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Affirm’s 50th Anniversary Celebration

Home Affirm’s 50th Anniversary Celebration

Thank you to all who joined us on September 26, 2024 to celebrate Affirm's incredible impact in Arizona over five decades!

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Celebrate with Us!

We are thrilled to be celebrating a monumental milestone in 2024—Affirm's 50th Anniversary! For five decades, Affirm has been dedicated to promoting accessible sexual and reproductive healthcare, inclusive health education, and evidence-based health policy.

This year, we honor our history and look forward to a future where everyone can make empowered choices about their health and well-being.

Affirm Award Honorees

Our 2024 Honorees

As we mark this significant milestone—our 50th anniversary—we are proud to celebrate the individuals who have made remarkable contributions in the field of sexual and reproductive health. Their unwavering dedication, leadership, and passion have advanced access to care and aligned with our mission to make sexual and reproductive healthcare available to everyone.

This year, we recognize four extraordinary leaders. Through their efforts, they have inspired change, improved lives, and helped build a future where everyone can access the care they need.

Text: The Joel Meister Advocates and Allies Award: Susan Gerard (Honoree). Image: Portrait of smiling mature woman with reddish brown hair.
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About Affirm's Joel Meister Advocates and Allies Award:

The Joel Meister Advocates and Allies Award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding allyship and advocacy in advancing sexual and reproductive health access for all.

Recipients of this award have shown unwavering commitment and leadership, whether through legislative initiatives, community activism, or public policy efforts. They embody a dedication to reforming our healthcare system to increase access and better serve communities systematically excluded from receiving care and ensuring equitable access to sexual and reproductive healthcare. Their efforts serve as a beacon of support and solidarity in the ongoing pursuit of sexual and reproductive rights and equity.

Text: William Moore Community Impact Award: Pima County Health Department. Image: Pima County Logo (medium blue with image of capitol dome.
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About Affirm's Joel Meister Advocates and Allies Award:

The William Moore Impact Award honors individuals and organizations in Arizona who have made significant contributions to expanding access to sexual and reproductive healthcare (SRH) for communities systematically excluded from receiving care.

Recipients of this award are recognized for their proactive actions, which have led to tangible improvements in SRH access in Arizona. Whether through innovative healthcare practices, educational initiatives, strategic partnerships, or efforts to secure increased funding, awardees have demonstrated exceptional commitment to addressing SRH disparities. Their impactful initiatives expanded SRH access in Arizona, empowering people to exercise greater control over their sexual and reproductive health.

Text: Pearl Tang Trailblazer Award: One.n.Ten and Cihuapactli Collective. Images (a) One.n.Ten Logo of a sketched multicolored circle. (b) Cihuapactli Collective log of a stylized four-petal flower in various shades of green and red.
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About Affirm's Pearl Tang Trailblazer Award:

The Pearl Tang Trailblazer Award honors individuals and organizations who have pioneered innovative solutions to address the sexual and reproductive health needs of underserved communities, breaking barriers to care.

Recipients of this award are pioneers who have pushed boundaries and developed innovative solutions to address the pressing sexual and reproductive health needs of underserved communities. They have launched initiatives to reach communities systematically excluded from standard services, breaking barriers and ensuring equitable access to sexual and reproductive healthcare. Through their visionary leadership, they are shaping a future where everyone has the information, resources, and power to control their own sexual and reproductive health.

Thank you!

Our Sponsors

Generous support for our celebration has been provided by the following sponsors.

CHAMPION SPONSOR

Logo for Southwest Center featuring a colorful handprint with a human figure in the palm, adjacent to the text "Southwest Center" in bold black letters.

ADVOCATE SPONSOR

SUPPORTER SPONSORS

Additional Support Provided By:

Printing support provided by Alphagraphics
Financial support provided by Desert Diamond Casino
Financial support provided by Mutual of America
AV tech support provided by Phoenix Technology Audio Visual LLC
Additional support provided by Phoenix Mercury

Our Mission

To make sexual and reproductive healthcare accessible to everyone.

Our History

Since 1974, Affirm has been a leader in sexual and reproductive health in Arizona. Affirm has journeyed from its early years as the Arizona Family Planning Council and managing the beginnings of the Title X grant to becoming the Arizona Family Health Partnership and expanding STI testing & treatment and adolescent health programs in our state. In 2022, Affirm updated our name and branding to better reflect our efforts to coordinate sexual and reproductive services with the Title X grant and to be inclusive of the diverse populations we provide services to through our health center network.

