Family

Raising children is tough—especially in today’s world, and especially when parents and caregivers feel alone. The team at Polara Health wants people to know they’re not alone; in fact, a whole cadre of experts and programs exist locally to help create stronger families.

“Children don’t come with manuals, nor does parenting,” said Beni Garcia, child and family counselor and a specialist in trauma-informed parenting at Polara Health.

She added that humans are wired to be part of a community; the adage, “It takes a village to raise a child,” is based in science.

By Robin Layton, Yavapai Big Brothers Big Sisters For Lucy Papas, becoming a mentor wasn’t just about giving back—it was about making a meaningful difference in a young person’s life. A single mother raising her daughter, she had always admired the idea of mentorship....

The local Boys & Girls Clubs have grown in the past few years; they offer day camp programs as often as possible, generate outdoor adventure experiences for youth, and innovative ways to connect with kids. They have adhered to their foundations of safety and academic enrichment while developing confidence and character across the wide variety of fun offered to Club Kids.

Navigating 2025, the Clubs are stalwart in sustaining their adventures. They have begun to hire program specific leaders to enrich their adventures even further. Archery classes are evolving into an archery crew with the hopes of a competitive youth team. This offer of program and youth enrichment is not limited to those who need the Clubs most; Clubs in Prescott and Prescott Valley are offering our services to all who seek adventure.

Since 1982, Adult Care Services (ACS), a local nonprofit, has provided essential care to adults living with Alzheimer’s, dementia, Parkinson’s, and other cognitive or physical challenges.

One of its key programs, the Susan J. Rheem Adult Day Center, operates Monday through Friday and provides a variety of services aimed at enriching the lives of participants and fostering a sense of purpose, well-being, and community. These services include daily exercise, meaningful activities, and social interaction. A dedicated team of nurses offers wellness support and ensure the health and safety of each participant. The center boasts a beautiful new garden complete with raised beds, walking paths, a sports area, and a splashing water garden. The center enhances the lives of its attendees and offers much-needed respite to caregivers, allowing them time to rest and recharge from the demands of around-the-clock caregiving.

As the calendar makes steady progress toward springtime, we naturally seek opportunities to be in nature and to embrace the warm sunlight of the lengthening days. Are you looking forward to finding ways to connect with nature, to feeling your hands in the dirt, and to getting some spring planting underway? Are you starting to notice different birds at your backyard feeders and getting curious about neighboring species of plants and animals? As life wakes up around us, these final days of winter have a way of making us feel a little “squirrely” and craving the fresh air of the outdoors.

At the Highlands Center for Natural History, a nature center on Prescott National Forest near Lynx Lake, our joy and calling is to facilitate opportunities for people to meaningfully engage with nature. As environmental educators, we often use the term “sense of place” to describe the ways in which people connect with their home, in the outdoors. Perhaps you are familiar with the term “Central Highlands,” the swath of land that extends like a sash across Arizona, northwest to the edge of the Mojave Desert and southeast into New Mexico. This patch of terrain comprises Prescott and describes our home.

Owner of Blooming Into You Guides Clients to Healing and Empowerment so They Can Show Up Better By Heather DeSousa “Blooming into you is all about changing the programming, beliefs and narrative we’ve created from childhood. Releasing and changing those old thought...

For more than 50 years, Yavapai Big Brothers Big Sisters (YBBBS) has made meaningful supported matches between adult volunteers (Bigs) and youth (Littles) ages six through 24. YBBBS develops positive relationships that have a direct and lasting effect on the lives of local young people.