OPINION

THE MESA TRIBUNE | OCTOBER 31, 2021

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Grant Woods was the best of Arizonans

Arizona desperately needs foster parents

BY DAVID LEIBOWITZ

Tribune Columnist

Every story requires a headline, so when Grant Woods left us Oct. 23 at age 67, the headline writers called him “Former Arizona Attorney General.” This is absolutely true – Grant served two terms as AG between 1990 and 1998 – but also a wretchedly poor summation of everything he encompassed as a human being. Father of five. Grandfather to JoJo. Husband. Attorney. Writer. Talk show host. Political commentator. Playwright. Musician. Community volunteer. World-class joker. Tennis player. Patriot. Basketball court trash talker. Songwriter. Pain in the butt.

I’ll stop there, though the breadth of Grant’s many passions calls out for more. If it’s possible to cram a century of living into 67 years, Grant did so, which is a life lesson I will take away from having known him.

Another one is to lead with your heart, to follow love where it takes you.

Grant was passionate about music and writing songs. In 2015, he asked me to help him drum up publicity for one of his endless side projects: songs he’d written performed by artists with Arizona ties. He had lined up a long list of talented musicians, including Nils Lofgren of the E Street Band, Lawrence Zubia of the Pistoleros, bluesman Hans Olson, and legendary local vocalists Alice Tatum and Francine Reed. I’ll confess to some initial fear that a lawyer dabbling in songwriting might be, you know, not great.

I never should have worried. My favorite track on the album is “Me and Preacher,” sung by Blaine Long. It remains on my Spotify playlist and I sing along every time it pops up. Some of Grant’s lyrics:

You’ve got to try when the burning’s high/And you must believe when the pain is deep/You’ve got to march right on, singing that gospel song. The day will come, when the Lord will set you free.

That was Grant, always marching on, singing his truth. We worked together for some clients where lawyering and public relations intersected. I admired his intelligence and charisma. Grant was rarely the first to speak. He never dominated the conversation. He was the voice of wisdom, an experienced legal mind who sliced through the posturing, bad ideas, and ego clashes. He took pride in getting the team where we needed to go. He was like that on the basketball court at lunchtime, too. Grant liked to bring the ball up court, a point guard who distributed to teammates and launch Steph Curry-length jumpshots, of which he made a surprising number. No hoops game with Grant was complete without trash talk.

One of the guys we played with was an assistant city manager named Dave, who like Grant never met a shot he didn’t like. Grant prided himself on getting in your face on defense. Dave, not so much. This led Grant to refer to him as “Ave” for days on end. Why?

“Because there’s no D in Dave.”

At age 28, fresh out of law school, Grant served as chief of staff for then-Congressman John McCain. Theirs was a lifelong bond marked by a mutual love of Arizona, its sports teams and its politics. Both men put people before party, service before self.

At McCain’s funeral, Grant’s eulogy gained national attention. His final summation of the great senator provides another lesson to be remembered. “He served his country with honor,” Grant said of his friend. “He fought the good fight. He finished the race. He kept the faith.”

That was Grant Woods in a paragraph. He marched right on. He fought the good fight. He was the best of us. ■

BY MIKE FAUST AFN Guest Writer

The statistics are alarming: Calls to Arizona Department of Child Safety’s abuse and neglect hotline have spiked 25 percent in the last six months.

As of this writing, there are 13,790 youth in Arizona’s foster care system – but there are only 3,292 licensed foster homes. Not only is this woefully inadequate, but it’s also the lowest number of licensed homes in DCS’ history.

That’s why we’re working urgently to recruit more foster care providers to bring safety and stability for Arizona’s most vulnerable children. We are seeking single adults, married couples, 20-somethings, seniors and everyone in between to help kids in desperate need. Many people in our community have wondered about foster care – they have love to give and a difference to make – but they’re not sure they’re a good fit or don’t not know where to start.

Perhaps you’re someone who has wondered about becoming a foster care provider – and perhaps your concerns and considerations have stopped you from taking the next step. If you’ve ever thought about foster care, here are 11 things you may not know:

Kids enter the foster care center through no fault of their own. They are placed in care because their biological parents or legal guardians are unable to care for them safely. Neglect is the No. 1 reason children enter care. Substance abuse is the No. 1 cause of parental neglect. The good news is that substance abuse is treatable.

