Tucson Thrives began over 50 years ago under the name Community Extension Programs, Inc., (CEP). The original organization served over 35,000 Tucson youth and their families by offering a variety of afterschool and support programs. During this time, CEP recognized the long-standing needs of our community’s children and middle school teens.
In 2023, Tucson Thrives shifted our focus to directly assisting this crucial portion of our population by partnering with other like-minded non-profits, offering scholarships to local middle school teens working toward degrees in higher education and providing services that help remove obstacles standing in the way of their success. At Tucson Thrives, we are proud to celebrate our rich community history and are excited and dedicated to continuing to serve our valued constituents.
While we have supported other Tucson-based organizations such as Youth on Their Own, Tu Nidito, and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Tucson, we are now committed to working with our middle and high school’s administration, faculty and staff to identify and meet the needs of the most disadvantaged youth. This grassroots effort allows for a more flexible and nimble approach to helping young Tucson’s find a level playing field in education and other important aspects of their lives. We believe that success begets success, and our goal is to continue to provide middle school teens with small successes that will lead to full, productive lives as cherished members of our community.
Providing assistance, access and opportunity to middle school teens to overcome barriers and allow them to choose a future where they will thrive.
Retired educator
Becky has worked for over thirty years in the public schools in the Tucson area because she wanted to help kids reach their full potential in my subject area. Regrettably, her experience showed her that not all students had the resources they needed for that to happen, no matter how hard they tried. She is excited to be part of an organization that wants to provide relief and resources to families who need help.
Welcome to Tucson Thrives! Our organization believes that all middle school teens in our community should have an equal opportunity to succeed and actively participate in shaping and achieving their dreams. While most in our community support these goals for our youth, we know that this is not a reality for large numbers of young people nationally, and it is not true for many living in our Tucson community. National data indicates that if the needs of young persons are addressed prior to high school entrance, the chances of long-lasting success in their personal and professional lives are much greater than those who lacked early interventions.
There are many factors that are putting financial, physical and emotional stress on our community’s families, leaving them and their children vulnerable to the prolonged negative impacts of poverty. Your support of Tucson Thrives helps us empower middle school teens to remove obstacles in their way of success, overcome systemic hardships and create and maintain community safety nets that assist them in reaching their full potential. Please consider making a financial gift that will allow us to advance our mission and help keep Tucson’s middle school teens moving toward becoming positive, productive, valued members of our Tucson community.
-Victoria Cook, Ph.D., Executive Director
Welcome to Tucson Thrives! Our organization believes that all middle school teens in our community should have an equal opportunity to succeed and actively participate in shaping and achieving their dreams. While most in our community support these goals for our youth, we know that this is not a reality for large numbers of young people nationally, and it is not true for many living in our Tucson community. National data indicates that if the needs of young persons are addressed prior to high school entrance, the chances of long-lasting success in their personal and professional lives are much greater than those who lacked early interventions.
There are many factors that are putting financial, physical and emotional stress on our community’s families, leaving them and their children vulnerable to the prolonged negative impacts of poverty. Your support of Tucson Thrives helps us empower middle school teens to remove obstacles in their way of success, overcome systemic hardships and create and maintain community safety nets that assist them in reaching their full potential. Please consider making a financial gift that will allow us to advance our mission and help keep Tucson’s middle school teens moving toward becoming positive, productive, valued members of our Tucson community.
-Victoria Cook, Ph.D., Executive Director
