Thunderbirds Charities donates $3.8 million to Valley nonprofits

Fall funding cycle is now open

Thunderbirds Charities, the charitable giving arm of The Thunderbirds — hosts of the Waste Management Phoenix Open — awarded more than $3.8 million in grants to 43 Valley charities during its 2020 spring funding cycle.

Those grants included two of $500,000 or more, four of more than $300,000 and a total of 12 grants of more than $100,000.

A few notable charities that received this funding include Benevilla Volunteer Home Services for Seniors, Florence Crittenton Services of America, Homeless I.D. Project, Military Assistance Mission and Treasures for Teachers, according to a press release.

While the spring funding cycle is in the books, Thunderbirds Charities has announced its 2020 fall funding cycle is now open. Information about the fall funding cycle can be found at ThunderbirdsCharities.org.

“The impact we can make in our Arizona communities is far and away the most rewarding thing we do as hosts of the Waste Management Phoenix Open,” said Tim Woods, president of Thunderbirds Charities. “It’s an honor to be able to assist the missions of these wonderful Valley organizations and help improve the lives of our fellow Arizonans.”

The $60,000 grant to Benevilla Volunteer Home Services for Seniors will help provide much needed services to older adults in the West Valley challenged with the daily routine of independent living and staying safe with extra precautions during COVID-19, the press release stated.

All services are provided free of charge by Benevilla volunteers and staff and include grocery shopping, transportation to medical appointments, phone pals and more.

The $75,000 grant to Florence Crittenton Services of Arizona will go toward its Girls Living Well Program to provide yearly on-site preventive, primary and behavioral health care services that are gender-specific, culturally competent and trauma-informed for 200 clients at FloCrit’s Therapeutic Group Home (TGH), a 40-bed residential treatment facility.

The Girls Living Well program prioritizes and fosters the development of positive life-long wellness practices including healthy eating, active lifestyles, and trusting relationships between clients and healthcare professionals.

The $100,000 grant to Homeless I.D. Project will aid in their efforts to help individuals and families end their homelessness and rebuild their lives by providing the critical first step of identification replacement services.

While it is not something many people think about, it is not possible to get a job, gain housing, apply for health care, or enroll kids in school without current and valid identifying documents. Homeless I.D. Project helped to issue nearly 8,000 documents in 2019 alone, and plans for growth to serve all those in need in order to eliminate barriers to obtaining identification documents across America.

The $100,000 donation to Military Assistance Mission will help the organization provide financial and moral aid to Arizona’s active-duty military, their families, and post 9/11 Purple Heart Recipients.

Through its financial assistance program, MAM meets the needs of the lowest ranking service members by helping pay for basic necessities such as housing, utilities, groceries, car payments, and insurance.

Thanks to a $40,000 grant to Treasures 4 Teachers (T4T), hundreds of teachers and students from Title 1 schools in metro Phoenix will benefit from a delivery of school supplies from T4T on Wheels.

This year, truckloads of free school supplies will be delivered directly to Title 1 schools, serving an average of 50 teachers and 1,500 students in one trip.

Most students in Title 1-designated schools live in low-income households and are less likely to be adequately equipped with the supplies they need to learn.

The T4T on Wheels mobile program provides a solution to this problem while also alleviating the financial pressure many teachers feel when having to purchase student supplies with their own money.