How much money did the 2024 WM Phoenix Open raise for charity?
The Thunderbirds raised more than $17.5 million for charity from the 2024 WM Phoenix Open, setting an all-time record since the organization was created in 1937.
The $17.5 million raised in 2024 exceeds by $2 million the $14.5 million raised in 2023, also a record, said George Thimsen, the chair of the 2024 WM Phoenix Open.
Since the group's founding to promote the Valley of the Sun through the Phoenix Open, The Thunderbirds have raised more than $208 million. Now one of the most-attended golf tournaments on the PGA tour, the Phoenix Open is known as The People's Open.
"The mission always stays the same, which is to make a true, lasting, positive impact on our communities through charitable giving," Thimsen said.
Thimsen announced the amount raised for charity at an event at Valleywise Health Medical Center, which in 2023 received a $500,000 grant from The Thunderbirds Charities, the charitable arm of The Thunderbirds, which runs the tournament.
The grant was used to augment a 10-bed pediatric burn unit, said Lia Christiansen, Valleywise's chief administrative officer.
Valleywise, which replaced the former Maricopa County hospital, is a network of medical centers and hospitals for underserved populations, including people with Medicaid insurance and people paying out of pocket, Christiansen said. The hospital also helps train medical students in partnership with Creighton University, which has a campus in central Phoenix.
The pediatric burn unit will be located on the fourth floor of the new Valleywise hospital on Roosevelt Street near 25th Street east of downtown Phoenix. The new hospital is scheduled to open on June 13. The hospital's burn center serves the Southwest and is the second-largest burn center in the U.S., Christiansen said.
The $500,000 grant from The Thunderbirds allowed the hospital to expand the pediatric burn unit by adding a children's playroom, a room for patients to receive physical and occupational therapy and rooms that will allow families to stay overnight while children are receiving treatment, Christiansen said.
"This is a significant gift for us," Christiansen said. It's a contribution, she said, that will make a difference for children and their families "immediately and for generations to come in this new space."
Valleywise has received $1.2 million over the past 10 years via The Thunderbirds, Christiansen said.
The majority of the money raised by the Phoenix Open is distributed by The Thunderbirds Charities in two cycles to nonprofits that apply for a grant — one cycle in the fall and the other in the spring, said Ryan Woodcock, a spokesperson. The Thunderbirds Charities board selects groups to receive grants through a grant submission process, he said. The Thunderbirds organization also distributes some of the money raised by the golf tournament through grants, he said.
The WM Phoenix Open took place in February. Canadian Nick Taylor won in a playoff after overcoming a three-shot deficit with four holes left. This year's weeklong Phoenix Open was marred by heavy rains, drunken fan behavior and a record number of arrests.
Reach the reporter at daniel.gonzalez@arizonarepublic.com.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 2024 WM Phoenix Open raises $17.5 million for charity, setting record
