Thunderbirds Charities Donates Nearly $3 Million to Valley Nonprofits During Spring Funding Cycle
Thunderbirds Charities, the charitable giving arm of The Thunderbirds – hosts of the WM Phoenix Open Presented by Taylor Morrison – awarded close to $3 million in grants to 43 Valley nonprofits during its 2022 spring funding cycle.
Some of the notable grants included $1 million to Child Crisis Arizona, $100,000 to The Joy Bus and $90,000 to Local First Arizona. In total, Thunderbirds Charities awarded 17 grants of $100,000 or more and eight grants of $50,000 or more to Valley charities during this most recent funding cycle.
With the spring funding cycle in the books, Thunderbirds Charities has now opened its 2022 fall funding cycle online at www.thunderbirdscharities.org.
“With 2022 bringing back a sense of normalcy, it is an honor to get back to giving back in a big way,” said Michael Golding, President of Thunderbirds Charities and Big Chief of The Thunderbirds. “It is vital that we continue to lend a helping hand for our communities. Philanthropy and community service are at the forefront of our organization, and we’ll always strive to raise as much money as possible for our charity partners every year.”
The $1 million grant from Thunderbirds Charities will support Child Crisis Arizona’s Fostering Bright Futures Expansion, a new 38,000-square-foot solar powered and sustainability minded Child and Family Wellness Campus that will accommodate continued growth and be home to multiple programs to develop child and family resiliency. The new campus will house Child Crisis Arizona programs (Foster Care and Adoption, Counseling, Family Education, and more) and administrative staff. Additionally, the increased space will allow to expand offerings, many in collaboration with other local organizations, to provide services such as basic needs items distribution, food preparation for programs, medical screenings, therapeutic dance and art classes, job skills and mentoring for foster teens, and more. Partnerships with other local nonprofits will result in children, youth, and families receiving high quality wraparound services in one convenient location, reducing the burden of locating and traveling to multiple agencies to access the resources they need.
“Child Crisis Arizona is truly honored to receive this transformational gift from Thunderbird Charities,” said Torrie Taj, CEO of Child Crisis Arizona. “The Thunderbirds have been a strong and dedicated partner of this organization and have a rich history of supporting Child Crisis Arizona’s growth with significant investment in the communities we serve. This gift will not only help to create an environmentally sustainable building for future generations but creates and supports sustainability for vulnerable children and families to have a safer and brighter future.”
The $100,000 gift to The Joy Bus will help with the renovation of their new facility by expanding the kitchen, commissary, and dining capacity. This will allow The Joy Bus to more than double the number of delivered meals and home visits they currently provide. The Joy Bus provides homebound cancer patients fresh medically tailored meals, a social support system, and nutrition education at no cost to the client, delivered to their door.
“The Joy Bus is so grateful for Thunderbirds Charities and their continued support of our meal delivery program for people going through cancer treatment,” said Megan Norton, Program Director at The Joy Bus. “This expansion has been years in the making and we are very excited to have Thunderbirds Charities alongside us as we change lives in our community with our newly renovated facility.”
The grant of $90,000 to Local First Arizona will help support two programs – Fuerza Local and the We Rise Program. The programs are aimed at supporting under-resourced community entrepreneurs. Local First Arizona promotes and supports a sustainable Arizona economy by educating citizens about entrepreneurship, social equity, and collaboration.
“Thunderbirds Charities has been instrumental in growing our Spanish language business accelerator, Fuerza Local. At Local First, we believe entrepreneurship is our strongest resource to diminish the wealth gap that has erupted across the country,” said Kimber Lanning, CEO of Local First Arizona. “With more than 800 small business graduates from the program in six years, we now have nearly 10 who are grossing more than $1.25 million in annual sales and hundreds more who are thriving. This program is transforming lives and future generations. Thank you Thunderbirds, we appreciate your “hand up” investment to build opportunity for everyone.”
