ICAN: Positive Programs for Youth

Specialties

ICAN’s Mission is to provide free, comprehensive programs that empower youth to be productive, self-​confident, and responsible members of the community.

ICAN is a free, family-​centered youth service in the East Valley. We provide a full complement of programs proven effective in equipping youth to achieve personal and academic success by tackling substance abuse, gang involvement and juvenile delinquency.

Specifically, 8 out of 10 young people in the areas we serve are living in extreme poverty. Four of those children will go to bed hungry at night and eight will be using drugs or alcohol to cope with the harsh realities they face. Joining gangs becomes a more viable choice than graduation in the community we serve. This is not an option for ICAN. We exist to combat these issues and build strong futures for them and for our community.

History

Established in 1991.

In 1991, Chandler citizen Henry Salinas took to the streets, offering troubled youth an alternative to a life of delinquency, apathy, & despair. These kids needed help dealing with the extensive pressures facing them – living in poverty, dealing with friends who use illegal drugs, being pressured to join gangs, & all the challenges associated with living in the Chandler Downtown Area. Henry knew that these kids had no place to go, no place which truly understood them and no one to offer the guidance necessary to help these youth believe in themselves & in their future. However, the backgrounds of these kids are too different to find support in these mainstream agencies. Their lives are filled with too many problems. Their experiences too diverse & too risky. Their ability to pay is non-​existent. What these kids needed even back then, was a place that could align programs with the unique needs of this community at no cost to the youth or their families. This was the founding of ICAN.

Meet the Manager

Becky J.

Manager

Becky brings 30 years of leadership experience in the Arizona banking community and 10 years in nonprofit management, including past President of the Chandler Chamber of Commerce and as the Executive Director for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). Becky’s experience in managing staff and committees and her amazing network with local organizations made her the right choice for ICAN as President & CEO in 2011.