Looking Back on 2020: 12 Days of Impact
As 2020 comes to a close, Valley Leadership’s Impact Maker – and the leaders and community organizations who power its work to strengthen Arizona – has had a busy year. To get into the holiday spirit, we’re looking back on the difference they’ve made and counting them down as 12 Days of Impact on our Facebook page – and we’ve compiled them here!
First Day of Impact
To kick us off on the First Day of Impact, we want to share a special thank you to our Impact Maker Team Leads, members and contributors who offer their time to tackle Covid-19 response, child well-being, education, health and economic issues to build a stronger, more inclusive and more resilient Arizona! Meet all of the people and organizations who power Impact Maker here.
Second Day of Impact
Watch a special conversation with our Impact Maker team leads – who share what they’re working on and how it’s making a difference:
Third Day of Impact
Our Impact Maker Education Team wants to ensure every Arizona student receives an excellent education, and are encouraging the community to support students in their education – especially our businesses who will hire them in the future. Watch to see how Duncan Family Farms and Phoenix Suns helped students – and use our playbook to do the same!
Fourth Day of Impact
Our Impact Maker Child Well-Being Team supports Arizona children, particularly those who are engaged in the child welfare system. To date we’ve engaged seven new CASA Community Champions to help recruit more Court Appointed Special Advocates who advocate on behalf of those children in court proceedings. Watch to see how our #ImpactMaker team is working on this issue and learn more here:
Fifth Day of Impact
Chiko Swiney, one of our Impact Maker Health Team members, volunteers at Fresh Connections, harvesting fresh produce, packing it and distributing it to families in South Phoenix. “My work with Impact Maker is helping to address disparities in health outcomes for Arizonans by not only providing free vegetables and fruits, but also providing information in Spanish and English about healthy eating,” Swiney said. “We provide recipes to show how to cook healthier meals. We have provided information about the coronavirus and the need to maintain social distancing, sanitize and wear masks in public. We have given out masks and hand sanitizer, as well as exercise equipment.”
Sixth Day of Impact
Meet our partners who provide the support and expertise that fuels the work of Impact Maker.
Seventh Day of Impact
The Impact Maker Impact Council, which offers guidance and support to the leaders work to strengthen Arizona. They champion our Principles of Doing: building trust, working with integrity, having a team mindset, putting Arizona first and being driven to do. Meet our Impact Council.
Eighth Day of Impact
Over the summer, our Impact Maker Education Team placed 2,700-plus donated children’s and young adult books in more than 110 Little Free Libraries across the Valley.
Ninth Day of Impact
Our Impact Maker COVID-19 Response Team has nimbly adapted to address a variety pressing needs, from connecting organizations in need with PPE to building a guide to the unemployment insurance application process, in both English and Spanish.
Tenth Day of Impact
Our Impact Maker Jobs and Economy Team helps people get the training and make the connections they need to build a career. Team Chair Mary Foote recently shared the latest with our Ready Together program participants:
Video here
Eleventh Day of Impact
Our Impact Maker Child Well-Being Team is working to create a one-stop tool for families to use when looking for services. They are continuing into 2021 to work with a group of funders, partners and practitioners in the child well-being space to develop this tool.
Twelfth Day of Impact
On the 12th and final Day of Impact, we are thinking about 2021 and how we can continue to bring together leaders and community champions to tackle our greatest challenges together. And we need more people to lead! Interested in joining the Impact Maker? Join us on Feb. 3 to learn more about how you can engage in Impact Maker in our current work on child well-being, COVID-19 response, education, health and jobs and the economy – and get to know the teams we will be launching in 2021 in areas of the environment and racial justice.
