Northwest Valley Connect (NVC) has recently been awarded a $5,000 grant from Thunderbirds Charities to support the Essential Transport project. This project will assist 500 seniors whose quality of life has been threatened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Medical and other services have been put on hold for a large portion of seniors living in the West Valley as the fear of contracting COVID-19 has limited their ability to safely leave their homes for their health care and human service needs. A volunteer leadership team will manage a planned effort that interfaces with and enlists participation by this fragile group of seniors in community resources by using “well check calls,” case managing medical transport, assuring NVC/COVID-19 Health and Safety procedures, and promoting NVC safe transport availability. Kathryn Chandler, Executive Director states, “As community services reopen, it is important to cultivate assurances for fear-based, isolated individuals and in partnership with Thunderbirds Charities, I believe vulnerable seniors will feel secure to re-enter community activities using NVC essential/medical transport services.” Northwest Valley Connect This grant is part of the Fall 2020 cycle. View a list of all Recent Grantees. More

Native American Connections (NAC) is pleased to announce receipt of a grant award from Thunderbirds Charities. The $50,000 grant will support housing and services at NAC’s HomeBase and Saguaro Ki programs for youth experiencing homelessness. The January 2020 Point in Time (PIT) count indicated 416 youth were experiencing homelessness in the metro Phoenix area. Youth face challenges getting off the streets because of a shortage of emergency and supportive housing dedicated for youth. Native American Connections’ Youth Housing Model of Care is for youth (18-24 years old) and includes two phases: skill development (HomeBase 25-bed Emergency Shelter) and skill application (Saguaro Ki 24-unit Transitional Housing). Each year, NAC helps 140 youth move from crisis to personal development to housing stability; setting them up to thrive and for future success. With safe and secure housing, youth can focus on activities that improve their health, employment, education and social connections. We appreciate having the support of Thunderbirds Charities. Native American Connections This grant is part of the Fall 2020 cycle. View a list of all Recent Grantees. More

Rising Youth Theatre is proud to announce a grant of $10,000 from Thunderbirds Charities, received in December 2020 in support of its Arts Leadership Program. This is a transformative gift for Rising Youth Theatre, who continues to reach, connect, and collaborate with hundreds of young people during the Coronavirus pandemic. Founded in 2011, Rising Youth Theatre is a youth leadership organization that uses theatre and story to position young people in advocacy spaces. The company works with young people and professional adult artists to create socially relevant, original plays that have a positive impact on our community. Our work starts in the community – hearing stories, participating in dialogue, doing research, and engaging young people around a topic. While our process of making theatre looks different this year, these programs are more critical than ever. Hundreds of young people are engaging in transformative arts experiences alongside professional adult artist collaborators. Young people are at the center of the organization’s decision making and growth. And, particularly significant at this moment – all young people who participate in the program are paid for their time. As Transforming Artistic Collaborator Quinn Pursell explained “young people are particularly impacted by the pandemic, especially those […] More

Thunderbirds Charities has awarded Local First Arizona an $85,000 grant to help grow their Fuerza Local Business Accelerator program and support entrepreneurship in Arizona. The investment will boost outreach of Local First’s Fuerza Local program to bring this opportunity to more businesses across the Valley and helping to further Thunderbirds Charities’ mission to improve the quality of life for all Arizonans. “Since 2013, Fuerza Local has assisted 453 entrepreneurs in achieving their dreams of becoming business owners. Business graduates have created a total of 624 jobs and have contributed more than $6,991,360 in new sales to our local economy. We strongly believe entrepreneurship is the most effective tool for tackling wealth inequality and building a diverse and resilient economy. We are honored to have Thunderbirds Charities as a partner in this mission,” says Kimber Lanning, Local First Arizona Founder. “Fuerza Local is a program that changes the lives of so many in our community by allowing them to follow their dreams,” said Tim Woods, President of Thunderbirds Charities. “Thunderbirds Charities shares a common commitment with Local First Arizona to serve the people in our communities. We’re very proud to be a part of that.” While in the program, students participate […] More

