Partners in Wellness featuring the Arizona Bowl

12/28/2023

Banner Health Foundation gratefully acknowledges the Arizona Bowl’s support to help build a Play Zone at Diamond Children’s Medical Center. Once completed, this bright, open space will give hospitalized kids a place away from their hospital room and treatment areas to relax, play, read, express themselves creatively, and explore their emotions.

We recently sat down with their team to learn what inspired their support of the Banner Health Foundation.

Describe the ways that Arizona Bowl has found meaningful impact in supporting the Play Zone at Diamond Children’s Medical Center.

The Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl’s commitment to supporting local charities has been a fundamental value of the organization since its inception in 2015. Diamond Children’s Medical Center has been a part of that tradition since our first Bowl Week. We have worked together to bring our Bowl football players, spirit squad members and mascots to Diamond Children’s to visit patients, drop off mini footballs, and bring added cheer to their day. This tradition has been a favorite activity of our participating teams, so when the chance came for us to invest in the Play Zone, it was an easy decision to continue to support this incredibly important place.

How does this support reflect Arizona Bowl’s culture and goals and funding priorities?

As a non-profit organization that commits 100% of its net proceeds to charities, funding organizations that support our community’s neighbors, children, and vulnerable older adults are priorities for us. We are a community organization that uses our football bowl game to showcase the best of Southern Arizona on a national level by creating dollars for charities and generating economic impact.

What does Arizona Bowl seek to achieve with its charitable giving?

The Arizona Bowl hopes it can become a sustainable funnel of charitable dollars for the community and have a meaningful impact in the lives of our neighbors and the most vulnerable. Growing the Bowl and our giving platform will enable us to donate more and more each year, but we can’t do it alone. We need the community to support the Bowl through ticket purchases or sponsorships so that we can lift the community together. This is a model that works in communities throughout the country and one that can generate millions for local charities. We invite football fans and non-football fans to buy a ticket to our game on Dec. 30, 2023, attend our various events, and enjoy yourself knowing that your purchase will go back to support great charities like Diamond Children’s Medical Center. For more information about the Arizona Bowl, visit http://www.TheArizonaBowl.com.

To learn more about the Play Zone, support today with an online gift or contact Debbie Sheppard, Chief Development Officer for Tucson, at 520.694.3967 or Debbie.Sheppard@BannerHealth.com.