Arizona's Kinship Support Services Named a Mutual of America 2019 Community Partnership Award Winner

NEW YORK, Nov. 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Mutual of America announced today that Arizona's Kinship Support Services was named a Merit Finalist award recipient of its 2019 Community Partnership Award competition.

In 2010, the Arizona's Children Association, one of the oldest and largest nonprofit child welfare and behavioral health agencies, launched Arizona's Kinship Support Services (AKSS) to provide comprehensive resources to help caregivers navigate government benefit programs and obtain physical, emotional and cognitive health services for their children. AKSS sponsors guardianship clinics for caregivers who need legal assistance, as well as access to adoption, tribal foster care and foster care licensing classes. They also host classes on topics pertinent to raising children with histories of trauma and peer support groups.

Equally important, AKSS partners with its "sister" program, Arizona Grandparent Ambassadors (AZGA), a growing advocacy, education and peer support network for grandparents and other kinship caregivers raising children. AZGA trains kinship caregivers in speaking and lobbying skills to influence legislative policies that affect kinship families and other general family and child programs.

"Kinship care is a significant part of the solution to the child welfare crisis in Arizona. AKSS steps in, with a family-centered, trauma-informed approach, to help families by connecting them to available resources in the community and assisting caregivers to identify and remove barriers the family faces," said Anna Loebe, Ed.D., Program Director for AKSS. "AKSS is now listed in the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare, underscoring the effectiveness of our program."

About the Mutual of America Community Partnership Award

The Mutual of America Community Partnership Award annually honors the outstanding contributions that nonprofit organizations, in partnership with public, private and other social sector organizations, make to society. Since 1996, the Community Partnership Award has recognized 240 partnerships from cities and towns across America. To watch videos of all of the national award-winning programs, visit the Mutual of America Foundation Community Partnership Award channel on YouTube.

About Mutual of America

Mutual of America is a leading provider of retirement products, offering personalized service at a competitive price to help plan participants and individuals build and preserve assets for a financially secure future. Integrity, prudence and reliability are the values that have guided us since our inception in 1945 and that continue to serve us well. For more information, visit mutualofamerica.com, and connect with us via Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

SOURCE Mutual of America