April 23, 2020 — CCC&Y to present Annual Prevention Conference — ‘Finding My Strength; Hope in Connection’

The Coconino Coalition for Children & Youth will present its Annual Prevention Conference with the theme “Finding My Strength; Hope in Connection” on April 23, 2020 in Flagstaff.

Join us for developing personal missions in our work, being agents of change, equity & voice in our community, and hope through the scientific healing power of the heart.

Connections Spotlight: Louge to take reins as Prevent Child Abuse Arizona director

Rebecca “Becky” Ruffner is about to start a new chapter in her life.

As she turns the page, the 72-year-old founder and executive director of Prevent Child Abuse Arizona, who will retire her post on Dec. 31, is confident the agency’s new leader is poised and ready for the task.

The agency on Wednesday announced the promotion of Training Director Claire Louge to Ruffner’s role upon her retirement.

Since 2014, Louge has served as an agency trainer, both for local and statewide events.

From upstate New York, Louge has a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University in human development and a master’s degree in human relations from Northern Arizona University. She is a graduate of the American Express Leadership Academy at the Arizona State University Lodestar Center.

Education Spotlight: Attracting students to policing, emergency services. See more local education news here

The high school students listened intently to the 9-1-1 call. The woman told the dispatcher that her baby wasn’t breathing. The dispatcher, calmly, walked the mother through the steps of cardio-pulmonary resuscitation until emergency crews could arrive.

“We are all super passionate about what we do,” said Katie Brandis, Communications Manager at the Law Enforcement Administrative Facility in Flagstaff. And, even though the work is stressful, she added, it is also very rewarding and dispatchers often make a difference between life and death.

Twelve students from area high schools spent the day on Nov. 14 at the Law Enforcement Administrative Facility learning about the careers in policing and emergency services available in Flagstaff and in the county. The event, the second installment of a two-day series, was organized by the Coconino County Arizona @ Work Business Service team, of which Coconino Community College is a member.

Connections Spotlight: Self-Healing Communities Update

CCC&Y hosted more than 300 individuals in Flagstaff this October in order to be a part of a day-long presentation with internationally known child-welfare expert, Kevin Campbell.  An additional live-stream site was set up in Page which served an additional eight guests.

This past week, CCC&Y conducted two focus group follow ups for a total of 43 individuals, plus board members Andrea Meronuck and Cliff Binkley as moderators and ED Virginia Watahomigie in attendance.

Education Spotlight: 20 under 40: Jordan Morales (of Kinsey Inquiry and Discovery School). See more local education news here

During her first two years as a teacher, Jordan Morales has learned a lot: How to break through a struggling student’s shell, how to encourage parent involvement, how to advocate for minorities in her classroom.

But it all started during her student teaching assignment at Kinsey Inquiry and Discovery School where she worked with a class of first graders under the supervision of Katrina Collins-Hernandez.