Become an Advocate

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Newsletter Sign-Up

Wildfire AZ
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Careers
    • Membership
    • News
    • 2022 Annual Conference
    • COVID-19
  • Initiatives
    • Advocacy
    • Access
    • Sustainability
  • Get Involved
    • Act
    • Learn
    • Vote
    • Give
  • Find Help
    • Community Action Agencies
    • Arizona Self Help
    • People’s Information Guide
    • SNAP
    • Energy Assistance
    • Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE)
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Menu Menu

2022 Annual Conference

2022 Annual Conference Program

Share your conference experience:

Ignite change on social media! Tag @wildfireazorg and use #EndPovertyAZ #IgniteLastingChange

Share your conference photos with other attendees here and view the gallery here.

Give feedback on the breakout sessions and the overall conference to help us improve future years!

OVERVIEW

View the full program here.
THURDAY | OCTOBER 13

Meditation Sessions by M2 Wellbeing – Thursday Only

Take a pause during a busy day to relax, recharge and refocus. During class participants use their breath and body to let go of tension and rest.

Mindfulness practice can physically change your brain to benefit your whole well-being. This class focuses on guided practice so you can build that brain “muscle.”

Sign up here.

7:00 am – 8:30 am
Registration Opens and Continental Breakfast
Prefunction South

8:30 am – 10:00 am
Welcome / Keynote / Margie Frost Awards
B1

10:00 am – 12:00 am
Breakout Sessions

12:15 pm – 2:00 pm
Lunch, Awards Presentation, and Speaker
B1

2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Breakout Sessions

4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Networking Reception
Foyer

FRIDAY | OCTOBER 14

8:00 am – 9:45 am
Breakfast, General Session and Business Meeting
B1

9:45 am – 11:00 am
Breakout Sessions

11:15 am – Noon
Closing Remarks / Silent Auction

DAY 1 | THURSDAY | OCTOBER 13

View the full program here.

Meditation Sessions by M2 Wellbeing – Thursday Only

Take a pause during a busy day to relax, recharge and refocus. During class participants use their breath and body to let go of tension and rest.

Mindfulness practice can physically change your brain to benefit your whole well-being. This class focuses on guided practice so you can build that brain “muscle.”

Sign up here.

7:00 am – 8:30 am
Registration Opens and Continental Breakfast
Prefunction South

8:30 am – 10:00 am
Welcome / Keynote / Margie Frost Awards
B1

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Adama Sallu, Director of Equity & Inclusion, Chandler Unified School District

The Road to Civil Rights: Reimagining Poverty and Human Dignity

10:00 am – 10:10 am
Break

10:10 am – 11:00 am
Breakout Sessions

11:00 am – 11:10 am
Break

11:10 am – 12:00 pm
Breakout Sessions

12:15 pm – 2:00 pm
Lunch, Awards Presentation, and Speaker
B1

Keynote Speaker: Rashad Shabazz School of Social Transformation ASU

The Housing Crisis and its Broader Impacts

Rashad Shabazz’s academic expertise brings together human geography, Black cultural studies, gender studies, and critical prison studies. His research explores how race, sexuality and gender are i nformed by geography. His book, “Spatializing Blackness,” (University of Illinois Press, 2015) examines how carceral power within the geographies of Black Chicagoans shaped urban planning, housing policy, policing practices, gang formation, high incarceration rates, masculinity and health. Professor Shabazz’s scholarship also includes race relations and social justice movements. He is currently working on two projects: the first examines how Black people use public spaces to negotiate and perform race, gender and sexual identity as well as to express political or cultural identity. The second project uncovers the role Black musicians in Minneapolis played in giving rise to “the Minneapolis sound.”

2:00 pm – 2:10 pm
Break

2:10 pm – 3:00 pm
Breakout Sessions

3:00 pm – 3:10 pm
Break

3:10 pm – 4:00 pm
Breakout Sessions

4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Networking Reception
Foyer

DAY 2 | FRIDAY | OCTOBER 14

View the full program here.

8:00 am – 9:45 am
Breakfast, General Session and Business Meeting
B1

9:45 am – 10:00 am
Break

10:00 am – 11:00 am
Breakout Sessions

11:15 am – Noon
Closing Remarks / Silent Auction

DAY 1 | BREAKOUT SESSIONS | 10:10 AM - 11:00 AM

View the full program here.

Health Equity & the Social Determinants of Health
Alicia Kenney Social Work Equity Coordinator
Jessie Barbosa Vaccine Equity Manager Az Department of Health Services (ADHS)
B6

The ADHS Office of Health Equity (OHE) is charged with supporting health equity efforts at ADHS and across the state. Our team of eight works to reduce health disparities in a two-way partnership with tribes, county health departments, and community based partners. During this session, attendees will learn several strategies from our Social Work Equity Coordinator and Vaccine Equity Manager on centering equity for all community members when implementing public health programs. This session will provide a brief overview of health equity and the social determinants of health. We’ll dive into real-life lessons learned by our team, address and reflect on structural inequities that present as barriers within the public health system, and applicable solutions to lifting equity. Attendees will walk away with practical knowledge and tools, which they can incorporate within their own programs. Participants will hear a number of case studies where the office provided a public health response through an equity lens to members specifically of the deaf and hard of hearing community and diverse communities with limited English proficiency.