The Arizona Educational Foundation is the recipient of an $18,700 grant from Thunderbirds Charities to support the Arizona State Spelling Bee. The student who wins the Arizona State Spelling Bee goes on to represent Arizona as the official Arizona State Spelling Champion in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.  Arizona has one of the largest spelling bee programs in the nation, with close to 300,000 students competing each year from public, private, and homeschools statewide. “Managing a program of this magnitude is no small feat,” says Matthew Feller, Arizona State Bee Director. “Having support from Thunderbirds Charities will go a long way in ensuring students have an exceptional experience.” Kim Graham, AEF Executive Director, echoes that sentiment. “We are so grateful for the support from Thunderbirds Charities. They do so much to support education in Maricopa and Pinal counties and we are truly honored that they have chosen to support this vital academic opportunity for students.” The Arizona State Spelling Bee is scheduled, COVID conditions permitting, for Saturday, March 20th, at the Madison Center for the Arts in Phoenix. To allow for social distancing and COVID safety the event will not be open to the public this year. “We are watching […] More

St. Vincent de Paul cooks and distributes 4,000 daily meals in its central kitchen, five dining rooms and over a dozen charity partners across the Valley. Thanks to a $205,000 donation from Thunderbirds Charities, St. Vincent de Paul can continue to operate its meal services with its signature excellence and efficiency, ensuring that donated dollars are stretched to the fullest to provide the best service to people in need. “The generous gift from Thunderbirds Charities is so appreciated, especially as we head into the spring and summer months. The donation will help us run our food operations with efficiency, ensuring that fresh foods are stored and distributed with as little waste as possible,” said Danielle McMahon, St. Vincent de Paul’s director of food services.   St. Vincent de Paul This grant is part of the Fall 2020 cycle. View a list of all Recent Grantees. More

The cornerstone of personal growth is literacy. Thanks to Thunderbirds Charities, Gompers expands Readtopia to the Peoria campus. Readtopia is a comprehensive literacy curriculum paired with science and socials studies. It is designed for individuals with moderate to severe disabilities and modified for adults by Gompers. Thunderbirds Charities helped launch this programming at the Phoenix campus in 2019. Readtopia brought members into a volcano in Iceland to introduce them to the book Journey to the Center of the Earth. The primary goal of introducing this curriculum was to increase the members’ engagement and active participation in their day. In one year, 55 members will increase her/his reading level by half a grade level. Plus, in one year, individuals will increase active participation in lessons by 63% using the lesson participation rubric to measure this on all individuals. We greatly appreciate Thunderbirds Charities’ support of Gompers’ programming. Gompers and its employees are passionate about assisting individuals with disabilities to achieve their highest level of independence and productivity in our community. Gompers’ staff helps its members and students accomplish this by living up to Gompers’ mission of developing innovative opportunities for people with disabilities and its seven core values every day. Gompers […] More

notMYkid is pleased to announce Thunderbirds Charities has donated $25,000 to support their new Arizona Youth Thriving program. The funds will be dedicated to supporting the urgent mental health needs of youth and their families by making counseling, peer support, and care coordination available through their new outpatient treatment center. “Thanks to this generous grant from Thunderbirds Charities, over 50 additional families will now have a place to heal and receive quality care and support for mental health and substance use disorders,” said Kristen Polin, CEO of notMYkid. “Thunderbirds Charities is helping our dreams become a reality as we expand to become a full continuum provider of prevention, early intervention, and treatment services. The pandemic has drastically changed the way we provide services, and it was time to do more and be more for families who turn to notMYkid for support. Families looking for mental health services can find help and hope through our telehealth programs or safely in person, regardless of their ability to pay.” notMYkid will continue to increase their capacity through the end of 2021 using cutting edge technology-assisted care, peer to peer mentoring, and strengthening partnerships with local healthcare partners and area schools. New programs include: […] More

Our Hope in a Box Essentials Project provides the patient with needed items that are in direct relation due to chemotherapy treatment, radiation treatment or any surgery that is related to breast cancer often not covered by insurance. The funding for the Hope Box Project will allow Impact One to ship boxes of items valued up to $500.00 to over 320 women at zero cost to the patients. This key component is the very essence of Impact One’s existence. Our program is designed so that each woman not only receives one-on-one support through outreach but by providing vital essentials needed for recovery. The population of women that are served are women of all ethnic groups as well as those that are insured, underinsured and uninsured. We also serve those recently diagnosed or have already been in treatment and the women that have simply gone without the vital essentials needed after a breast cancer diagnosis in Arizona. Elizabeth Ayers Cluff, Founder of Impact One, personally understands the trials, hardships and lack of resources available and believes “no woman should be forgotten”. “Impact One was founded to empower all women with self-worth, in the comfort of providing a safe community and to […] More

