Arizona Town Hall

"The biggest reason why the Town Hall is so important for the state of Arizona is the leadership skills that are developed in the process of going through these meetings."  

- Jon Kyl, former U.S. Senator from Arizona.

Arizona Town Hall educates, engages and empowers Arizonans on critical issues facing our State.  Last year, we focused on education.  This year, we have 2 topics:  Arizona's Vulnerable Populations and Arizona's Economy. For each topic, Arizonans will use the unique Town Hall process to collaborate and create recommendations to solve problems in these areas.  Those recommendations will be distributed widely throughout the State and will be a blueprint that people can use to help improve their communities.

Why support Arizona Town Hall?  Here are a few stories from people who attended the Early Education Town Hall last November.

Betsy Peck, Faculty in Early Childhood at Northland Pioneer College, received a scholarship that enabled her to attend the Early Education Town Hall.

"Thank you all so much for allowing me to participate in the recent event.  Without the scholarship I would not have been able to attend.  

“I felt an important sense of responsibility to listen actively, seeking to understand and then to see the culmination of our work at the plenary session.  Wow! It was very interesting and seeing it all come together was inspiring.  It gave me a hopeful optimism that the policy makers will listen and hear our concerns.”

Julia Meyerson, Executive Director of Vista College Prep in Phoenix, participated in the Early Education Town Hall.

“The Town Hall brings people together so that you have the opportunity to learn and understand all of the different community groups working to ensure that students receive the best education possible.”

Melanie Martin, an Early Childhood Specialist at the Phoenix Children’s Museum, shares her appreciation to individual donors that allowed her to attend the Town Hall.

“I truly enjoyed the entire Arizona Town Hall experience! From networking and engaging in meaningful discussions on early education to creating a final recommendation report to be proud of, it was all very insightful and truly inspiring! I’m also especially grateful that I was able to receive a scholarship to attend on behalf of the Children's Museum of Phoenix. Working for a non-profit organization means we have very limited funding for these sorts of events. It would not have been possible for me to attend without the generous support of donors to the scholarship program!”

Jaye Grismer, a student at Rio Salado College, plans to share conversations that took place at the Early Education Town Hall with her community.

"I just wanted to say thank you for including me at the Early Education Town Hall. Everyone was so welcoming, and encouraging that I really felt like I got to participate and contribute.  I got to see democracy in action, and learn how I can serve my community.

“The experience was truly inspiring for me.  I look forward to bringing these conversations to the community in the months ahead."

If you are interested in seeing the recommendations that were reached by Betsy, Melanie, Jaye, and over 150 other civic leaders from around the state on the topic of Early Education visit our website.

What are some of the other positive impacts that have resulted from Town Hall recommendations?

• Establishment of the Arizona Department of Revenue.
• Voluntary contributions for multipurpose districts (payment of in-lieu taxes).
• Creation of the Arizona Water Commission.
• Development of current method for selecting judicial candidates for the state's most populous counties.
• Establishment of the Ground Water Management Act that provided for the creation of the Department of Water Resources.
• Establishment of a statewide jobs training program.
• Authorization of motor fuel tax increases to fund freeway expansion in the Maricopa County area.
• And many more.

 

Small and large donations make a real difference! The Arizona Town Hall is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit, civic organization, and 100% of your voluntary contribution is tax deductible. Every contribution helps Arizona Town Hall continue to serve as a catalyst for innovative thinking and consensus-based solutions.  Thank you for your support!