Objectives:

  • Define and understand how to apply equity in diverse spaces.
  • Learn ways in which professionals can serve as allies to communities impacted by health disparities.
  • Learn how to implement key strategies to create meaningful two-way partnerships with impacted communities and the importance of having a cabinet of community subject matter experts.

Motivational Interviewing
Denise Beagley
B3

ASU Motivational Interviewing (MI) is an evidenced-based practice that centers on the motivational processes within the individual that facilitate change. These skills are used in numerous settings when someone is struggling with a behavior change, decision fatigue, or exploring ambivalence.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Describe three communication styles and common communication “roadblocks”
  2. Review the components of the “Spirit” of Motivational Interviewing
  3. Identify core Motivational Interviewing skills to assist with positive communication
  4. Get an introduction to the “OARS (Open questions, Affirmation, Reflective listening, and Summary reflections) technique”

Introduction to Trauma Informed Care
Roderick Logan DPTh, D.A.A.E.T.S, Arizona Trauma Institute
B4

This training is a discussion of the elements of trauma informed care and supporting materials on the nature of how trauma can impact life and health throughout the lifespan. Attendees will be introduced to how Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) can affect developmental milestones and can lead to frustrating relationships and behavioral problems in the lives of individuals and families. Focus will be on understanding how to help bring peace and healing through the application of compassion, safety and respect using the Arizona Trauma Institute’s philosophy of healing.

Intro to TIC Handout

Achieving Generative Leadership Through the Human Service Value Curve
Tiffney Marley CCAP, NCRT, National Community Action Partnership
B5

Join this session on how the Human Services Value Curve inspires and equips leaders and policymakers of health and human services organizations, systems, and communities to envision and create a path for achieving better and more equitable outcomes for individuals, families, and communities, as well as improve and accelerate human services social and economic value for society

DAY 1 | BREAKOUT SESSIONS | 11:10 AM - 12:00 PM

View the full program here.

Motivational Interviewing
Denise Beagley
B3

ASU Motivational Interviewing (MI) is an evidenced-based practice that centers on the motivational processes within the individual that facilitate change. These skills are used in numerous settings when someone is struggling with a behavior change, decision fatigue, or exploring ambivalence.

Introduction to Trauma Informed Care
Roderick Logan DPTh, D.A.A.E.T.S, Arizona Trauma Institute
B4

This training is a discussion of the elements of trauma informed care and supporting materials on the nature of how trauma can impact life and health throughout the lifespan. Attendees will be introduced to how Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) can affect developmental milestones and can lead to frustrating relationships and behavioral problems in the lives of individuals and families. Focus will be on understanding how to help bring peace and healing through the application of compassion, safety and respect using the Arizona Trauma Institute’s philosophy of healing.

Intro to TIC Handout

Centering Community Action Leadership in Equity & Belonging
Tiffney Marley CCAP, NCRT, National Community Action Partnership
B5

During this session, participants will learn about the intersection of equity and the Community Action mission, the National Community Action Partnership’s Equity journey and best practices and strategies for rooting individual and organizational leadership in equity and belonging.

Unhooking from Anxiety
Debbie Holexa, M2 Well-Being
B6

It is said that our world has changed more in the past 20 years than it had in the previous 200. This rapidly changing, information-overload world often feels uncertain. And that creates anxiety for our slow-to-evolve, wired-for-survival brains that seek the comfort of certainty. Anxiety is part of the human emotion spectrum that, with continued practice, becomes a mental habit. In this workshop we will explore how to unhook ourselves from the anxiety habit loop and substitute more nurturing and supportive emotions. This presentation includes lecture, experiential exercises, guided meditations, interactive discussion, and practices to produce more rewarding behaviors.

DAY 1 | BREAKOUT SESSIONS | 2:10 PM - 3:00 PM

View the full program here.

Connecting Arizona: Bridging Arizona’s Digital Divide One Community at a Time
Cindy Hogan, Ilana Lowery, Mikhail Sundust, El John
B5

This panel will tell the story of how Arizona non-profits, collaboratives, universities and state agencies are leveraging programs to bridge the digital divide, and what programs are available NOW to low-income families to help them get the internet, devices, and training they need to live in our digital world.