Make-A-Wish Arizona, the founding chapter of the international wish granting organization is honored to announce a gift of $20,000 grant from Thunderbirds Charities. The money will be used to grant life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses in Arizona. Currently, more than 597 children are working with Make-A-Wish Arizona to plan custom and unique wish opportunities, even with COVID-19 safety restrictions in place. “We are excited that Thunderbirds Charities sees the impact a wish can make on a child who is dealing with a critical illness,” said Elizabeth Reich, president and Chief Executive Officer of Make-A-Wish Arizona. “A wish experience provides a child hope and joy when they need it most and this grant will assist us in continuing our mission, even during the pandemic.” Make-A-Wish Arizona was founded in 1980 when one Arizona boy’s wish to be a police officer was granted by the Department of Public Safety. Since that time, almost 7,000 wishes have been granted in Arizona and approximately a half million wishes have been granted worldwide. Make-A-Wish Arizona This grant is part of the Fall 2020 cycle. View a list of all Recent Grantees. More

The Jobs for Arizona’s Graduates (JAG) program includes classroom instruction, competency-based project- based learning, adult mentoring, summer employment training, student-led leadership development, job, and post-secondary education placement services, as well as 12-months of follow-up services after high school graduation. Due to COVID-19 and resulting school closures, JAG has pivoted to a virtual model to continue providing uninterrupted services to its participants. JAG Coordinators are Trauma-Informed educators who double as mentors in local schools. Despite the disruption COVID has caused, they are continuing to provide critical JAG services, including the follow-up services and mentorship to their students for a full year after they graduate from high school. This is especially critical for the most recent graduating class – the Class of 2020 – as they face the most significant employment challenges in decades caused by the COVID pandemic. “Thunderbirds Charities recognizes the essential work that Jobs for Arizona’s Graduates is doing and the outstanding results we’re achieving, even amid an unprecedented pandemic. These funds will help more local youth disproportionately impacted by COVID to succeed in school, jobs, and life,” said Graciela Garcia Candia, President of Jobs for Arizona’s Graduates. “We appreciate Thunderbirds Charities, who have donated funds to JAG in […] More

Ryan House announced the receipt of a generous $75,000 grant from Thunderbirds Charities today in support of the nonprofit’s Sponsor-A-Stay Program, which offers short-term, overnight respite care stays that help families take a break from the stress of the constant home care needs of their medically fragile children. “We are so grateful for the continued generosity of Thunderbirds Charities,” said Ryan House Executive Director Tracy Leonard-Warner. “Thanks to their support, we will be able to provide 75 sponsored, free-of-charge 24-hour respite stays for children with life-threatening or terminal conditions.” Ryan House’s world-class care will be offered to 200 children and families over the grant term. Ryan House This grant is part of the Fall 2020 cycle. View a list of all Recent Grantees. More

The mission of Dress for Success Phoenix is to empower women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and the development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. Our team understands the importance of listening to the women we serve and learning first-hand the challenges they face. Whether they are job seekers, under-employed workers or professionals ready to take that next step, we design and deliver services, programs and a network of support to help women overcome these challenges for every phase of their personal or professional journey. At the Career Center, our clients gain access to the resources, support and education they need to excel in their career. Clients are paired with staff members to create resumes and cover letters, conduct mock interviews and take advantage of our professional skills training course. For many, we know that transportation can be a massive hurdle for women hoping to access Dress for Success programs, so we made our services mobile. The Mobile Career Center provides many of the same great services as the Dress for Success Phoenix boutique, such as providing attire and career coaching. The Mobile Career Center also enhances partnerships with […] More

