Cardinals’ Safety Budda Baker partnered with Raising Cane’s to gave away more than 100 bikes and helmets to Guadalupe Thunderbird Boys and Girls at the Guadalupe location on Dec. 16.
The giveaway was a partnership with Raising Cane’s restaurants to gift 4,000 bikes nationally to Boys and Girls Club students to help them learn social skills and education beyond the classroom. This year, Cane’s chose the Guadalupe location.
“They have worked with us to select the clubs with the highest need and to vary the areas of the Valley, so more kids get this special experience,” said Boys and Girls Club Marketing Director Cassidy Campana via email.
In 2024, Cane’s gave to locations in the West Valley.
The bike and helmet donations are in the sixth consecutive year of giving to 100 students in Arizona annually. The tradition began as Raising Cane’s founder, Todd Graves, wanted to give back by helping others feel Christmas joy.
Baker agrees on giving back, and says his Christian background and his childhood in low-income housing is why he is inspired to give during the holiday season.
“Growing up, I loved the Boys and Girls club and I loved hanging out with friends and it helped me get to where I am today,” he said.
Baker spent the hour helping each Boys and Girls club member get fitted with a helmet and ride their bike around the property. He said the day was especially nostalgic as he grew up going to a Boys and Girls club in Washington.
Baker joined the Cardinals in 2017 and has played more than 112 games in his career with the NFL.
The event was cut short due to a suspected gas leak in the building, but Campana said the Cane’s team was supportive and turned a surprise situation into (homemade) lemonade.
“The kids had so much fun on the field with them — it was a surprise pivot out of an abundance of caution, and everyone made the afternoon a success,” she said via email.
To learn more about the Boys and Girls Clubs of Arizona visit Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley (BGCAZ)
Madeline Bates joined Independent Newsmedia in 2025 as a Phoenix/Tempe reporter. Before graduating college, she spent a semester in Washington as a Congressional reporter in the first 100 days of the second Trump administration. But local news is where her heart is. She is excited to be in Phoenix full time and exploring new parts of the city (as long as they have AC).
Community: After living in East Phoenix for two years, she fell in love with Paradise Valley, Mesa, Tempe, and everywhere in between. She recently discovered the beauty of the South Mountain Reserve and hopes to continue exploring should the weather comply.
Education: Madeline has a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and a certificate in Political History and Leadership.
Random Fact: She is a self-taught nail tech. No, she cannot do your nails.
Hobbies: Hiking (when its not 100 degrees), fiction writing, cooking, baking and trying new coffee shops.
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