Florence Crittenton of Arizona

INSPIRE

Mentors

"Friends" of Florence Crittenton

Florence Crittenton offers many rewarding, creative and exciting volunteer opportunities; and each and every one allows you to play an essential and personal role in improving the life of Arizona’s youth.

a teen mom
separated from
her child

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Volunteer :: INSPIRE

INSPIRE

Our Chairs

INSPIRE Co-Chairs: Stefanie Francis and Barbara Helstrom

INSPIRE Mission Statement
Women INSPIRING the teenage girls of Florence Crittenton through personal stories of life’s overwhelming challenges . . . and eventual triumphs.

About the Program
INSPIRE is a Florence Crittenton volunteer program that enables women to INSPIRE teen girls who are overcoming issues of abuse, neglect, teen pregnancy, teen parenting and behavioral and/or mental health problems. INSPIRE gives successful and dynamic women the chance to share their personal experiences with overcoming obstacles, developing self-esteem, and achieving goals and dreams. Sharing these stories in a group setting gives the girls a higher level of self-awareness, confidence, character and achievement.

Once a month, three INSPIRE members share their stories before an intimate group of about 15 girls with a facilitator to guide the discussion. INSPIRE members chronicle their lives of hardship and adversity, such as: parental conflict, academic challenges, falling
in with the wrong crowd, teenage pregnancy, abandonment, depression, low
self-esteem, etc.

With the help of a facilitator, the panelists engage the girls in an interactive dialogue
to show the girls that they too can overcome the issues in their lives to become
successful women.

Beyond these panel discussions, there are also opportunities for INSPIRE members to learn more about Florence Crittenton and each other at quarterly networking gatherings. When get-togethers take place at Florence Crittenton, guests have the opportunity to tour the campus and hear the girls’ stories firsthand.

Quotes from Current INSPIRE Volunteers

"INSPIRE allows me to reach back to the young, scared and confused girl I once was and heal her through reaching out to girls who are now in that place in their lives. Every person in the room is touched in a way that eliminates differences in age, background, race and socio-economic status. It is a unique and wonderful experience."
—Debbie Accomazzo

"While our goal is to "inspire" the young women in the Florence Crittenton program, my experience with the panels is that the girls' responses to our sharing of the experience, strength and hope that has come to us from overcoming life's obstacles ends up inspiring me to do more, be more, give more. Being in the company of the tremendously caring group that is INSPIRE is an endless gift to me of caring, strength, encouragement and purpose.
—Mary Elizabeth Tack

"When I agreed to participate as an INSPIRE panelist, I thought it would be a great opportunity to inspire young women by telling them my life experiences, all in hopes of sparking something relatable in their own lives. What actually happened was something I never expected. Not only were the girls inspired, but I also received an amazing gift of being inspired myself. I never realized how much I would receive in return, and it was one of the most gratifying experiences in my life. To know I made a difference to these young ladies was awesome. To hear myself talking about the successes and failures I’ve had, I realized I am a strong, determined woman and can accomplish anything I put my mind to. This experience was a priceless gift. Thank you for the opportunity!"
—Tammy Hoeffken

"I think that presenting my story on the panel was as inspiring to me as I hope it was to the girls. They have been through so much in their short lives. It was a nice therapy session for me to relate my story and realize how far I have come and to think about the right and wrong choices I have made in my life."
—Apryl Erekson

For more information, please email:
Barbara Castillo