ALS is a terminal illness that impacts all aspects of a person’s life, often resulting in decreased quality of life at a time when it matters most. The ALS Association Arizona Chapter employs a multi-dimensional approach to support the physical, emotional, and social needs of people with ALS, and their families. The Chapter’s Living with ALS program helps families maintain a high quality of life by providing the following services: Multi-disciplinary Clinics – Regular visits with ALS specialists who coordinate the clinical management of physical disease progression Support groups -Opportunities to share personal experiences and learn strategies for managing the physical, social, emotional, and mental challenges of living with ALS Counseling – Individualized family counseling to address topics related to coping with the diagnosis, conflict resolution, crisis intervention, and healthcare and end of life decision making Certified Child Life Specialist -Helps children who have a loved one with ALS understand the disease, process complex emotions, and learn coping skills Social Connections – Group leisure activities designed to form bonds with others affected by ALS Family Fun Packs – Activity kits that are designed to facilitate positive family interactions and build memories before their loved one dies “We are so grateful […] More

“Thanks to Thunderbirds Charities’ generous investment, Year Up Arizona will further our mission to close the Opportunity Divide for young adults in the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area. By combining hard and soft skill development, an authentic work experience, and wraparound support services, Year Up positions students for success in the classroom, in the workplace, and in the community,” says Kimberly Allen, Site Director, Year Up Arizona. This year, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted all aspects of our world, and Year Up Arizona (YUAZ) is working tirelessly to ensure vulnerable young adults in Maricopa County are not left further behind as inequality deepens and as it becomes even more challenging to secure living wage employment. This investment by Thunderbirds Charities will be channeled to support all aspects of Year Up Arizona’s workforce development over the next year as we serve 240 young adults at YUAZ (Mesa/SNHU and PHX sites), which includes ensuring we are able to respond to the shifting needs of our students and emergent challenges throughout the COVID-19 crisis. Prior to COVID-19, the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area was home to 70,300 young adults who were out of school and work. Called Opportunity Youth (OY), these individuals have been systematically […] More

Arizona Burn Foundation is grateful to receive a $50,000 grant from Thunderbirds Charities for the delivery of our Helping Others, Promoting Empowerment (HOPE) Services, which begin the moment a burn patient is admitted to the Arizona Burn Center at Valleywise or the Burn Unit at Banner University Medical Center Tucson, and continue until the burn survivor and their family, is independently thriving once again. In the initial crisis, we offer short-term emergency needs, including: lodging, transportation, financial assistance, meal vouchers, and emotional support to families. Upon hospital discharge, we provide long-term transitional services focused on helping burn survivors not just survive their injuries — but thrive in their post-injury life. Every year, more than 1200 burn patients are admitted to the Arizona Burn Center at Valleywise and the Burn Unit at Banner University Medical Center Tucson. Thousands more are admitted to area hospitals. A severe burn injury is catastrophic and lasts a lifetime. In spite of months, and often years, of medical treatment and surgeries, the physical scars may never heal. The emotional scars can cause the victim to feel different and withdraw from the life they led before. Without services and programs that provide emotional healing and hope, a […] More

Thunderbirds Charities provided $30,000 to OCJ (Opportunity, Community and Justice for Foster) Kids to help children heal and recover from physical and emotional abuse and to provide hygiene and other items to youth living in foster group homes. When children are physically harmed or did not have their parents’ affection and attention during their formative years, they often have developmental delays. During the pandemic, child abuse cases escalated, but most went unreported because the children were not in school where teachers could detect any problems. Abuse and neglect often cause significant delays in children’s physical, mental and emotional development. “Sometimes the children’s delays are so extensive that they cannot even walk or talk,” said Gary Webb, President and Founder of OCJ Kids. Thunderbirds Charities’ generous grant will enable OCJ Kids to create and provide InterAct Boxes to at least 10 Arizona foster group homes. InterAct Boxes contain activities to help children with delays advance in their development while in foster care. These include stretching, picking up and grasping items, and breathing exercises. The InterAct Boxes were designed in partnership with Northern Arizona University’s (NAU) Occupational Therapy (OT) Department. OCJ Kids and several foster group homes have used the InterAct Boxes […] More

Thunderbirds Charities recently awarded the Assistance League® of Phoenix a $60,000 grant to support their Operation School Bell®. The DeliveringDreams Bus is the mobile unit of Operation School Bell®, the signature program of Assistance League® of Phoenix, and serves over 8,500 students each school year both through the bus and the satellite dressing center located in Sunnyslope. “This has been a very challenging year for so many nonprofits,” said Aimee Runyon, Chief Executive Officer, Assistance League® of Phoenix. “We are so appreciative of Thunderbirds Charities generous donation. It will help us buy new shoes and clothing to fill our buses. We have been working hard to serve children any way possible during this pandemic. We know many families are counting on us to help outfit their children in the new year.” The Assistance League® of Phoenix has three Delivering Dreams Buses sponsored by the Arizona Diamondbacks, Rotary 100/BHHS Legacy Foundation and Fiesta Bowl Charities/BHHS Legacy Foundation. The donation from Thunderbirds Charities will help purchase clothing/shoes to fill these buses. Typically, Assistance League of Phoenix partners with more than 90 Title I schools throughout the year. Each school can select up to 100 children who qualify for the program (students on […] More

