Currently, only 39% of economically disadvantaged students in Maricopa County are enrolling in college and only 31% of Hispanic/Latino adults have a post-secondary degree, compared to 61% of white adults. Camp Catanese aims to close this gap and eliminate barriers to post-secondary education. To date, over 98% of our campers have been admitted to college, with 100% of the most recent class of 2023 planning to enroll this fall!
Camp Catanese is at an inflection point, with the opportunity to scale our program and reach more students. The Thunderbirds Charities grant will help fuel our growth, as we aim to serve 400 campers (students in 7th-12th grade) in the 2023-2024 school year. We are expanding our year-round college access camps and preparing more low-income students for success in college through year-round tutoring, mentorship, and college application support. This grant enables us to plan and scale-up to reach more students off of our waitlist! We are so grateful to Thunderbirds Charities for helping us grow.
“Everything that you do here impacts people so much. You have made graduates out of students who did not think they can. Thank you.” -Angeliqe, Class of 2025
We are thrilled to support the Camp Catanese Foundation as they continue to grow their programming to reach more students in the Valley,” said Pat Williams, President of Thunderbirds Charities. “This opportunity inspires students to attend college, allowing them to accomplish the goals that they have for themselves and their families.
This grant is part of the Spring 2023 cycle. View a list of all Recent Grantees.