Thunderbirds Charities Donates More Than $2.5M to Valley Charities During Fall Funding Cycle
Thunderbirds Charities, the charitable giving arm of The Thunderbirds and hosts of the Waste Management Phoenix Open, awarded more than $2.5 million in grants to 56 Valley charities during its fall 2020 funding cycle. Grants of $100,000 or more were donated to seven Valley charities, including $250,000 to A New Leaf, $205,000 to The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, $150,000 to Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley, and $150,000 to Hospice of the Valley.
“Without a doubt, giving back to our communities is the most rewarding thing about what we do as tournament hosts,” said Tim Woods, president of Thunderbirds Charities. “We’re thrilled and so proud to give these grants to deserving organizations around the Valley. It’s an honor to have such a positive impact for those in need in our community, especially this year with so many challenges and obstacles. We know 2021 will still be a difficult year for so many charities in need, and while we understand we won’t be able to raise as much money as we typically do from the 2021 Waste Management Phoenix Open, we will do our best to support those that are most vulnerable.”
The grant will support A New Leaf’s Phoenix Day Early Childhood Education Program and Therapeutic Behavioral Health After School & Summer Programs that provide opportunities for marginalized children to overcome social and racial inequities and break the cycle of poverty.
St. Vincent de Paul will purchase and install new industrial equipment in their kitchen, dining rooms, and food pantry warehouse. This will serve tens of millions of meals for years to come, revolutionize the way they process, organize and distribute millions of pounds of food each year, and create an environmentally sustainable, cost-effective program to feed Arizona’s food-insecure community.
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley will upgrade the technology at its 25 clubs throughout Maricopa County to address the “digital divide” by providing internet access to its low-income, at-risk and other youth. The Bridging the Digital Divide Project will ensure all youth served have access at their local club so they can complete their homework, assignments and participate in the club’s STEM and other educational activities.
Grant funding will support Hospice of the Valley’s (HOV) Dementia Care and Education Campus, specifically the Adult Center Activity and Art Room, which will allow HOV to continue their compassionate, palliative care for adults and children with a life-limiting illness.
Additional grants awarded from the fall 2020 cycle can be found at thunderbirdscharities.org/grant-information/recent-grantees. The spring 2021 funding cycle is now open. To learn more about grant information and guidelines, go to ThunderbirdsCharities.org.