Additional grants awarded from the spring 2022 cycle:
| Arizona Association for Foster and Adoptive Parents | $10,000 | Strengthening Foster, Kinship, Adoptive Families. Foster, kinship, and adoptive parents programming. |
| Arizona Cancer Foundation for Children | $50,000 | Improving Lives Impacted by Pediatric Cancer. Family support for those that have a pediatric cancer diagnosis. |
| Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation | $30,000 | Fostering Success for Children in Foster Care. |
| Arizona Museum of Natural History Foundation | $10,000 | Educational Field Trips at the Museum |
| Assistance League of East Valley | $20,000 | Operation School Bell |
| Aster Aging | $25,000 | Neighbors Program |
| Child Crisis Arizona | $1 million | Fostering Bright Futures Expansion |
| Desert Sounds Performing Arts | $5,000 | Mariachi Sones del Desierto |
| Detour Company Theatre | $10,000 | Mainstage Season |
| Educare Arizona | $20,000 | Early Education Extended Day Program |
| Friends of Public Radio Arizona | $15,000 | SPOT 127 Youth Media Center Program Support |
| Furnishing Dignity | $20,000 | Program Expansion of Essential Home Furnishings |
| Generation Justice | $5,000 | Children’s Law Clinic |
| Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona | $5,000 | My Career Matters Campaign |
| Homeless ID Project, Inc | $100,000 | ID Empowers Our Community- Secure identification documents |
| Homeless Youth Connection | $50,000 | Empowering Youth For The Future |
| Human Services Campus, Inc | $300,000 | Critical Client Services |
| Jobs for Arizona’s Graduates | $50,000 | Career and College Readiness |
| Junior Achievement of Arizona | $50,000 | Providing the JA BizTown Program to 500 Students. It also provides real-world skills to low-income kids. |
| Kids in Focus | $20,000 | After-School Photography Mentoring & Grads Program |
| Kids Need to Read | $25,000 | The Page Coach- Used to purchase books. |
| Local First Arizona Foundation | $90,000 | Fuerza Local and We Rise Business Accelerator Programs |
| Midwest Food Bank, Arizona Division “The Backpack Program- Hope Packs” | $15,000 | Purchase Food for Backpack Program |
| Native American Connections | $250,000 | Homebase Youth Services in the West Valley |
| NotMYkid Inc. | $50,000 | [i]nspired: Peer Support for Teens |
| OCJ Kids | $50,000 | Thunderbirds Charities Restoring Dignity Room |
| Phoenix Community ToolBank, Inc. | $10,000 | Heat Re-Leaf Program |
| Prostate On-Site Project | $5,000
|
All Sports Foundation DBA Prostate on-site project. |
| Rising Youth Theatre | $10,000 | Arts Leadership Program |
| Sandra Day O’Connor Institute For American Democracy | $50,000 | O’Connor Institute Youth Civics Education Programs- for youth civics education program. |
| Saving Amy, Inc. | $20,000 | Rolling Forward Program |
| Special Olympics Arizona | $120,000 | 2022 Special Olympics Arizona State Competitions. |
| Swift Youth Foundation | $5,000 | Youth Enrichment Programs |
| Teen Lifeline | $75,000 | Teen Crisis Hotline/Texline |
| Tempe Community Action Agency (TCAA) | $25,000 | Economic Empowerment Initiative |
| The Joy Bus | $100,000 | More Than a Meal Capital Campaign |
| TigerMountain Foundation | $15,000 | Agri-Landscaping Initiative-all edible landscaping. Purchase a double-axle landscape trailer and program staff support |
| Treasure House | $20,000 | Employment and Life Skills Training Program |
| Treasures 4 Teachers | $50,000 | T4T on Wheels |
| United Service Organizations, Incorporated (USO Arizona) | $100,000 | Support for Military Service Members and Families |
| Women’s Health Innovations of Arizona | $30,000 | Strong Families Program |
| Year Up Arizona | $50,000 | Young Adult Education through Year Up Arizona. Includes workforce development and education programs. |
ABOUT THE THUNDERBIRDS/THUNDERBIRDS CHARITIES
Thunderbirds Charities is a non-profit organization formed in 1986 to distribute monies raised through the Waste Management Phoenix Open golf tournament. The Thunderbirds Charities Board consists of 15 board members from varying professional backgrounds. The mission of Thunderbirds Charities is to assist children and families, help people in need and improve the quality of life in the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area. The organization’s giving is directed toward organizations based or with a significant presence in Arizona. The Thunderbirds were founded in 1937 with the mission of promoting the Valley of the Sun through sports. The Thunderbirds consist of 55 “active” members and more than 280 “life” members. For more information on The Thunderbirds or Thunderbirds Charities, visit www.thunderbirdscharities.org.