Our Top Memories from 2023

Welcome to QC Enews Empowerment

We hope you are all taking a well-deserved break as we head into the last weekend of the year.

Before we close the books on 2023, we wanted to note some of the highlights of this year, and express our incredible gratitude to all of you.

  • We’re grateful for the opportunity to be of service to people who need our help, including individuals with disabilities, those requiring in-home services, and families whose children attend our preschool.
  • We are also grateful to the dedicated employees of Quality Connections who strive day in and day out to make our community a better place to live.
  • Last (and certainly not least), we are grateful to all of your who support our organization as donors, volunteers or advocates.


Thank you all so much and I hope you have a wonderful New Year.

– Armando Bernasconi,
Co-Founder and CEO

Top Moments from a Great Year: 2023 in Review

In January 2023, Quality Connections held its first quarterly STAR Awards, a chance to celebrate the outstanding progress by both members and staff in reaching their goals. STAR stands for Silver Tree Achievement Recognition. It refers to the huge tree mural we have on one of our walls, the leaves made up of “high fives” – little notes of thanks and encouragement, written on colored paper handprints.  On the mural are the words: “We are all connected, hand to hand, heart to heart,” which is a great description of the sense of community we have here at Quality Connections.

In February, the Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce awarded Quality Connections and QC Office with the 2023 Green Business of the Year Award.

The award honors businesses that are models of sustainability and social responsibility in the Flagstaff community. Recipients are notable for going beyond compliance with environmental regulations and seeking to lead the way in the fight against climate change.

The award was presented at the Chamber’s Annual Meeting one of the largest business gatherings each year in Northern Arizona. We were nominated for the award by QC Board Member Regina Salas.

Another big win for QC Office was an exclusive contract with the state of Arizona, a deal that was 10 years in the making.

QC Office helps businesses, schools, and other organizations with a unique business model that saves them money while providing invaluable training to individuals with disabilities.

Our new agreements allowed us to have a Phoenix salesperson on staff for the first time and we welcomed Olivia Mounsey to the QC family this summer.

In July, more than 50 of our members, staff, and supporters from all our programs came together to be part of the Quality Connections float in the Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce 4th of July parade. It was the first time we had a float in the parade, which was a true reflection of the independence we try to instill in all the people we serve.

For another year, Quality Connections enjoyed a special relationship with Northern Arizona University.

  • Teddy Woolsey, an NAU intern majoring in psychology joined the group home services team for a semester and was instrumental in helping us modify an approach to a resident who was having difficulty with their mental health treatment plan and engaging in challenging behaviors.
  • A group of Social Work students adopted Quality Connections for a semester and showed their support by holding fundraisers on our behalf and throwing a Halloween Dance for our members. Many thanks to students Kat Labenski, Carmen Membrila, Damien Pacheco, Valeria Leyva and Grace Donnelly, who adopted us as part of Jill Navran’s social work class.
  • Once again, our QC learning members trained, practiced, and performed with the NAU Marching Band during halftime at an NAU Lumberjack football game.
Thanks to everyone who made Quality Connections a priority in 2023. Without you, we couldn’t fulfill our mission to help individuals with disabilities become more independent. We wouldn’t have been able to continue the success of our employment and residential services, or to grow newer programs like Evergreen Academy Preschool and our in-home services. We thank you for your support in 2023, and look forward to working together in the new year.

We need Quality Connections . . . like you!

You can help individuals with disabilities become independent and productive members of our community. There are many way to be a ‘Quality Connection’ and get involved and all of them are important:

Every purchase from QC Office equals employment and job training opportunities for a person with disabilities.

Enable a person with disabilities to become a productive member of our community.

You’ll be doing good. Plus, you’ll get a dollar-for-dollar credit on your AZ state taxes (up to $800!)

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