Fiesta Bowl Charities granted the classroom wish of 500 teachers for $2,500 each during the Palo Verde Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers Draft Day.

This year’s recipients included six teachers in Peoria.

The recipients were selected in a random drawing during the Palo Verde Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers Draft Day presented by SRP.

The Wishes for Teachers program drew more than 4,000 applications from Arizona teachers, coaches and school staff, including from 14 new cities this year. The $1.25 million in donations will be distributed to 84 cities and towns across Arizona, impacting 237,737 students. The program granted wishes in 380 different schools, covering 108 school districts and 79 charter schools.

The Peoria recipients and their wishes are:

• Alison Coak, a kindergarten general education teacher at West Wing Elementary, will provide flexible seating and a comfortable space for their students.

• Aarika De La Cruz, a kindergarten general education teacher at Arizona Autism Charter School, will purchase interactive books and plushies for their students.

• Jennifer Dinbokowitz, a kindergarten general education teacher at Sunset Heights Elementary School, will purchase dramatic play items for their students.

• Lauren Lam, a second grade general education teacher at Archway Glendale - Great Hearts, will purchase organizational materials and new books for their classroom.

• Roxanne Winston, an EdProfessions, child development, and internships teacher at Centennial High School, will create a classroom library for their educational professions students.

• Krystle Yates, a kindergarten general education teacher at Sunset Heights Elementary School, will purchase play and sensory items for their kindergarteners.

Recipients included teachers instructing bilingual classrooms, sustainability classes, physical education, special needs and much more. The 500 wishes ranged from new seating and books to robotics kits and virtual reality headsets.

“Palo Verde Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers was born to honor, support and celebrate Arizona’s educators. Teachers are unsung heroes and selfless mentors with incredible influence on our youth to help shape them to become the next generation of leaders,” said Fiesta Bowl Executive Director & CEO Erik Moses. “Providing resources that they would not otherwise have gives them the ability to create new areas of teaching that will unlock students’ potential.”