SCOTTSDALE (August 26, 2022) – MVP Foundation is proud to announce it has been awarded a prestigious $25,000 grant from Fiesta Bowl Charities to help fund its annual Leadership Academy for at-risk middle school-aged boys in Maricopa County.
MVP Foundation is one of 40 Phoenix-area non-profits to receive a grant from a total of $3 million that Fiesta Bowl Charities awarded during its 2022-2023 grant cycle.
Ronda Parker, executive director of MVP Foundation, said the $25K grant will cover expenses for 65 of the boys that the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization plans to send to the 2023 MVP Leadership Academy planned for March 24-26 next year.
“We are so thrilled to have been a grant recipient this year,” Parker said. “We know it’s a very competitive grant to get.”
Funding from Fiesta Bowl Charities will allow MVP to expand its leadership program. These additional funds will provide scholarships to students who wouldn't otherwise learn about the life-changing opportunities that are available to them.
“We really make a difference in these kids’ lives,” Parker said. “It’s not something that stops at the end of the weekend or the end of the event.”
The three-day weekend camp, held every March at Lost Canyon in Williams, Ariz., is especially for boys in grades 6 through 8, who attend one of about a dozen participating Title I schools in the Phoenix metro area. Administrators, teachers, and coaches help students and parents apply for the program.
To qualify, each participant must agree to live by the MVP Code of Conduct — and
have an adult vouch for them that they did.
It’s just the beginning of activities designed to promote honesty, integrity and
character. Throughout the program, low-income, at-risk middle school boys
develop personal life skills that lead to positive decision making and avoidance of
high-risk behaviors.
For many of these boys, the academy is their first time outside the greater Phoenix
area. Using the power of sports, group activities, cabin discussions, 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.
Critically, the camp also serves as a steppingstone to MVP’s partner organization,
the Be a Leader Foundation, which provides year-round programming through 12th
grade. With this partnership, the boys can continue to be inspired to become
college bound through additional leadership training and mentoring.
“You really feel it’s something that impacts these kids, their parents, and their
siblings,” Parker said. “Parents tell us their boys come back from the academy more
excited about their future.”
About MVP Foundation
The MVP Foundation was established in 2011 by a group of Phoenix business
leaders who were concerned by the lack of positive role models provided to inner-
city sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade boys. The nonprofit seeks to instill the
foundations of leadership in these young men to help open doors to new
opportunities.
About Fiesta Bowl Charities
Fiesta Bowl Charities has granted nearly $20 million in charitable giving the last six
years alone and nearly $25 million to the Arizona community in the last 11 years.
For more information on Fiesta Bowl Charities, visit fiestabowl.org.
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