Thunderbirds Charities has been a supporter of Boys & Girls Clubs of the East Valley for many years. In 2001, due to a large donation to our capital campaign to build the Guadalupe Branch, the facility was renamed the Guadalupe Branch the Thunderbirds Branch-Guadalupe. Most recently, the Boys & Girls Clubs of the East Valley received $112,000 in January 2010 and $50,000 in May 2013, for programming and transportation needs at the Thunderbirds Branch-Guadalupe. And in 2014, $100,000 was granted in support of the Guadalupe Field Project, to build a multipurpose field on an empty dirt lot adjacent to the Boys & Girls Club facility.

The Thunderbirds Branch-Guadalupe serves 1,380 members annually with an average daily attendance of 280 during the school year and 150 during the summer. Approximately 600 youth participate in the Youth Sports programs at the Thunderbirds Branch. 85% of the membership at the Thunderbirds Branch is minority and 62% reside in single parent families. 70% are at or below the poverty line. The Thunderbirds Branch serves those who need it most. In regards to the Guadalupe Field Project, the majority of the 5,000 residents of Guadalupe will utilize the field, whether it is through Boys & Girls Club programming or through community programming, as the field will be available to the community when not being utilized by the Boys & Girls Club. With 50% of the population being 18 or younger in the Town of Guadalupe, over 2,500 youth are estimated to utilize the field on an annual basis.

Each year, during National Boys & Girls Club Week (March/April, annually), the Thunderbirds Branch hosts a Hall of Fame event wherein donors, supporters, volunteers, staff, Club alumni and others are honored for their contributions to the Club. Here are the awardees for the past two years:

2013 — Frances Cervantes, Toyota Financial Services – Board member/volunteer inductee; Arizona Grand Resort – Community Partner inductee: Matthew Duran – Staff inductee: and Danielle Corrales – Club Member inductee

2014 — Christopher Gentis, Phoenix Police Department – Board member/volunteer inductee; Thunderbirds Charities – community partner inductee; Leander Williams – Staff inductee; and Danielle Muniz – Club member inductee