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 70 active and retired nurse volunteers from various cities across Central and Northern Arizona. 

Key Activities and Contributions
Honoring Deceased and Working Nurses The guard has honored over 186 nurses since February 2018. They conduct Florence Nightingale tributes at memorials, presenting historic post-World War II uniforms, triangle bell signals, and tokens like roses and nurse lamps to the families of deceased nurses.

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

Community Service
The guard volunteers for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and honors veterans on Memorial Day, Veterans Day participating in local parades. 

Living Tributes
In February 2023, they preformed their first living tribute which honors nurses actively receiving hospice services.

Expansion and Mentorship
Chapters Chapters have been established in Tucson (Pima Chapter, 2018), 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), Northern Arizona where our core group is based (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) annually since 2018.

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

Events and Conferences
The guard was invited to the Arizona Nurses Association Nightingale Tribute in Flagstaff, Arizona in 2022 and presented at An Evening of Nurse Excellence in May 2024.

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

They are a member, leader and participant of the National Nurse Honor Guard Coalition representing the State of Arizona who held the first conference 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.