Staff Reports | Community Updates
Eight-year-old Ivory has spent years growing up at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale. At the Hartley & Ruth Barker Branch, she found help with reading, played in the gym, made friends and began imagining what she might want to be when she grows up. Right now, that dream is becoming a veterinarian.
This school year brings a new chapter for Ivory. She is now attending the recently opened Steve & Maria Sanghi Branch in south Scottsdale, where she will continue learning, exploring new interests and pursuing new goals.
Ivory is one of approximately 400 south Scottsdale youth who will benefit from a $500,000 grant from Thunderbirds Charities to Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale. The funding will support after-school programming at both the Hartley & Ruth Barker Branch and the Steve & Maria Sanghi Branch, helping keep Club programs affordable for families who otherwise may not be able to participate.
At both branches, students can receive homework help, participate in STEM projects, spend time in the art room or gym, develop leadership skills and connect with supportive adult mentors. For families, the programs provide a safe place for children to go after school.
The need is particularly significant in south Scottsdale. At the Barker Branch, 81% of members receive financial assistance through Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale. The opening of the Sanghi Branch expands capacity to serve more youth while helping reduce the waiting list at the Barker Branch.
“Every child deserves the opportunity to learn, grow and dream big, regardless of their family’s circumstances,” Jason Eisenberg, president of Thunderbirds Charities, said. “We’re proud to invest in Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale and help ensure more youth have access to a safe, supportive place where they can build confidence, explore their interests and reach their full potential.”
The grant will support after-school programming at the Barker and Sanghi branches and continue a partnership between Thunderbirds Charities and Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale that spans more than 30 years, according to a press release.
Thunderbirds Charities recently helped support the new Sanghi Branch, where the Thunderbirds Charities Homework Room bears its name. The organization also will be recognized in the vestibule of the Bob & Renee Parsons Gymnasium, a standalone facility on the Sanghi Branch campus.
“Thunderbirds Charities has been an incredible partner in helping us provide world-class programming, from art and STEM to experiences and opportunities that might otherwise be out of reach for many of our kids,” Ivan Gilreath, president and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale, said. “Their support means more kids like Ivory have a place to go after school where they are known, encouraged and given the chance to discover what they’re capable of.”
