Arizona Nurse Honor Guard History and Achievement's 

The Arizona Nurse Honor Guard, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, was founded in 2017 by Toni Conde, with the support of co-founders Tamara Parks, Tina Fowler, Pamela Wood, and Meagan P. Since its inception, the organization has grown to include 80 active and retired nurse volunteers from various cities across Central and Northern Arizona. 

Key Activities and Contributions
Honoring Fallen and Working Nurses, the guard has honored over 201 fallen nurses since February 2018. Our nurses conduct Florence Nightingale tributes at memorials wearing historic post-World War II uniforms, and presenting tokens of appreciation like roses and Nightingale lamps to the families of our fallen colleagues. The guard has performed 318 tributes since their inception. 

Annual Nurses Week Celebrations
Since 2018, the honor guard has celebrated Nurses Week by honoring working nurses at various hospitals, including  Banner Health, Abrazo Health, Honor Health, Valley Wise, City of Hope, Dignity Health and the the Phoenix and Prescott Veteran Hospitals. 

Community Service
The guard volunteers for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)  every year since 2018, we honors veterans on Memorial Day, Veterans Day,  during December for Wreaths Across America and participating in local Veteran parades. 

Living Tributes
In February 2024, the guard preformed their first living tribute which honors nurses actively receiving hospice services. Since then the guard has performed 23 living tributes honoring living nurses receiving hospice services.  

Expansion and Mentorship
At the inception the Arizona Nurse Guard established local chapters in Tucson (Pima Chapter, 2018) and Sierra Vista (Cochise Chapter, 2019). At this time the Arizona Nurse Honor Guard is focused on their outreach in Central and Northern Arizona, including in the Valley of Phoenix and its surrounding cities (Maricopa Chapter, 2017) and Northern Arizona where our core group is based out of (Yavapai County, 2020) and surroundings  cities. 

Outreach
The guard has honored nurses outside their local counties and out of state, including a female Colonel in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and nurses in Yuma and Winslow, Arizona.

Mentorship
The Arizona Nurse Honor Guard has mentored new honor guards in other states, including Albuquerque, New Mexico, and San Francisco, California.

Achievements and Recognition Scholarship Program
The guard has developed a scholarship program for student nurses, the first recipient was awarded in May 2024.

Awards and Honors
Toni Conde was recognized as Woman of the Year by the Business Professional Woman (BPW) organization in 2019.

The organization was awarded a plaque service award in 2022 for their participation in the Annual NAMI Walk (National Alliance on Mental Illness) since 2018.

The guard was awarded in the Phoenix Veterans Parade several achievement's in 2018,  2022, 2023, 2024 by the  organization Honoring America's Veterans.

In 2024 the honor guard was awarded for their participation in the City of Prescott Veterans Day parade. 

Events and Conferences
The guard was invited to the Arizona Nurses Association Nightingale Tribute in Flagstaff, Arizona in 2022. Our founder Toni Conde, spoke and presented in 2018 during the Arizona Nurses Association annual conference.

In May 2024 the nurse honor guard was invited by the organization Between Nurses Foundation and presented at their recognition event, "An Evening of Nurse Excellence".

Future Prospects
The Arizona Nurse Honor Guard continues to expand its reach and impact, maintaining active chapters in Central and Northern Arizona. 

The Arizona Nurse Honor Guard is a member, state lead in Arizona and participant of the National Nurse Honor Guard Coalition. Their first national conference was held in May 2024.

The Arizona Nurse Honor Guard remains committed to honoring the legacy and contributions of nurses, providing support and recognition to both deceased and living nurses, and fostering the growth of new honor guards nationwide.