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Looking Back | Moving Forward

1973

Dr. William J. Moore, Maricopa County Health Department, and Planned Parenthood of Tucson form a working group meet with Title X providers, ADHS Title V Block Grant administration, and HHS Region IX officials

1974

Dr. Moore and members of the the working group form the Arizona Family Planning Council (AFPC), an Arizona 501c(3) corporation. Emily Jenkins serves as first Executive Director. 

1976

The organization secures Arizona Attorney General opinion that minors seeking family planning services from a Title X provider are not required to provide parental consent.  

1982

Per HHS direction, Title X state funding is consolidated under one entity. AFPC (now Affirm) becomes Arizona's grantee. Jane Canby becomes Executive Director.

1983

AFPC begins receiving Title X grant funds; and continues engaging in health care provider and community education regarding family planning services.

1993

Constance Bennett becomes Executive Director.

1997

AFPC begins project contracting with health centers to expand and improve chlamydia screening. Charlotte Harrison becomes Executive Director.

Early 2000s

The organization goes digital, launching its first website - azafpc.org.

2008

Karen Ford Manza becomes CEO.

2011

The Arizona Family Planning Council changes its name to Arizona Family Health Partnership (AFHP).

2012

Brenda L. "Bré" Thomas becomes CEO.

2015

AFHP (now Affirm) and community partner agencies launch a LARC Plenary Committee to increase access to LARC (Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives) for clients and LARC training for providers.

2015

50th Anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark ruling in Griswold v. Connecticut, which overturned an 1878 law prohibiting the sale and use of contraceptives.

2016

The organization launches sexfyi.org – a one-stop shop for sexual and reproductive health & teen health information. By the end of the year, SEXfyi® will have been visited nearly 20,000 times.

2018

Grant funding received from ADHS to begin implementation of the Adolescent Champion Model. Plus, launch of ‘The Hub’ with funding from Maricopa County Public Health Department.

2019

AFHP partners with the Special Olympics Arizona (SOAZ) to develop a sex education and healthy relationships curriculum, "Understanding Me," for persons with IDD who are often excluded from reproductive health education programs.

2020

AFHP executes successful Women’s Health Conference in Arizona. Initiates a special project to support the expansion of sexual health and wellness programs at one.n.ten to provide age-appropriate information for teens.

2020

Title X celebrates its 50th Anniversary amidst the COVID pandemic.

2021

AFHP’s delegate network expands to 12 subrecipients with 58 clinics, and receives funding to continue the Adolescent Champion Model for another five years.

2022

AFHP receives five-year $6.1M Title X grant. And, the organization rebrands as Affirm Sexual and Reproductive Health. 

#WeAreAffirm

Affirm

2023

The Arizona Alliance for Adolescent Health, a program of Affirm, launches healthyyouth.org, a website designed to build the capacity of provide youth-centered healthcare and social services for adolescents.

2024

Affirm celebrates 50 years of increasing access to sexual and reproductive healthcare.

Our Impact

Quality, medically based sexual and reproductive care is crucial to our overall health, is valuable to our communities, and supports a future where everyone can build the life they dream of. Unfortunately, stigma, misinformation, and shame still run rampant because of ineffective sex education, restrictive policies, and a system-wide shortage of resources.

At Affirm, we're changing the story. We break down barriers so that everyone can make sexual and reproductive health care decisions with confidence and clarity.

33,763 clients served in 2022, up 3% from 2022.
$6.1 M in Title X Funding. $1.2 M in other grant funding.
More than 7,4000 teens received Title X services in 2023.
510 chlamydia and gonorrhea infections prevented.
First ever Report on the Health Status of Arizona Youth released.

"I don't know where I would go if this place wasn't available, a lot of clinics are high in expenses and difficult for people without insurance."     ~Title X Client

“I’m not sure if I would be able to have gotten the birth control I needed due to costs.”
~Title X Client

A red rectangular graphic featuring a white abstract figure on the left, and the text "Affirm" in large white letters on the right. Above this, a green banner reads "Celebrating 50 years." Below, smaller white text reads "Sexual and Reproductive Health for All.

A non-profit organization dedicated to making sexual and reproductive healthcare accessible to everyone, no matter who they are or where they come from.

QUICK LINKS

CONTACT INFORMATION

3800 N. Central Ave. Suite 820
Phoenix, AZ 85012-3338

(602) 258-5777

info@affirmaz.org

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This website is supported by the Office of Population Affairs (OPA), in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH), of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $6.1 million with 100 percent funded by OPA/OASH/HHS. The contents are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by OPA/OASH/HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit opa.hhs.gov.

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