Every Child Reads (ECR) is a research-based family engagement program that provides a crucial connection between parents and schools to support at-home literacy. The program funds and delivers thousands of books every year – both print and digital – to families in need, in addition to family workshops and multiple incentives for children to read. Low reading rates across Arizona present a major obstacle for future economic success – both for families, and for the state. That is why for over 10 years, Stand for Children Arizona has provided parents with at-home resources and support to improve education for their child and all children in Arizona. Stand for Children Arizona partners with more than 20 schools and 2,000 parents to distribute over 6,000 books for families to keep. As the brick-and-mortar education system is evolving and forever changed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the ECR program is expanding its impact to support children and families through these changes. Stand for Children Arizona’s Executive Director, Rebecca Gau, commented on the importance of this partnership, “The ability to read is critical to a child’s success in school, life-long earning potential, and their ability to contribute to the nation’s economy.” She added, “We are […] More

Thunderbirds Charities and the Arizona Council on Economic Education (ACEE) are partnering to provide innovative and expedient financial and economic education solutions for Arizona students and teachers. A recent $50,000 grant from Thunderbirds Charities will help ACEE reach 300 schools and 75,000 K-12 students, many of whom are from low to moderate income families and rural communities. The global pandemic brought unprecedented challenges for families, students and teachers. Underserved communities are bearing an unequal share of the loss of income, food, education and health. Surviving and thriving through this pandemic will depend on individuals’ level of debt, emergency savings and financial literacy. The grant will enable ACEE to offer more support to underserved communities. ACEE’s program offers both on-demand and real-time synchronous digital learning resources. It will train 500 teachers to use new education technology tools to engage their students in online, in-person and hybrid learning environments. The resources will be the first to align with the new Arizona economics and personal finance standards, and social and emotional learning requirements. “With the continued support from Thunderbirds Charities, ACEE is prepared to support schools, children and families to achieve economic equity and social justice through financial and economic education,” said Elena […] More

Thunderbirds Charities generously awarded $100,000 for U.S.VETS – Phoenix for renovations in their new location. U.S.VETS – Phoenix has proudly served homeless, at-risk, and underserved veterans for nearly 20 years. As the largest nonprofit exclusively dedicated to veterans in Maricopa County and the United States, U.S.VETS provides case management, mental health counseling, career development, meals, and housing. Today, our programs serve more than 180 veterans daily. With the current leased property up for sale, U.S.VETS will be purchasing a new home to relocate to and expand the critical services and housing veterans deserve. With support from Thunderbirds Charities, U.S.VETS – Phoenix’s new home will serve as a therapeutic, residential community that provides veterans the tools they need to regain their dignity and build a stronger future. Michelle Jameson, Executive Director says, “We are so grateful for Thunderbirds Charities’ long term support. They have been friends of ours for years and when we needed help with this move, they generously stepped up.” Keep an eye on U.S.VETS website at usvets.org/locations/Phoenix for more details about the new building and capital campaign. U.S.VETS – Phoenix This grant is part of the Fall 2020 cycle. View a list of all Recent Grantees. More

Family Promise of Greater Phoenix, an organization that serves families with children and pets who are currently homeless or at risk of experiencing homelessness, announced it had received a grant for $65,000 from Thunderbirds Charities to support the nonprofit’s emergency shelter program. Family Promise focuses on resolving the family’s immediate crisis by offering social services, helping parents find employment, and connecting them to daycare and school for their children. During the day, Family Promise hosts families at its day centers across the Valley where parents and children receive shelter, food, clothing, and other basic needs. Overnight, Family Promise relies on its network of volunteer churches and synagogues to shelter and feed the families they serve while Family Promise assists these families on their journey back to self-sufficiency. During the coronavirus pandemic, Family Promise has had to temporarily pause its community-based model to protect their volunteers and families from potential spread of the virus and shelter families at its day centers overnight. Family Promise will use the Thunderbirds Charities grant towards their emergency shelter program which ensures families in crisis will have a safe place to put their kids to bed while they work to regain self-sufficiency. “If a family’s life […] More

