Love Is Louder: Building family and community

Catherine Doyle from the Family Advocacy Center coaches the girl at the dunk booth

Have you ever stared at the desert sky, wondering if you were meant for more than just prickly cacti and relentless heat? Damon Ashcraft did. Ten years ago, Damon’s life took a surprising turn with an unexpected phone call that led him to the lush White Mountains, surrounded by towering pines and crisp mountain air.

Damon and his wife were living in Tucson, grappling with in vitro fertilization challenges, when a call from his family in Tooele, Utah, changed everything. They alerted him about a struggling woman whose children needed help. The twins, a boy and a girl, were just two years old when they met with CPS in Utah and ultimately brought the kids home.

As they returned to Tucson, Damon received another call from CPS. “Are you sure you’re ready for three kids in diapers?” Damon was momentarily winded by the question. CPS explained that the mother was pregnant with a third child. Damon, realizing what this meant, responded, “Oh my goodness. Yes!” This marked the beginning of their adventure, not with a fairytale start, but with a leap of faith and an enormous heart.

Damon

After fostering the children in Tucson, Damon and his wife officially adopted the three siblings. However, Tucson’s scorching heat and dry landscape didn’t feel like home. Damon, longing for the mountainous terrain of his youth in the Rockies, found his way to Show Low in the White Mountains. “I was tired of living in the desert. I longed for the mountains,” Damon explains, and their family found its new home.

Damon now works at 1st Quality Glass, a company that believes in more than just fixing windows. Owned by Frank Shuff, the company has generously donated thousands annually for the past five years to the Navajo County Family Advocacy Center, dedicated to helping abused children. This ongoing support has significantly impacted the center's ability to provide essential services.

When Damon’s kids heard about Frank’s good deeds, their reaction was simple yet genuine: “That’s cool!” Damon wanted to amplify that coolness. He pitched the idea of a dunk booth at Show Low Days to raise more money for the advocacy center. His kids loved it, and Catherine Doyle, in charge of Program Development at the Navajo County Family Advocacy Center, was ecstatic. “That’d be awesome!” she exclaimed.

Catherine, who switched from the medical field to social work, explains the center’s mission with passion: “We serve children and families who have been physically or sexually assaulted, trafficked, kidnapped, neglected, drug-endangered, or exploited in Navajo and Apache counties. We provide forensic interviews, sexual assault examinations, in-house counseling, and family and court advocacy services free of charge to all victims seen here.”

The center typically sees 200 new child victims each year, along with many secondary victims or witnesses to crimes, serving over 1,000 people annually. While they don't work directly with adoption agencies, they ensure victimized children receive healing and justice, helping find safe places for foster children in collaboration with DCS and law enforcement.

Catherine highlights the crucial role of volunteers. "We couldn't do our work without our volunteers. They're essential, whether it's organizing events like the dunk booth or helping our staff. They make a big difference!"

With Damon’s drive and Catherine’s coordination, the dunk booth charity event came to life. Their commitment to the cause was clear in every detail, from setup to finding community members to be dunked and rallying volunteers. “1st Quality Auto Glass has been a long-time sponsor of the Navajo County Family Advocacy Center. This entire event was put on because Damon wanted to find a new and fun way to involve the community and support the kiddos that have been victimized,” Catherine praises.

Damon’s favorite saying is, “Love is louder than DNA,” and his story is a testament to this belief. By opening his heart and home to three kids in need and continually working to help other children through community efforts, Damon shows what family and community truly mean. The Show Low Days dunk booth event was more than just a fun activity; it was a symbol of how one person’s dedication can ripple through a town, bringing hope and change to those who need it most. His story is a powerful reminder that family isn’t just about shared DNA—it’s about shared love and commitment, offering a beacon of hope and inspiration for others.