Thunderbirds Charities Gives $3.85 Million to Valley Charities during Spring Funding Cycle
FALL FUNDING CYCLE IS NOW OPEN AT THUNDERBIRDSCHARITIES.ORG
Thunderbirds Charities, the charitable giving arm of The Thunderbirds – hosts of the Waste Management Phoenix Open – awarded $3.85 million in grants to 65 Valley charities during its Spring 2019 funding cycle. Most notably, Thunderbirds Charities granted $265,000 to Teach For America, $250,000 to VOS YMCA (Valley of the Sun), $200,00 to Maricopa Health Foundation, $100,000 to Teen Lifeline, and $100,000 to Homeless ID Project.
Additionally, Thunderbirds Charities announced it has now opened its 2019 fall funding cycle at www.ThunderbirdsCharities.org
“Giving back and providing much-needed support to children and families is the most fulfilling thing about what we do as tournament hosts,” said Chance Cozby, President of Thunderbirds Charities. “We’re happy to provide these grants to deserving organizations around the Valley. It’s an honor to see how the funds raised from the Waste Management Phoenix Open impacts those in need in our communities.”
The $265,000 donation to Teach For America will support local recruitment and training of 25 promising leaders in Phoenix. As a result of The Thunderbirds investment, the TFA Phoenix 2019 corps will increase educational access and opportunity for more than 5,700 students across the valley.
“I’m already so impressed with this group of leaders. They’re bright, ambitious and driven,” said TFA Regional Board Chair Jim Swanson. “With the support of Thunderbirds Charities, they will now have the opportunity to serve in the communities that need it the most, and to change the lives of students growing up in Arizona.”
The $250,000 donation to VOS YMCA will go towards Camp Sky-Y renovation; specifically renovation of cabin and bathhouse facilities and additional improvements to the camp experience that include a new pavilion, technology and creative arts centers, an updated ropes course, expansion of the dining hall, and an upgraded water system. This project also includes acquisition of 16 acres of National Forest Service land, doubling camper capacity so they can serve more than 3,000 children each year at Camp Sky-Y.
The $200,000 grant to Maricopa Health Foundation and Maricopa Integrated Health System (soon to be Valleywise Health) will help build a Family Learning Center in their new comprehensive health center in Peoria, scheduled to open next summer. Family Learning Centers are libraries for patients, their families and the community that provide health information, community referrals, classes, literacy activities and program enrollment assistance.
“We are incredibly grateful to Thunderbirds Charities for making the fifth MIHS Family Learning Center possible,” said Maricopa Health Foundation CEO Nate Lowrie. “Access to health education, children’s activities and parenting resources, all located in a community health clinic setting, is making a powerfully positive impact on the health and well-being of underserved families in the Valley.”
The $100,000 grant to Teen Lifeline supports the Teen Peer Counseling Hotline/Text Line, a free, confidential peer-supported hotline available to troubled teens 365 days a year to call or text in to receive support, counseling and resources. For every one in three teens that reach out, this call for help could be the difference between finding help and hope, or giving up.
“We have one goal at Teen Lifeline, to prevent teen suicide in Arizona,” said Nikki Kontz, Teen Lifeline Clinical Director. “We are incredibly grateful to Thunderbirds Charities for their incredible commitment to Arizona youth. It is only through working together we can reduce the rate of Teen Suicide in our state.”
The $100,000 donation towards the Homeless ID Project will help individuals and families to end their homelessness and rebuild their lives by providing the critical first step of identification replacement services. The need for replacement documents can result from loss, theft, eviction, or even fleeing a domestic violence situation.
“The Homeless ID Project is honored to receive this grant,” said Homeless ID Project Executive Director Rick Mitchell. “With this ongoing support from Thunderbirds Charities, we can help those seeking to end their homelessness to get a start on what can be a very difficult journey. A life rebuilt provides a real benefit to the person, to the family, and to our entire community as people reengage and become productive.”
