MVP Foundation Thunderbirds Charities

Thunderbirds Charities Awards MVP Foundation $50,000 for Its Leadership Academy

The Leadership Academy is a 3-day camp designed to help low-income, high-risk middle school boys develop personal life skills that lead to positive decision making and avoidance of high-risk behaviors.

Using the power of sports, challenging activities, group discussion, and well-known guest speakers, the Academy encourages young boys to achieve academic excellence, develop personal skills, and make positive decisions to avoid risky behaviors.

Students are nominated by a teacher or counselor at the start of the school year. In their application
they commit to themselves, their teachers, parents, and peers that they will uphold a formal Code of
Conduct during the year. If the code is followed, students are invited to attend the Leadership Academy at no cost.

The MVP Code of Conduct. I will:
• Be courteous toward my classmates—both girls and boys.
• Agree to value and respect the ideas and opinions of others even if I disagree.
• Not use drugs, alcohol, or tobacco as I will be a role model to others.
• Respect my teachers and exhibit positive, participative behavior in the classroom.
• Attend all classes regularly and on time.
• Prepare for each class and bring appropriate materials and assignments.

The $50,000 grant from Thunderbirds Charities will allow us to fund the academy for 166 boys. The fees include transportation, food and lodging and scheduled programming for the entire weekend. Executive Director, Ronda Parker states, “The request for assistance was aimed specifically at funding the program so we could include more boys. We can’t thank Thunderbirds Charities enough for their assistance in helping us reach our goal and enabling us to make a difference in the lives of these youths.”

MVP Foundation

This grant is part of the Spring 2021 cycle. View a list of all Recent Grantees.