return of the program, completely revamped with new uniforms, safety equipment, and two brand new vans on way!
Often called GSE (Group Supported Employment), this service helps workers with disabilities sharpen their employment skills and sample a variety of different types of work activity, including janitorial, yard-work, retail and promotion. Workers are able to earn minimum wage while preparing for permanent employment.
We are actively recruiting employer partners for this program. If your home or business needs labor, our WORK TRAINING CREWS can help! Our crews are fully insured, and workers are trained and supervised by a Quality Connections Employment Specialist who ensures the quality of work is performed up to your standards. Use the contact button below to reach out and learn more about how we can help you.
