DAY AT THE CAPITOL FEB 10, 2020
On Monday, Feb 10, 2020, grandparents and kinship caregivers from around the state gathered at the AZ State Capitol to deliver cookies and a clear message to lawmakers: “Kinship is love. Kinship keeps kids in the family. Support kinship.”
These grandparents and kinship caregivers are strong advocates for their cause because they’ve lived it. They divided up the group and had private meetings with 26 different lawmakers to share their stories and to ask for support for their legislative priorities.
Their priorities include restoring child-only TANF for non-DCS kinship families, streamlining the TANF application process for DCS kinship families, and increasing the kinship stipend.
Their efforts were met with bipartisan support. Governor Ducey’s Senior Health Advisor Christina Corieri met joined them for lunch and shared the Governor’s support for keeping kids in the family through kinship care. Senators Lela Alston and Kate Brophy McGee stood together and applauded the grandmas’ efforts from the Senate floor, stating “supporting kinship care just makes sense.”
From first-time attendees to seasoned advocates, grandparents and kinship caregivers worked together, made new friends, and all left with a feeling of hope that their priorities will become a reality for kinship caregivers statewide.
The event was made possible with sponsorships by AARP AZ, AZ Children's Association, AZ Caregiver Coalition, SW Center for Economic Integrity, and Children's Action Alliance.
Learn more about the Arizona Grandparent Ambassadors and how to get involved at www.azga.org.