Compassion Fatigue: Self-Care When Life is Disrupted
Wayne Tormala & Moe Gallegos
B3

For over two years now, and even longer for many of us, the path we’ve walked has not been easy. Life has been disrupted! There has been enormous loss, whether it’s been the loss of loved ones, our jobs and homes, or the loss of our hopes and dreams. And while we are seeing signs of a new day as some semblances of our lives are returning to a sense of normal, we also know that a healthy recovery in a post[1]pandemic world will be challenged by both the collective and individual trauma of recent events……. which many are referring to as the “shadow pandemic.” Full recovery, evidenced by our own sense of health and well-being, requires our attention and patience not only with others, but with ourselves as well. Compassion fatigue is real! Compassion fatigue is a natural offspring of the world we have been working and living in. In the last couple of years we have witnessed a dramatic rise in stress-related diseases, loneliness and depression, drug overdose, racial injustice, economic pressures, violence to self and others, and a seemingly unending list of other signs of disruption. We still care for the lives of those we serve, our co-workers, friends and family, but our resilience may be running low. And when we don’t attend to this, professional and personal BURNOUT is just around the corner. Simply put, if we don’t engage in healthy self-care, we are even more hard-pressed to care for others. To help us set our intentions toward self-care, Wayne Tormala and Moe Gallegos have been meeting with Community Action Agencies to help address the adverse impacts of compassion fatigue on the health and well-being of both staff and clients, and to help folks navigate tailored ways to reach our own individualized sense of holistic well-being amidst challenging times. In this session, Wayne and Moe will provide a background of the Compassion Fatigue initiative, an update on their visits with CAA’s, and engage the audience in addressing concerns related to the mental well-being of healthcare and social service providers.

Navigating Transitions and Change
Debbie Holexa, M2 Well-Being
B4

The truth of change is never more evident than during life’s inevitable transitions. The average adult will experience one life disrupter every one to two years. Learning to work with change through mindfulness perspectives and practices can assist in navigating change with greater ease and wisdom. Participants will learn specific mindfulness techniques to work with the ongoing change in their daily lives, as well as exercises to help reframe unexpected events in productive ways.

DAY 1 | BREAKOUT SESSIONS | 3:10 PM - 4:00 PM

View the full program here.

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Evictions But Wish You Didn’t Have To
Maxine Becker, Wildfire
B5

Please join in on a discussion to get practical information about how the eviction process works, how to help tenants avoid an eviction, learn what resources are available if a client is getting evicted, and how to help tenants recover after an eviction. Feel free to come with any and all questions about the court process, how best to deal with landlords, and what we can do to make this process more just.

Building Resilience in Yourself and Others
Annie Middlemist, Life Coach and Motivational Speaker specializing in Emotional Intelligence in the workplace
B3

This engaging workshop will introduce you to the components of resilience and its connection to Emotional Intelligence. Participants will learn specific tactics to build this skill that involves the ability to cope with the challenges, problems and setbacks we face in life and in the workplace, and to become stronger because of them.

Poverty and Public Health: No Grounds for Divorce
Wayne Tormala & Moe Gallegos
B4

Come to this interactive session to learn about the connections between poverty and public health and how Community Action Agencies and Public Health Departments are creating stronger collaborations to address communities holistically.

DAY 2 | BREAKOUT SESSIONS | 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM

View the full program here.

LIHEAP & Community Action – LIHEAP Expansion & Resource Navigation
Kellyanne Beck, DES
B5

We will discuss Housing Stability and Utility Assistance programs to include the expansion of The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) program and the resource navigation model and connecting customers to the right resource at the right time.

Mental Health Awareness and Suicide Prevention Resources
Nix Schneider (he/him), MSW, Manager, Education and Training, Solari
B3

During this 1-hour training course participants will learn how to appropriately and safely respond to family and community members experiencing mental health challenges and disorders. Participants will learn the warning signs of suicide and explore local community resources. Individuals will gain an understanding of how to engage in important conversations around de-escalating a crisis and destigmatizing mental illness and suicide.

The Way Home: Practical Applications to Address Housing Insecurity
Joan Serviss, Executive Director, Arizona Housing Coalition
Joanna Carr, Research and Policy Director, Arizona Housing Coalition
B4

A practical conversation with Arizona Housing Coalition Executive Director Joan Serviss and Research and Policy Director Joanne Carr focusing on our homelessness and housing crisis, with resources for emergency, transitional, and permanent housing solutions across Arizona.

2019 Margie Frost Champion Against Poverty Awardee: Betsy Bolding

From left to right: Moe Gallegos, Cynthia Zwick, Betsy Bolding, and Kathy diNolfi

We are grateful for the sponsorship provided by the following:

PreviousNext

Platinum Sponsors

 

Diamond Sponsors

Gold Sponsors

Silver Sponsors

The City of Phoenix

Morgan Stanley

PPEP / NFJP
National Farmworker Jobs Program

Snell & Wilmer

Bronze Sponsors

NACOG

The Kurr Carr Group

 

we believe we can stop poverty before it starts.

we believe we can ignite lasting change.

we believe we can create an Arizona where all may thrive.

Wildfire
  • 340 E Palm Lane, Suite 315, Phoenix, AZ 85004
  • P (602) 604.0640
  • F (602) 604.0644
  • info@wildfireaz.org
  • Donate
Subscribe to Our Newsletter   |   Become an Advocate
© 2023. All Rights Reserved.
Scroll to top