Leadership and service

Flagstaff Quality Connections partnership: Flagstaff BSW seniors partnered with a local organization, Quality Connections, to fundraise for critical program activities. Quality Connections “helps individuals with disabilities become independent, productive members of our community by providing practical life learning programs, job training, and employment opportunities.” BSW students raised over $1,000.00 for the agency, spread awareness in the community about the agency’s mission, and worked to create partnerships between NAU departments and the agency.

NAU Inclusive Clothing Walk Swap: Flagstaff BSW seniors worked with NAU’s Interdisciplinary Writing Program to host a campus-wide clothing swap at several locations across NAU’s Flagstaff Mountain campus on October 11^th, “National Coming Out Day”. Students collected thousands of dollars worth of donated clothing, with the goal of distributing it to students, faculty, and staff who may struggle with clothing insecurity and/or finding gender-inclusive places to shop in the community. The event was incredibly successful with all different clothing articles being distributed, including casual wear, winter wear, professional wear, and accessories. Many colleges and campus locations were happy to act as distribution centers for the day and several bathrooms were redesignated to be gender inclusive.

AZALEA in the news: The Arizona Alliance for LGBTQ2S+ Equity in Aging (AZALEA; www.azaleaintiative.org) began in 2023 as a partnership between the Beatitudes Campus (www.beatitudescampus.org), a residential senior living community in Phoenix, and a social work faculty member at Northern Arizona University (NAU). Committed to challenging ageism, homophobia, and transphobia, we created AZALEA to connect with others across Arizona who share a vision of inclusion for LGBTQ2S+ older adults.  You can learn more about how AZALEA started here (https://legacy.nau.edu/sherc/fairness-first-blog/fairness-first-blog-dr-megan-mccoy-tena-alonzo/). AZALEA is now a statewide stakeholder group that welcomes LGBTQ2S+ community members, service providers, researchers, advocates, and allies of all ages committed to building inclusion and strengthening social connections for LGBTQ2S+ older adults through outreach, education, advocacy, and community-based participatory research.

Needs Assessment of Migrant Farmworkers: Yuma Branch Campus senior BSW students assessed the needs of local migrant farmworkers. Results included a significant need for safety equipment and comfort items. Our local farmworker population is consistently lacking bandanas, hats, and supportive socks. Social work students raised community awareness and collaborated with local agricultural companies to raise enough funds to purchase an extra pair of compression socks for over 2,000 farmworkers.

Identification of At-risk Communities: Yuma Branch Campus senior BSW students identified the town of Niland, California as an extremely at-risk and underserved community. Many service providers don’t serve this rural community of less than 500 people. BSW students identified literacy and lack of access to books as a significant need. Through book drives and collaboration with local libraries, students were able to raise enough money and book donations to host a community event. Students worked with the families to make personalized book marks and distributed over 500 books to the children and families in the community.