YWCA Metropolitan Phoenix is pleased to announce the receipt of an impactful grant from Thunderbirds Charities to support their ongoing work to eliminate racism, empower women, and promote peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all. The funds are specifically for the Senior Meals on Wheels program serving the West Valley and for the YWCA Own It! Financial Education program that empowers participants throughout the Valley. “Like so many organizations, COVID-19 has caused unprecedented instability for many we work with,” said Debbie Esparza, YWCA CEO. “From homebound seniors facing food insecurity to women facing financial instability to marginalized communities fighting for equity, this pandemic has significantly increased, not lessened, people’s needs for our services. We are so thankful for the Thunderbirds Charities grant. It couldn’t have come at a more important time in our community.” YWCA’s commitment to social change and community services runs deep. For more than 108 years, they have been at the forefront of most critical social movements, standing against all forms of racism and oppression while working to address the community’s most critical needs. Since March they have served more than 95,000 meals to seniors, and are on pace to serve more than 114,000 meals in a […] More

Mariachi Sones del Desierto is a multi-tier year-round youth mariachi program for children in grades K-12. This wonderful cultural-musical exchange brings children together in a fun and supportive environment as they learn to play and appreciate traditional mariachi music using traditional instruments. Our Mariachi students have performed at the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM), the Phoenix Zoo, the Desert Botanical Gardens, Mesa Arts Center, Tempe Center for the Arts, Chandler Multicultural Festival, the Herberger Arts Festival, the Arizona Opera’s cultural exchange, Phoenix Arts Festival, Maricopa County Community College Hispanic Convocation, the Town of Gilbert Global Village, Town of Guadalupe, Tempe Historical Museum, private parties, Quinceañera, in restaurants and schools. This grant from Thunderbirds Charities will allow students to continue to learn the art of Mariachi and support cultural awareness and appreciation in the community through performances and community outreach in response to the needs expressed by parents, children, staff, school administrators, school orchestra/band directors, and volunteers with a stake in the community’s well-being. The performing arts create connection and community. Mariachi Sones del Desierto builds bridges between the arts and the greater community as well as creates a new generation of Mariachi musicians and Mariachi music lovers. Mariachi Sones del Desierto […] More

In December of 2020, Thunderbirds Charities awarded $10,000 to Helping Hands for Freedom to help fund the Life Needs program. The Life Needs program supports the families of the fallen, wounded and deployed with emergency financial assistance. Families that apply typically need help with mortgage/rent, car payments, utilities, insurance and medical bills. Helping Hands for Freedom CEO Eric Snelz acknowledged that “receiving these funds in a year where all but one of our fundraising events were cancelled because of Covid-19 provided a critical safety net to continue our mission of keeping families together in the home. The fact that the assistance came during the holiday season made an even bigger impact for our families.” In a year during which families experienced unprecedented stress, Helping Hands for Freedom received inquiries from 829 families seeking relief from financial emergencies. Helping Hands for Freedom This grant is part of the Fall 2020 cycle. View a list of all Recent Grantees. More

The $50,000 grant from Thunderbirds Charities supported our House Heroes program, allowing Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central and Northern Arizona to provide 467 nights of rest for families caring for their child at one of the Valley’s premiere hospitals. While the COVID pandemic caused increased expenses and cancelled two signature fundraising events, support from Thunderbirds Charities helped ensure families were able to stay together during their child’s health crisis. “We are so grateful for the continued support of Thunderbirds Charities to our organization and other communities across Arizona,” said RMHCCNAZ CEO, Kerry Schulman. “Pediatric illness does not stop or slow during a pandemic, which means that the need for a place for families to rest and rejuvenate while their child receives necessary medical treatment must continue. This grant from Thunderbirds Charities gives us the resources to do so.” Families who turn to RMHCCNAZ receive: *A “home-away-from-home.” Families stay in comfortable private rooms with access to complimentary laundry facilities, community kitchen and pantry, dining room, family room, indoor and outdoor play areas, library, and Wi-Fi. *A warm meal. Volunteers donate food and prepare nightly meals as part of our Dinnertime Heroes program. (While families are still fed, we have paused […] More

