Aviva Community, Outreach, Resource, and Education Program (CORE)
This short-term program focuses on stabilizing foster families by connecting them to services and resources in the community. CORE also provides in-home support and guidance on how to navigate the Department of Child Safety, behavioral health, and educational systems. CORE is child and family-focused, with the goal of helping to stabilize the child and family unit. Please contact Kelsey Leitel at kleitel@avivatucson.org or (520) 327-6779 ext 7171
Aviva Resource Closet
Our clothing and resource closet offers new and gently used clothes, new socks and underwear, hygiene kits, household cleaning kits, school supplies, and other essential items. These resources can be accessed by DCS Workers, foster care licensing workers, foster parents, and kinship placements between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm Monday to Friday. Current placements, please contact Eleanor Springer at (520) 327-6779 ext. 7161 or ESpringer@avivatucson.org
One-Time Urgent Needs
In partnership with the Diaper Bank of Southern Arizona, Aviva provides an emergency supply of diapers to DCS Workers and Foster Parents. Additionally, Aviva also offers a purchase of emergency food items; as well as basic necessity items not available in the resource closet. These resource can be accessed 8:30 to 4:30 Monday through Friday.
Bags for Kids
This volunteer-run program supplies more than 4,000 handmade cloth duffel bags each year to dependent children and enables them to carry their personal belongings with dignity through placement changes. In addition, hand-made quilts and blankets are provided to dependent children as comfort items. More than 3,000 of these blankets are distributed annually by ADCS workers.
Divas
The Aviva Divas are a dedicated volunteer group that provides thousands of handmade items to children in foster care each year. Items made with love like handmade quilts, toys, and clothing comfort children in transition. They also raise funds to provide holiday gifts to more than 2,500 children in foster care each year. Aviva also holds an annual community Sew-A-Thon with the Divas, which brings in over 3,500 homemade bags to ensure children can carry their personal belongings with dignity.