Additional grants awarded from the Spring 2019 cycle:
| Ability360 Sports & Fitness Center | Ability360 Youth Continuum of Services | $100,000 |
| Agua Fria Food And Clothing Bank | New refrigerated trucks | $20,000 |
| American Cancer Society | Transportation support for cancer patients | $25,000 |
| American Heart Association | Mobile Market | $25,000 |
| American Red Cross SW States | Home fire alarms for vulnerable neighborhoods | $10,000 |
| Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association-Arizona Chapter | ALS Youth & Children Support Program | $35,000 |
| Arizona Friends Of Foster Children Foundation | Fostering Success for Children in Foster Care | $25,000 |
| Arizona Science Center | CREATE on Wheels | $60,000 |
| Assistance League of East Valley Arizona | Operation School Bell | $20,000 |
| Banner Health Foundation | Cancer Patient Housing Assistance Program | $100,000 |
| Billys Place | Grief support for youth | $5,000 |
| Chrysalis Shelter For Victims Of Domestic Violence | Transportation advocate and vehicle | $90,000 |
| Duet: Partners in Health & Aging | Grandparents Raising Grandchildren | $15,000 |
| East Valley Senior Services | Assistance for Independent Living Volunteer Services | $20,000 |
| Educare Arizona | Early Education Extended Day Program | $25,000 |
| Elevate Phoenix | Vehicle for program | $30,000 |
| Franciscan Renewal Center | Kitchen Equipment | $25,000 |
| Girl Scouts Council Arizona Cactus-Pine | Social Impact Programs | $50,000 |
| Gompers Habilitation Center | Readtopia | $25,000 |
| Homeless ID Project | Securing identification | $100,000 |
| Homeless Youth Connection | Empowering Youth For The Future (EYFTF) | $50,000 |
| Homeward Bound | Family and Children Services/new roof | $250,000 |
| Hope Women’s Center | Empower Her Mentoring Program | $10,000 |
| House Of Refuge | Adopt-A-Home Program | $25,000 |
| House Of Refuge Sunnyslope | Renovation of Homeless Women’s Program Housing | $13,000 |
| Human Services Campus | Critical Client Services | $300,000 |
| ICAN | ICAN’s Youth Development Program | $50,000 |
| Joy Bus | Meal delivery to cancer homebound cancer patients | $20,000 |
| Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation | Community Outreach Program | $15,000 |
| K2 Adventures Foundation | youth programming | $10,000 |
| Keep Phoenix Beautiful | Community Gardens and Recycling Initiatives | $15,000 |
| Kids In Focus | Sequoia Deaf School Photography Mentoring Program | $4,000 |
| Kids Need To Read | The Page Coach | $25,000 |
| Literacy Volunteers Of Maricopa County | Technology upgrades | $40,000 |
| Local First Arizona Foundation | Fuerza Local Business Accelerator | $80,000 |
| Maggies Place | Family Success Center Services | $40,000 |
| Maricopa Health Foundation | West Valley Family Learning Center | $200,000 |
| Matthews Crossing | Meals to Grow | $5,000 |
| Mentorkids Usa | South Phoenix Student Success Program | $10,000 |
| Mitchell Swaback Charities | Harvest Compassion Center | $25,000 |
| Muscular Dystrophy Association | 2019 MDA Arizona Care Centers | $10,000 |
| Neighborhood Ministries | Katy’s Kids Early Childhood Development Preschool | $25,000 |
| One Small Step | Expansion of Regional Facility | $50,000 |
| Phoenix Children’s Chorus | Music camp retreat | $10,000 |
| Power Paws Assistance Dogs | Volunteer Engagement | $20,000 |
| Prostate On-Site Project | Prostate On-Site Project | $10,000 |
| Read Better Be Better | After-School 3rd Grade Literacy Program | $13,000 |
| Sandra Day O’Connor Institute | Camp O’Connor | $50,000 |
| Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMOCA) | Arizona Wolf Trap Program | $25,000 |
| Sharing Down Syndrome Arizona | LOVE BEYOND MEASURE | $15,000 |
| Shoebox Ministry | Boxes for Youth | $25,000 |
| Soldiers Best Friend | The Service/Therapeutic Companion Dog Training Program | $20,000 |
| Southwest Kids Cancer Foundation | Arizona Camp Sunrise and Camp Sidekicks | $15,000 |
| Special Olympics Arizona | State Competitions | $200,000 |
| St Mary’s Food Bank Alliance | Kids Café Trucks/grab&go meals | $300,000 |
| Teach For America | Bring Teachers to Phoenix | $265,000 |
| Teen Lifeline | Hotline/Textline | $100,000 |
| Treasure House | Shade cover/outdoor furniture | $30,000 |
| Treasures 4 Teachers | T4T on Wheels | $35,000 |
| UMOM New Day Centers | Direct Client Assistance for Homeless Families & Youth | $300,000 |
| USO Arizona | family programming | $25,000 |
| Veterans Furniture Center | furniture | $25,000 |
| VOS YMCA | Camp Sky-Y project | $250,000 |
| Waste Not | Feeding Children, Youth & Families | $30,000 |
| YWCA Metropolitan Phoenix | Senior Meals on wheels | $15,000 |
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 our communities. 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 285 “life” members. For more information on Thunderbirds Charities, visit www.thunderbirdscharities.org.