BIRTHDAY OR GRADUATION REQUEST
At ASA Now, we believe that every child deserves to feel special on their birthday. For many children and youth in foster care, their birthdays can sometimes be overlooked. That's where Jacob's Birthday Wishes steps in to ensure every child gets to celebrate their special day with a big birthday celebration surrounded by foster/adoptive families who care.
Monthly Celebrations: Each month, we host a special social event to celebrate every child in foster care with an upcoming birthday in that month. We invite you to submit a request for a custom cake and carefully selected presents to be provided during the event. To help us plan, a courtesy ten-day notice is greatly appreciated.
For New Placements: If you receive a new placement, and our monthly family social has already passed for the birthday month, we're still here to help. We'll provide birthday presents along with a birthday kit in a bag for caregivers to bake the cake at home. ASA Now extends these services STATEWIDE, so no matter where you are in Arizona, we're here to make these special moments even more memorable. Let us know if assistance is needed.
Graduation Celebrations: We're not just about birthdays. If your foster youth is graduating from high school, college, or receiving their GED, we'll also provide a custom cake and gifts to celebrate their achievement.
Here's what we offer:
Custom Cake (with a 10-day notice) or
Birthday in a Bag Kit
Educational Birthday Present
Fun Present
Book
Costume
Stuffed Animal
Blanket
Gift Card for Teens
Let's make birthdays and graduations a time of joy and celebration for all children and youth in foster care. Submit your request today!
Kindly take note that with the passing of the pandemic, we have discontinued the option for birthday request pickups. Instead, we warmly invite caregivers to join our monthly socials, where we'll come together as a community to celebrate the birthdays of children in foster care. ASA Now will be providing cake and presents for these special occasions. Your presence will make these celebrations even more memorable!
IMMEDIATE NEEDS REQUEST
ASA Now identified the need to have a 24/7 emergency giving closet that offers clothing and basic essentials for children and youth who have entered the foster care system as well as young adults (18-22 year old) aging out of foster care, who are ready to begin the journey of their independent lives.
There are many foster care agencies that provide this service during weekday business hours. If you receive a placement after hours, during the weekend or if ASA Now is closer in proximity to your home, we would love to be of service.
As our community struggles to meet basic needs, ASA Now is here to help. We are available to serve caregivers receiving new placements 24/7. If you are a young adult that is aging out, please have your Caregiver, Case Manager or Independent Living Coordinator complete the Immediate Needs Request Form.
ASA Now is offering the following resources to caregivers STATEWIDE:
*Clothes
*Underwear and socks
*Shoes
*Hygiene Kits
*Feminine Products
*Diapers and/or Pull Ups
*Wipes
*Formula
*Comfort Bags (ages 1 – 4)
*School Backpack with School Supplies (ages 5-22)
*Blankets
*Books
*Costume
*Unused Make-up & Nail Polish
*Food
*Car Seats (Limited to unlicensed kinship caregivers only)
*Emergency Birthday Gifts (for new removals having birthdays if monthly birthday party has passed)
*All items are subject to inventory in stock at the time of the request.
EMERGENCY FOOD BOX REQUEST
ASA Now's Giving Pantry offers a Family Food Box with pantry staples that feeds a family of four for three days to foster or kinship caregivers taking in new placements or who have a financial need. .
ASA Now is offering the following service STATEWIDE:
* Cereal
* Breakfast Bars or Granola Bars
* Instant Oatmeal Packets
* Peanut Butter
* Jelly
* Spaghetti Noodles
* Spaghetti Sauce
* Ramen
* Mac & Cheese
* Canned Soup
* Canned Vegetables
* Rice
* Beans
* Canned Chicken
* Salsa
*Chicken Bouillon Cubes
* Apple Sauce
* Crackers
* Pretzels
If our monthly social has already passed and you receive a new placement, please call our office at 623-428-1592 for assistance. An immediate needs birthday request form will be emailed to you.
ASA Now Immediate Needs Request
As foster and adoptive parents ourselves, we have opened up our homes to children and youth who arrived with only the clothing on their backs. We are here to help by providing clothing, basic essentials and other comfort items, thereby sending a message that they are valued and cared for by our community. If you are a youth aging out of foster care, we are here to help!