LAKE HAVASU CITY – Arizona State University-Lake Havasu campus professor Dr. Cristen Mann was recently recognized as the 2019 the First Things First La Paz/Mohave Region Champion for Young Children.
The Champion for Young Children award is given by the FTF La Paz/Mohave Regional Council each year to a local champion who actively volunteers their time to raise public awareness of the importance of early childhood development and health. Champions spend a significant amount of time building public awareness about the importance of early childhood issues.
Mann volunteered her Organizational Leadership Project Management class to organize a foster care appreciation event on the ASU-Lake Havasu campus, said FTF La Paz/Mohave Regional Director Vijette Saari.
“She created a work plan that aligned the curriculum of the class over the course of a semester with the steps needed to host a successful event,” Saari said. Those steps included creating a feasibility report, charter and budget then creating and using accountability charts to manage their time and tasks. They also learned about the foster care system in Mohave County and the importance of quality early childhood experiences.
The event was intended to thank foster families for their commitment to children in the child welfare system and for the foster families to come together and build relationships with one another. The class created a room for teenagers to meet with college students, as well as with college advisors from ASU Lake Havasu and with Mohave Community College. The class also secured a fire truck and staff so that the children could meet with first responders in a fun and relaxed atmosphere. The students also secured door prizes from local businesses, with nearly every foster family going home with a prize.
“They learned not only the curriculum of creating and executing a project, but also the importance of volunteering and being involved in their community,” Mann said.
More than 100 people from the foster care community attended the event.
“None of this could have happened as effectively as it had, would it not be the guidance and work of Dr. Cristen Mann,” Saari said.