The purpose of a foster family is to offer a safe, stable place for children to learn and grow while birth parents do the work that’s needed to bring their kids home to a safe environment.

Most kids in foster care have siblings – DCS does everything possible to keep them together and appreciates foster homes that can keep families intact. When considering becoming a foster parent, keep in mind the greatest impact you may have on the lives of children is to keep them together.

Children thrive in family environments free from abuse and neglect. They need a safe place to learn from their mistakes and gain new skills to use in their future. They need someone to ask about their school day, wish them a happy birthday and check up on their homework.

Children in foster care are regular kids! Despite the challenges handed to them, they love playing outside, hanging out with friends, spending time with loved ones and eating their favorite foods. Their personalities and interests vary widely, but most of them have something special in common: an incredible resilience no matter the odds.

You don’t have to be a forever parent to consider fostering. Adoption is not the goal for most children. Instead, DCS works to place them in a safe and loving family setting until they can safely go home to their parents. For foster parents, this means providing a stable, yet temporary, home for a child.

If children are unable to reunite with their parents, DCS works to connect them with loving, adoptive families. People who are interested in adopting can work with a licensing agency on becoming certified to adopt.

Rethink your age. Adults ages 21 to 70+ can become licensed to provide foster care. Many young professionals and empty nesters have homes to share and love to give.

Being a foster parent is not always the easiest job in the world, but it’s certainly one of the most fulfilling. Fostering will positively impact your life as much as it will a child’s.

Many people are interested in becoming licensed to provide foster care, but believe their circumstances make them a bad fit. Most of the time, this simply isn’t true. Good foster parents come in all shapes, sizes, backgrounds and beliefs. What do they have in common? They’re able to provide safety and stability, and they want to ensure a positive future for children in our community.

You can learn all about foster care and whether it’s right for you by calling 877543-7633 or visiting AZDCS.gov/foster.

Please consider becoming a foster care provider and help change a child’s life forever – not to mention your own. Now is the time to step up and be the difference these children desperately need.

Mike Faust is the director of the Ari-

zona Department of Child Safety ■

Nomination papers and petitions for candidates seeking the positions of President or Vice President or positions on the Boards or Councils of the Salt River Valley Water Users’ Association (the “Association”) and the Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District (the “District”), collectively SRP, are available by request from the SRP Corporate Secretary. Email election@srpnet.com or call the SRP Elections Information Line at (602) 236-3048. Nomination papers and petitions may be filed beginning Jan. 5, 2022 and must be completed and filed with the SRP Corporate Secretary no later than 5 p.m. on Feb. 4, 2022. The SRP elections are slated for April 5 and will fill 22 positions of the Association, which manages the water operations of SRP, and 24 positions of the District, which oversees the electric operations of SRP. Applications for early voting ballots will be accepted beginning Jan. 2, 2022. Prior to that date, applications to be placed on the Permanent Early Voter List can be submitted and be in effect for the April 5 elections. Early voting ballots will be mailed beginning March 9. Qualified candidates must own qualified land or have been appointed to vote qualified land held in a qualifying trust that is within the respective boundaries of the Association or District and in the voting area they wish to represent as of Dec. 26, 2021; reside within the respective boundaries of the Association or District; and be a qualified, registered Arizona voter. SRP Board members establish policy, approve annual budgets and set prices and fees. SRP Council members amend and enact by-laws and make appointments to fill vacancies on the Boards and Councils.

Positions up for election are as follows: ASSOCIATION: President; Vice President; one position on the Board of Governors in each of voting districts 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10; and three positions on the Council in each of voting districts 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10. All Association positions have four-year terms. DISTRICT: President; Vice President; one position on the Board of Directors in each of voting divisions 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10; two at-large Board of Director positions, voting divisions 12 and 14; and three positions on the Council in each of voting divisions 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10. All District positions have four-year terms. The two at-large Board of Director positions are elected on a one landowner, one vote basis. All other positions are elected on a one-vote-per-acre voting system. For example, an owner of five acres of land has five votes; an owner of one-half acre has half a vote (0.50). Voters in the District election must be qualified, registered Arizona voters. The last day to register to vote is March 7, 2022.

For more information regarding eligibility, job duties, qualifications, election facts and answers to frequently asked questions, potential candidates can visit SRP’s website at srp.net/elections or call the SRP Elections Information Line at (602) 236-3048 Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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