Arizona Teachers Receive $1.25 Million Through Palo Verde Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers Draft Day Presented by SRP

Eight-Year Total at $7 Million Following Record-Breaking 2023 Year

(SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Nov. 9, 2023) – In its annual tradition to honor, support and celebrate Arizona’s educators, Fiesta Bowl Charities has granted 500 teachers $2,500 each during the Palo Verde Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers Draft Day presented by SRP, for a total of $1.25 million.

In its eighth year, the Palo Verde Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers program increased its giving by 25% to Arizona K-12 public and charter school teachers. The funding will positively impact more than 220,000 students across 73 cities and towns statewide, with 368 different schools receiving grant awards. A full list of Palo Verde Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers grant awardees can be found here.

This season’s 500 granted wishes will fulfill requests from teachers in the areas of agricultural studies, arts, math, physical education and wellness, science and special needs. The grants will provide needed resources such as new reading materials, classroom makeovers, educational events and programs and much more.

“Educating the next generation is a responsibility shared by our entire community and spearheaded by our teachers and other educational professionals. We are thrilled to provide needed funding to Arizona’s teachers and educators through the Palo Verde Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers Draft Day presented by SRP as part of our commitment to honor, celebrate and support teachers,” said Fiesta Bowl Executive Director and CEO Erik Moses.

Over the eight years of the Palo Verde Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers, the program has awarded approximately $7 million to more than 2,100 educators, impacting over 920,000 students statewide.

“Education is huge for us and we’re so proud to be a part of Palo Verde Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers, a program that goes out into the community and takes our values into the classrooms. The teachers who apply are looking at getting these children the tools they need to succeed, and we’re really humbled to be a part of it,” said Kory Raftery, External Affairs Manager at Palo Verde.

Established in 2016, the Fiesta Bowl Wishes for Teachers initiative grants classroom wishes to Arizona teachers in K-12 public and charter schools, who often pull spend their own money for classroom materials and activities. Recipients of the grants are invited to attend the Guaranteed Rate Bowl where they are honored on the field in a halftime presentation and to march in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Parade presented by Lerner & Rowe.

“SRP is proud to be part of the Palo Verde Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers event which makes a positive impact on teachers and students,” said Andrea Moreno, Senior Community Stewardship Representative at SRP. “This initiative is part of our ongoing commitment to support education and the overall community. SRP provides $1.4 million annually to education initiatives, grants and partnerships throughout Arizona, in addition to providing free training and resources to educators throughout the state.”

ABOUT THE FIESTA BOWL

Since 1971, the Fiesta Bowl is a world-class community organization that executes innovative experiences, drives economic growth and champions charitable causes, inspiring pride in all Arizonans during and outside of college football bowl season. As a nonprofit organization, it is driven by its vision for the importance of community outreach and service. Through the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, Guaranteed Rate Bowl and its year-round events, such as the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Parade presented by Lerner & Rowe, corporate partnerships and numerous community events throughout the year, the organization provides charitable giving to enhance Arizona nonprofit organizations that serve communities through youth, sports and education.

ABOUT PALO VERDE

Palo Verde Generating Station is a nuclear energy facility located about 50 miles west of downtown Phoenix. The site has seven owners in four states: Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and California. It is operated by Arizona Public Service. Palo Verde is the largest clean electricity generator in the nation and produces enough energy to power about 4 million homes and small businesses across the southwest.

ABOUT SRP

SRP is a community-based, not-for-profit public power utility and the largest provider of electricity in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area, serving more than 1 million customers. SRP is also the metropolitan area’s largest supplier of water, delivering about 750,000 acre-feet annually to municipal, urban and agricultural water users. To learn more, visit srpnet.com.