2025-05-12T09:36:25-05:00 2024-06-30 860750225 Keegan Linscott & Associates PC 3443 N Campbell Avenue Suite 115 Tucson AZ 85719 990 2023-07-01 273585869 Higher Ground A Resource Center HIGH 5208700722 PO Box 27883 Tucson AZ 85726 Jansen Azarias CEO 5208700722 2025-05-07 1 1 Carla J Keegan P00596839 5208840176 2023 2025-03-06 01:10:19Z Jansen Azarias PO Box 27883 Tucson AZ 85726 0 0 X www.higherground.me X 2011 AZ As an organization that has been in service to its local communities, youth and families for the past 15 years, with sustained momentum, we at Higher Ground are not only on the "go," but also on the GROW!Over the course of the past years we have now grown to a new total of 7 active school sites. In addition, we are now in the final development and beta testing of our BeMapt app.As we push forward, our focus remains on our mission, by continuing to maintain the quality of our Restart SMART strategy through consistent training, monitoring, and measuring, toward the creation of a sustainable and replicable model that will impact public schools and other youth systems for years to come. 10 10 0 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 411761 411761 364067 364067 47694 47694 X Our mission is to empower one life at a time to REACH, TRANSFORM and ELEVATE their community through love and building character.For us, Higher Ground is more than just a place, but rather, it's a culture-infusing catalyst that aims to create system-wide change, building up our high-need communities - one child and family at a time - and creating collaborative networks of support that ultimately uplift our entire city. Our vision is to inspire youth and families to be part of lasting community contribution. We want to create the momentum for lasting sustainable change in the way we develop our children and youth to redefine success as community contribution, where schools and youth organizations become places where an individual transformation leads to stronger collective impact in their own communities 0 0 The Restart S.M.A.R.T. strategy, a local implementation of the community school model by Higher Ground, effectively organizes school and public resources to address specific community needs. By integrating trained staff within the school community, we provide a crucial link between community services and families facing opportunity gaps. Our collaborative approach, partnering with students, their families, and the wider community, promotes individualized success. Restart S.M.A.R.T. emphasizes evidence-based, strategic, mindful, agile, aware, resilient, and trauma-responsive decision-making in every interaction.In the year 2021-2022, we have expanded from 2 to 7 school sites across Tucson, with discussions for an 8th site in Chandler, Arizona. Our work is acknowledged as a full-fidelity implementation model of the community school strategy, with research partnerships demonstrating outcomes beyond mere attendance improvement and negative behavior reduction. In the 2021-2022 academic year, we engaged 2,083 students, collaborated with 124 groups, businesses, and organizations, worked with 300 families, and leveraged resources across our seven school communities.Our impact is evident through a 10% increase in school enrollment, a 6.11% reduction in chronic absenteeism, a 75% improvement in attendance among served students, and up to an 80% reduction in disciplinary incidents at our school sites. 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 X 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X 10 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 X X X Sum Accounting Business Solutions LLC 5204420400 11645 W Sinagua Rd Tucson AZ 85743 Ramon Valadez Board Chair 2.00 X X 0 0 0 Ken Heeter Board Treasurer 2.00 X X 0 0 0 Barry Richardson Board Secretary (ended 12/ 2.00 X X 0 0 0 Alexys Rodgers Board Secretary (current) 2.00 X X 0 0 0 Randi Dorman Board Member 2.00 X 0 0 0 Bill Spurbeck Board Member 2.00 X 0 0 0 Michael Anderson Board Member 2.00 X 0 0 0 Michael Guymon Board Member 2.00 X 0 0 0 Lori Malangone Board Member 2.00 X 0 0 0 Theresa Tenace Board Member 2.00 X 0 0 0 Dr Charlinda Haudley Board Member 2.00 X 0 0 0 Jansen Azarias CEO 40.00 X 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 359257 359257 5 5 44119 44119 1398 1398 43736 39754 3982 3982 3000 3000 411761 411761 136965 136965 227102 227102 364067 364067 X 12033 12033 35661 35661 47694 47694 411761 411761 0 0 X 0 0 0 X 228763 566388 1176656 1971807 228763 566388 1176656 1971807 557 1971250 341 341 1972148 1025105 0.99950 0.99380 X 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Part II-B, Line 1: The organization reported expenses for services provided by a consulting company as lobbying expenses. Based on information provided by the consulting company, most of the work they performed was designing policy development (i.e. developing strategies, language, and building coalitions, not advocacy/lobbying. The organization is reporting this information for transparency purposes. 34861 30879 3982 8875 8875 0 3982 Due to LFC - LOC 227102 227102 Form 990, Part VI, Section A, line 2: CEO and Chief of Staff are married. The Chief of Staff is not an officer nor key employee of the organization. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, line 11b The board reviews the tax return and votes to submit. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, line 12c The governing board and the CEO review the conflict of interest on an ongoing basis to ensure no conflicts or that conflicts are declared. Any conflicts ensures that such board member is recused from voting or discussion of contracts. Form 990, Part VI, Section C, line 19 Annual Reports are available to the public on the organization's website. Tax returns are available on the IRS website and GuideStar. All other documents are available upon request. Form 990, Part IV, Line 34: The organization is in the process of creating a new related entity named RTE AZ Inc.