Quality Connections in the Community
It’s been a busy month for Quality Connections, but many of the highlights didn’t happen at our Adult Learning Program or QC Office or the workplaces where community employers are helping us break down the barriers to employment for individuals with disabilities.
Instead, we were skiing the slopes and joining in exercise classes, exploring our creativity in the studio, dancing the night away at the prom, and cheering on one of our own as she was honored as a nominee for a prestigious award.
Here are some of the places where we were out and about this past month:
TetraSki Express Race at Arizona Snowbowl
On a sunny Thursday at Arizona Snowbowl last month, a group of Quality Connections members and staffers enjoyed a thrilling sight – watching seven accomplished athletes with physical disabilities compete to qualify for the TetraSki Express race next month in Utah.
The qualifying race was hosted by High Country Adaptive Sports, whose mission is to enrich lives through adaptive recreation. Several of our members work with HCAS so they can enjoy skiing and snowboarding with adaptive equipment.
The race also gave our member John the chance to check out a slick 4×4 off-road wheelchair.
In addition to being nonprofit partners, Quality Connections relationship with HCAS is also personal: David Smith, who heads up QC Office, is married to the HCAS Executive Director Laura Smith. (Learn more about the Smiths in our story below.)
Recreational Opportunities for Group Home Members
Quality Connections was awarded a grant from Arizona Community Foundation of Flagstaff so our Group Homes residents could enjoy monthly recreational activities.
These programs help reduce stress, improve physical health and mental well-being and increase the social interactions for our residents.
Here our resident Adam is painting pottery through a program from Book Nest & Paint Your Own Pottery, one of our neighbors in the Kachina Square plaza.
In-Home Services: Not Always at Home
One of the most popular aspects of our rapidly expanding In-Home Services program are those activities that don’t take place inside the residence. “We want to make sure the people we help are integrated into the community,” says Director Mercedes Johns-Alonzo. “We work to connect our members with outside organizations so they can meet new people and have fulfilling lives.”
Regular outings include bowling on Wednesdays and exercise classes at the Aquaplex on Fridays.
A Night at the Prom
The annual Night to Shine prom, sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation, is one night each where churches throughout the world host a prom for individuals with developmental disabilities.
In Flagstaff, the host is Christ Church, which provided dinner, a dance, karaoke, limo rides, raffles and a photo booth.
One of the highlights of the evening is a crowning ceremony.
“It’s pretty magical,” said David Smith, Director of QC Office, who was one of the chaperones at this year’s prom. “Every person that walks in is crowned king and queen. They have their own moment to shine.”
ATHENA Awards
Another highlight of the past month was attending the Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce’s ATHENA Awards ceremony and seeing our own Director of our Evergreen Academy Preschool, Kelly Arnold, honored as one of the nominees. The award honors women for their professional leadership, community involvement, and personal commitment to support other professional women. Kelly was nominated for her work in launching our preschool, her commitment to the community, and her steadfast support and mentoring of other women.
Committed to Each Other - And to Serving Others
When QC Office Director David Smith and High Country Adaptive Sports Executive Director Laura Smith first met in 2007, it was far from the world of nonprofits.
At the time, he was a partner in SLO Restaurant Concepts and she was working at one of the company’s restaurants, Brix, while simultaneously earning her graduate degree in speech and language pathology from Northern Arizona University.
Five years later the couple was married and busy with their careers and starting a family. SLO had expanded to four restaurants. Laura was working as a speech pathologist. They had a daughter and were expecting their second child when they began another venture, founding the Root Public House restaurant in Flagstaff’s South Side.
And then they had a surprise – the expected child turned out to be twins.
“All of a sudden, I was 40 years old, had three kids, and had my hand in five different restaurants,” David recalled.
It was time to re-prioritize. So when Laura saw a video from Quality Connections advertising for the QC Office position, she told her husband about it.
“Nonprofits have a special place in our hearts,” she said. “The compassion and mission-driving purpose was really attractive after the grind of owning and operating restaurants.”
David joined Quality Connections in 2022. One day, while helping David man a table for QC at an event, Laura met a representative from High Country Adaptive Sports. She found out the organization was looking for a new executive director. When she was in college, Laura had worked in a sports program for blind children and the thought of returning to the world of adaptive recreation was very appealing. She joined HCAS last year.
Together, the couple are part of a movement to remove barriers so that those with disabilities can live more fulfilling lives, whether that means having a job, going to the prom, or skiing the slopes.
And it is exactly where they want to be, David said.
“Laura has lived in this world her whole life, but for me it was a big change,” he said. “The restaurant world is pretty driven, but it’s really fun and it gives you a lot of skills. I’ve been able to bring those business skills to QC Office, to an organization with a different underlying purpose, and that makes me feel like I’m really helping Flagstaff.”
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!)