Purpose
Creating opportunities and access to employment training and placements, while strengthening life skills to help families and individuals thrive and succeed.
Vision
Establish leveled fields of engagement for the underserved and disabled that sustain teaching environments for independence.
Values
Community empowerment
Investment
Accountability
Compassion
About Us
Welcome to Glorious Treasures Thrift Store! Our mission is in providing job training and personal empowerment to adults with physical and/or cognitive challenges. We identify their needs, then develop primary skills and training towards acquiring and sustaining employment. As a result, our members gain self-value, stronger independence and become contributors to their community.
At Advanced Independence Glorious Treasures Thrift Store, individuals are taught all aspects of operating and running the business. They participate in collecting donations, sorting and pricing, displaying and merchandizing, organizing, customer service, and completing sales. All of this is achieved with the assistance of AI Job Coaches who work with them daily to teach, guide and encourage them to independent success.
Cynthia Edhuine is the founder of Advanced Independence and Advanced Independence Charity. From the beginning of Advanced Independence in 2007, it had been a mission to open a thrift store as an in-house resource for occupational training. Her foresight and steadfast determination guided the direction of AI to provide a safe place for individuals who are labeled disabled to work. Here, they learn to socialize, gain and practice new skills. The outcome is that they exceed even their own expectations, as well as those of their families and care givers.
On October 22, 2021, Cynthia's perseverance was rewarded with the accomplishment of her goal. Advanced Independence Charity Thrift Store opened! A ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrated the AI team's success, and to date, the thrift store has far surpassed their initial hopes and brought new opportunities to support a wider community.
Advanced Independence Charity believes in its primary objective and ultimate aims to accommodate more individuals to be enabled through training at Glorious Treasures Thrift Store. A major step in that direction is the expansion of the store's space in March of 2022, when it outgrew the rooms allocated for it in the AI offices.
Grow with us! Stop in to visit, shop our treasures, or make donations. Please share our story and support our mission of helping individuals to become more self-reliant. Here are more ways to give:
Fry’s Community Rewards Program
Arizona Gives Day
Regular monthly/weekly donations
Open a free checking account at Western Bank (Advanced Independence Charity receives $100 - just mention our name when opening your account).
