2022: First Place’s Year of Adventure!
First Place–Phoenix residents and Transition Academy students recently experienced their first Adventure Club outing. The group donned boxing gloves and enjoyed an afternoon of sparing and boxing at Pro Edge Boxing MMA & Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. During a boxing-style workout, participants learned how to place their feet and hit the bag, as well as basic hitting combos. Everyone enjoyed the new way to expend extra energy and looks forward to gloving up again soon!
On the Job at Local Law Firm
A trio of current First Place–Phoenix residents have entered the job force thanks to Snell & Wilmer, a steadfast First Place community partner. As legal file clerks, their job duties include working on the Paperlite project, a method of scanning and filing documents into the legal firm’s document management system. We join them in their excitement and pride on their new employment paths!
More Innovation from The Precisionists, Inc.
Another First Place AZ supportive community partner—The Precisionists, Inc.—continues to pave the way in strengthening and expanding the neurodiverse workforce with Phoenix clients and the State of Arizona through its Division of Developmental Disabilities. This enlightening video shows how TPI’s Workforce Readiness and Assessment training program replaces a traditional job interview by helping identify potential employees’ interests and skills to find the best employment fit.
Latest from the Staff Spotlight Series
Enjoy hearing firsthand from First Place–Phoenix staff members who share what drives their passion and pursuits each and every day. Recent spotlights include Community Life Coordinator Lexie Egerer, Global Leadership Institute Director of Education, Employment & Training/Transition Academy Managing Director brad herron-valenzuela, and Vocational Coordinator Natasha Grant.
Seeds Sprouting Thanks to Sprouts
Steady progress continues in Year 2 of the two-year, $100,000 Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation Neighborhood Grant awarded to First Place AZ in fall 2020. Thanks to generous support from McCarthy Building Companies and its community vendors, First Place–Phoenix residents and Transition Academy students now enjoy ongoing volunteer opportunities on-site at Native American Connections Stepping Stone. Activities include planting and harvesting seasonal vegetables, as well as garden maintenance. Various gardening tasks continue in the Sprouts First Place–Phoenix garden while plans move forward for the building of another two through the Foundation for Senior Living. Thanks to Sprouts, spring seeds are already sprouting—and more are on the way!