The Boys and Girls Clubs of Tucson received more than $3 million from philanthropist Mackenzie Scott, which will fund a series of projects for the organization over the next several years.
On Thursday, the organization announced it received $3.5 million from Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The gift was received early last year but was kept private due to several months of planning to ensure the donation was spent in ways that would most effectively target the needs of Tucson’s most at risk youth, a news release from the Boys and Girls Club said.
“At BGCT we have always believed in dreaming big for Tucson’s youth. Mackenzie Scott clearly shares the same vision,” said Denise Watters, the CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Tucson. “We could not be more grateful for her generosity and belief in us. In the same vein, this couldn’t happen without the support of a fabulous executive team and a visionary board that is committed to fearlessly pioneering the most impacting ideas. I look forward to revealing more details on these projects as they progress, as well as celebrating the many individual names, organizations, and partners working tirelessly to make them happen.”
The first major project will be the creation of a community Wi-Fi hotspot garden, which will help youth from low-income homes access the internet. The hotspot garden will be adjacent to one of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Tucson’s already existing clubhouses and will include a communal vegetable and fruit garden, shaded structures and the ability to bring academic programming outside if needed, the release said.
The second project will be focused on renovating the Steve Daru Clubhouse, at 1375 N. El Rio Drive. The clubhouse, which is one of the oldest locations, will be modernized both inside and out, the release said.
The final project will transform the Holmes Tuttle Clubhouse into a teen tech and workforce center. The center will include state-of-the-art equipment to help provide teen members with critical job skills in tech fields such as soldering and chip building as well as developing entrepreneurial leadership qualities, the organization said.
The projects will be spearheaded by Watters and a panel of expert advisors that includes incoming board president, Mitchell Sigsworth.
“It’s going to be a lot of work, but we could not be more passionate about rolling our sleeves up and connecting even more deeply with the needs of the communities we are fortunate to serve. At the end of the day, it’s all about the youth,” Watters said.
In May 2019, Scott signed the Giving Pledge, promising to give away at least half of her wealth over the course of her lifetime. She has donated tens of millions of dollars since then to various nonprofit organizations.
In October, Scott donated $1.4 million to the Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona.
Pictures of Hope is a non-profit that puts digital cameras from Walgreens into the hands of young people to help them express their hopes and dreams. The W. K. Kellogg Foundation provided a grant. This year, 15 members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson each captured a single photo to reflect their vision. The exhibit is on display at the Tucson Museum of Art through July 8. Video by: Mamta Popat / Arizona Daily Star April 26, 2021
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