Over $700,000 donated to eight Arizona non-profits through the Arizona Diamondbacks Ken Kendrick Grand Slam Award Grants

$10 million has been donated to support organizations’ large-scale projects

May 10th, 2024

Eight Arizona-based non-profits will be able to transform their community initiatives with their share of $704,000 in grants donated through the Arizona Diamondbacks’ 2024 Ken Kendrick Grand Slam Award Grants. Over $10 million in grants have been gifted over the past two decades to make a greater impact on non-profit’s large-scale and big picture projects. Established in 2002 and renamed in 2016, the grants are an imperative piece of the Diamondbacks’ larger overall community efforts, which have recently surpassed $85 million in giving. Learn more about the Ken Kendrick Grand Slam Award Grants and other community giving initiatives at dbacks.com/giveback.

The Arizona Diamondbacks congratulate the below recipients and thank them for their dedication to serving our community.

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central and Northern Arizona**:** Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central and Northern Arizona (RMHCCNAZ) received a $250,000 grant to renovate the second-fourth floors of their Cambridge House with 18 living spaces, complete with the bathrooms, common areas, and laundry rooms, to make life a little easier for families with children facing medical challenges. Their mission revolves around ensuring access to high-quality pediatric healthcare by providing a welcoming “home-away-from-home” for families with children facing medical challenges, providing an atmosphere of comfort, hope, and courage. The Cambridge House, located on the campus of Phoenix Children’s Hospital, opened in 2008.

Central Arizona Shelter Services: Central Arizona Shelter Services (CASS) received $120,000 in funding to purchase two vans to provide critically needed transportation for families and children who stay at the emergency Family Shelter in North Phoenix and for seniors who will be staying at the new 170-bed Senior Haven that will open in 2024. These vehicles are critical to advancing CASS’s mission to prevent and end homelessness among individuals and families while advancing compassionate community solutions.

A New Leaf: A New Leaf received $110,000 to further their mission of “Helping Families: Changing Lives" by supporting the purchase of a box truck with a liftgate and pallet jack, making pickup and delivery of donations much more efficient and allowing easier transport of donated goods. A New Leaf has accepted donations of in-kind items from individuals, companies, and community organizations for more than 25 years, including 8 years at the current Donation Center location at the La Mesita Community in Mesa. Last year, more than $1.9 million in donated items was received to support the basic needs of 23,315 adults and children served through A New Leaf’s many programs across the Phoenix Metro area.

Museum of Indigenous People: The Museum of Indigenous People (MIP) received $64,000 for its Library Renovation: Educational Expansion and Enhancement Project, which is designed to revitalize their library system and services that were created thirty years ago in Prescott. The new library will contain more resources and will be more accessible to students, instilling life-long learning and interest in indigenous culture and art. With 693 square feet allotted for the new library, the MIP will be able to add more children’s books and create a learning-friendly environment with ample shelving, comfortable furnishings, and programs designed to engage the kids in their education.

Sleep in Heavenly Peace: Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP) received $60,000 to help with the purchase of a chapter-owned delivery truck and achieving their goals of building and delivering 1300 beds to help local bedless children. Their mission of ensuring that no kid in our community has to sleep on the floor is fueled by a team of dedicated volunteers who work tirelessly to build and deliver fully furnished twin-size beds to families in need. By providing a bed to a child who would otherwise be sleeping on the floor, they don't just give them a place to sleep, but also a sense of security, comfort, and dignity.

Good Neighbors Alliance: The Good Neighbor Alliance (GNA) received $50,000 to update shelter beds and flooring and provide a new security system to ensure a clean and safe shelter for those in need in Sierra Vista. The non-profit provides and/or assists displaced families and persons in need with safe, temporary shelter and access to supportive services to work toward helping them achieve economic and social self-sufficiency.

Kingman Area Food Bank: Kingman Area Food Bank received $25,100 to help replace their 20-year-old flooring to provide safety and durability for their 1,600-plus patrons and volunteers four days a week.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale: The Boys & Girls of Greater Scottsdale’s Barker Branch received $25,000 for the Diamondbacks Reading Room, which is designed for comfort to facilitate the best reading and learning environment to improve grades and attitudes. The classroom environment is built on fun, interactive and cultural insight, and brings reading, academic success and enjoyment to the Club’s young members. This foundational room is the beginning of a successful teen, a teen who is workforce ready and motivated to do their best in life.