Arizona Teachers Receive $1.25 Million Through Palo Verde Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers Draft Day Presented by SRP
(SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Nov 21, 2024) – Extending the impact of Arizona’s most robust teacher support program, Fiesta Bowl Charities granted the classroom wish of 500 teachers for $2,500 each during the Palo Verde Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers Draft Day presented by SRP.
For the second straight year, the Wishes for Teachers program drew record interest, topping 4,000 applications from Arizona teachers, coaches and school staff, including from 14 new cities this year. The $1.25 million in donations will be distributed to 84 cities and towns across Arizona, impacting 237,737 students. The program granted wishes in 380 different schools, covering 108 school districts and 79 charter schools.
A full list of Palo Verde Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers recipients can be found here.
Recipients include teachers instructing bilingual classrooms, sustainability classes, physical education, special needs and much more. The 500 wishes range from new seating and books, to robotics kits and virtual reality headsets.
“Palo Verde Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers was born to honor, support and celebrate Arizona’s educators. Teachers are unsung heroes and selfless mentors with incredible influence on our youth to help shape them to become the next generation of leaders,” said Fiesta Bowl Executive Director & CEO Erik Moses. “Providing resources that they would not otherwise have gives them the ability to create new areas of teaching that will unlock students’ potential.”
For the ninth consecutive year, a survey from the Arizona School Personnel Administrators Association confirmed a continued teacher shortage in Arizona. The data indicates approximately 25% of teacher vacancies across the state this year remain unfilled.
With the support of Palo Verde, Fiesta Bowl Charities has donated $8.25 million to Arizona classrooms over the nine years of the Palo Verde Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers program, benefitting over 2,600 teachers and more than one million students.
“We are humbled to be a part of this extraordinary effort that has a huge impact on Arizona’s students and teachers,” said Kory Raftery, manager of Palo Verde external affairs. “This program is a perfect match for Palo Verde’s values and is a great representation of our people.”
Palo Verde Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers was created in 2016 because Fiesta Bowl Charities identified a need. Teachers often spend their own money on classroom materials and activities. In a study by Education Forward Arizona, Arizona is ranked 50th in teacher pay.
“Wishes for Teachers is one of the many ways SRP supports education,” said Anita Tarango, Manager of Community Engagement Strategy at SRP. “Every year, SRP contributes more than $2 million to support education initiatives throughout Arizona, including teacher grants, free professional development workshops for teachers, funding to organizations dedicated to advance education in the state and more.”
Draft Day included celebrities, community partners and others making surprise phone calls and notifications to the recipients. Each of the 500 unique wishes will benefit teachers, schools and students by providing technology, classroom furniture, fitness equipment, reading materials and much more.
In addition to the $2,500 award, recipients are invited to attend the 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.
The recipients were selected in a random drawing during the Palo Verde Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers Draft Day presented by SRP.
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, 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 southwest and produces enough energy to power about 4 million homes and small businesses across the region.
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.