Gift of Adoption, a national charitable organization providing financial assistance to complete adoptions, is receiving a $5,000 grant from Thunderbirds Charities to fund the Maricopa County Forever Families Program. The grant will allow Gift of Adoption’s Arizona Chapter to help unite two children with permanent families. “We’re thrilled that Thunderbirds Charities is assisting our efforts to bring more vulnerable children into permanent, loving homes,” says Katie Zimmerman, President of Gift of Adoption Fund – Arizona Chapter. “The Maricopa County Forever Families program will have a direct and immediate impact on at-risk kids living in Maricopa and Pinal Counties.” The funding from Thunderbirds Charities will allow the chapter to issue two adoption assistance grants for vulnerable children in Maricopa and Pinal Counties to be adopted by loving, caring families also residing in Maricopa and Pinal Counties. Nurturing families are integral to a child’s healthy development, contributing to success throughout life. Gift of Adoption This grant is part of the Fall 2020 cycle. View a list of all Recent Grantees. More

Wigged Out, Inc. received a $5,000 grant from Thunderbirds Charities which will help expand and support financial assistance for wigs and hair pieces for women and children with medically related hair loss. Wigged Out, Inc. provides financial assistance to women and children in the metropolitan Phoenix and surrounding areas who are in need of wigs and head coverings due to the effects of a diagnosed medical condition, such as cancer, alopecia, and blood or genetic disorders. By partnering with reputable wig boutiques across the Valley, Wigged Out is able to ensure that the women we help are able to receive new, high quality, and well fitting wigs that they are able to select, empowering them to choose a wig that helps them feel more like themselves. Wigged Out serves a wide range of women, children, and the elderly across the Greater Phoenix area, with our youngest applicant being 5 years old, through women in their 80s and 90s. Funding from Thunderbirds Charities will help women like Marie, a recent applicant, who says, “Thanks to the generous help of Wigged Out Inc. I can smile with confidence. No more hiding myself and avoiding eye contact. I feel healthy! I have my […] More

A New Leaf’s services impact more than 7,800 children and youth in the Valley annually, targeting those who have experienced significant challenges and trauma related to domestic violence, homelessness, poverty, and social, emotional, and behavioral health challenges. A $250,000 grant from Thunderbirds Charities will support A New Leaf’s Phoenix Day Early Childhood Education Program and Therapeutic Behavioral Health After School & Summer Programs, providing opportunities for marginalized children to overcome social and racial inequities and to break the cycle of poverty. Phoenix Day is a nationally accredited, 4-STAR Quality First rated, bilingual program located in South-Central Phoenix, providing early childhood education programming for 160 children, ages 0-5, each year. 80% of children represent minority and low-income populations. 85% of graduating children exceed Kindergarten readiness standards or are assisted with developing an Individualized Education Plan. Thunderbirds Charities funding will support programming and facility needs – needs that have been compounded by losses in revenue and extraneous costs related to the COVID-19 pandemic. A New Leaf’s Therapeutic Behavioral Health After School & Summer Programs provide after school and summer programming for nearly 700 children from low-income families each year who struggle with social, emotional, and behavioral challenges. Thunderbirds Charities funding will support […] More

Funds donated by Thunderbirds Charities are being used to provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for VALLEYLIFE’s 25 group homes, which house over 100 residents, called members, with developmental and physical disabilities. Since VALLEYLIFE’s day activity centers have been shuttered since last March, members have been confined to their group homes. Major precautions have been taken to maintain a safe environment for both staff and members, who are required to wear masks at all times. The homes are continually sanitized throughout the day. Staff and members in those homes that have had an exposure to COVID-19 are required to wear face shields and gowns in addition to K-95 masks. Further measures are taken to isolate members who have contracted the virus. At this time, PPE is costing VALLEYLIFE over $5,000 a week. According to CEO Cletus Thiebeau, “As we look toward having a vaccine available and hopefully the end of the Pandemic, we cannot loosen up. The numbers are still high and we must continue to take every precaution to keep our members safe and healthy.” VALLEYLIFE This grant is part of the Fall 2020 cycle. View a list of all Recent Grantees. More