Alexis Meruelo, Chairwoman of the Arizona Coyotes Foundation Board of Directors, said the grant process is one of the most rewarding times of the year for the Foundation.
“It reminds us of why we do what we do, and it reminds us why we work so hard year-round,” she said. “Once we put everything together and we get to gather all the grantees and meet them face-to-face, hear their stories and what they're doing, and meet in person, that's really what brings it to life.
“It’s one of the most inspiring parts of the entire year for me and my family because we get to meet the people that we are impacting through all the work we do.”
Tania Kvakic, who was part of the Grant Review Committee and serves as a member of the Arizona Coyotes Foundation Board of Directors, said the grant cycle truly highlights the mission of all those involved.
“Giving back is the most important thing you can do,” she said. “Helping people is one of the most important things we can do in life because the rest is all -- it's there one day it's gone the next, but your community is there for you and that's what we're there to do, serve others.”
The work performed by all of the nonprofits varies widely, but every grantee is able to use their award to further their commitment to the valuable services provided to their respective demographics.
St. Joseph the Worker, one of the Foundation’s first-time grantees, assists individuals by providing pathways to self-sufficiency through employment. The organization, which was founded in 1988, offers both transitional housing and employment services programs, the latter of which is what the nonprofit will use the funding for.
The service, known as employment without barriers, connects work-ready clients to job opportunities that make over 17 dollars an hour that also offer opportunities from growth and benefits, according to Chief Executive Officer Carrie Masters.
St. Joseph the Worker provides transportation, resume writing assistance, interview coaching, interview clothing, and any type additional requirements that can be difficult to obtain, including food handlers cards and fingerprinting.
The organization assisted over 10,000 clients in its last fiscal year, marking its biggest impact ever.
“A lot of our clients do come with barriers,” Masters said. “They may have recently been released from prison, or maybe they are on the next phase of their journey in gaining time clean from an addiction. We have developed some very tight knit partnerships with business owners throughout The Valley that welcome clients with those barriers, and through those partnerships we've been able to place them in really great job opportunities that benefit not only our client, but also the organization.”
She said the partnership with the Coyotes has been an incredible experience – one that will allow the organization to continue to pursue its goals.
“There were so many amazing groups in the room that were part of the celebration, and it’s amazing that we were chosen,” she said. “We’re so excited and thrilled, and it shows that there's so much opportunity not only just for further partnering within the Coyotes, but bringing all those nonprofits together. There’s so much more to the partnership than meets the eye.”
Another example of the powerful impact grantees have within the Arizona community comes from All In Education, which provides a Parent Educator Academy to help support “meaningful family engagement and involvement, the development of social capital, intellectual capital, and community transformation,” according to its website.
The program kicked off in the spring of 2021, and is offered in both English and Spanish – the latter of which continues to be the largest area of need.
Stephanie Parra, Executive Director at All In Education, said parents have responded overwhelmingly well to the bilingual program, which can ultimately help them understand more effective ways to engage with their children as they navigate through their coursework.
An unintended benefit, though, has been how those parents use the experience in the Parent Educator Academy to ultimately improve their own lives, as well.
“The personal growth of the parents post academy is a completely unexpected outcome,” Parra said. “The other thing that's happening is that parents are inspired to pursue careers in education as a result of their experience with the academy. They're going on to become teachers aides and classroom support professionals.”
The Parent Educator Academy now boasts over 550 alumni, and the grant from the Foundation will allow even more access to bilingual educators that can continue to meet the needs of families across all of Arizona.
Parra said All in Education is incredibly grateful for the Foundation’s support, and looks forward to engaging with them through various initiatives moving forward.
“I want to continue to express my, my deep, profound gratitude,” she said. “I want to thank Alexis Meruelo, who gave us the Dream to Achieve Award last year and met with some of our parent leaders, and Xavier Gutierrez, who also joined us for an episode of our digital series.
“We have incredible partners in the Coyotes, and we’re just deeply grateful.”
Meruelo said the feeling is more than mutual.
“It’s about the little things, it's about what we're able to do, and how we're able to touch hearts,” she said. “This upcoming year is going to be an exciting one, and something that we're looking forward to as we wrap up 2023.
“We're just very grateful and thankful for what we were able to accomplish, and we’re so proud to be part of all of our grantees’ mission.”
