After the week-long activities, festivities, and celebrations big and mini, most Waste Management Phoenix Open enthusiasts are ready for some R&R by the time post-tournament Monday rolls around.
But Scott Jenkins and his fellow Thunderbirds Charities members don’t have that luxury. There is no room to decompress, nurse a hangover, or pledge to not think or speak anything golf for a while.
For the storied Phoenix charity organization that helms the largest-attended tournament on the PGA tour, planning for the following year’s Phoenix Open starts the Monday morning after the winner is crowned Sunday afternoon.
Planning for the 2021 Open, scheduled for Feb. 1-7, is well underway. Although the impact of COVID-19 plays a role that has The Thunderbirds (ThunderbirdsCharities.org) relying on cues from government leaders on how to proceed, the behind-the-scenes show of moving pieces marches on.
“It’s a full year-long planning cycle. I was in meetings the Monday after the Sunday concluding day,” says Jenkins, the tournament chairman for Open. “Sales of suites start in the summer. It’s a full-time job that continues through the year.”
And it’s all worth it to know that the funds raised and given to more than 300 local charitable organizations will be put to good use. This year alone, the total amount that will be donated to local charities will reach $14 million, supporting organizations like St. Mary’s Food Bank, Phoenix Children’s Hospital, UMOM, and Family Promise.
A most recent example of the difference these donations make is with the Valley’s Boys & Girls Clubs that have expanded their hours to care for children of first responders who do not have the luxury of working from home or finding other childcare options amid the pandemic. These funds ensure they have a safe place to go while mom and dad continue to do their jobs on the frontlines.
Thunderbirds Charities also recently put together an emergency $1 million charity fund to assist those affected by the new coronavirus.
“The fact that we are able to fund Boys & Girls Clubs to help them stay open longer so our hospital staff, as well as firefighters and police officers, can take care of us and take care of the community, we can see firsthand how it helps all of us,” Jenkins says. “And because the community is so supportive of the WM Phoenix Open, that really allows us in times of crisis and need to support the community with the tournament.”
Since its inception in 1986, the nonprofit Thunderbirds Charities has raised more than $160 million for Arizona charities. It was formed with the specific duty of distributing money raised through the Open.
Human Services Campus, a Phoenix nonprofit that is a collaboration of 20 partner organizations striving to battle homelessness, has been a recipient of these funds since not long after it opened in 2005.
The Thunderbirds support makes it possible for the Campus, which serves as many as 1,000 people a day, to achieve its mission.
A few years ago, the Campus needed a new building to conduct required assessments of their clients. Thunderbirds funding helped make it possible, and The Brian Garcia Welcome Center opened its doors three years ago.
“It’s the kind of relationship and funding that allows us to keep looking at what we’re doing and how to do it more efficiently to have better outcomes for our clients. Our mission is to help every person find a safe, permanent home, and this allows us to keep focus on that,” Campus Executive Director Amy Schwabenlender says. “Saying ‘thank you’ oftentimes isn’t enough.”
This is the charitable arm of The Thunderbirds organization, which was formed in 1937 when the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce expanded its role as a convention and tourism bureau. The idea was to promote the Valley of the Sun through sports. It was comprised of five founding members, each of whom then recruited 10 colleagues to help with this task.
Avid golfer Bob Goldwater was among the first inductees who came up with the idea to sponsor a golf tournament. This led to the first Phoenix Open at the Phoenix Country Club. Over time, it grew in size and popularity, later moving to larger venues before ending up at its current home, the Tournament Players Club in Scottsdale.
A practicing attorney and partner at Quarles & Brady, Jenkins has been with The Thunderbirds since 2015 and is among its 55 active members. Once a member turns 45, he becomes a lifetime member. Currently, there are more than 300 total members.
While he is the tournament chairman, Jenkins knows well it’s not a one- or even 55-person job.
“I have the benefit of 55 active members in that we plan the tournament together. But we also rely on staff and others who’ve been running the tournament for decades,” he says.
He talks about getting regular updates from the organizations The Thunderbirds support. The organization’s Zoom channel allows these charities to share not only the impact these precious funds make, but also their missions and their vital roles in the community.
Jenkins has been present for check presentations and other events, where he’s seen the impact up close.
“I grew up in Phoenix, and the opportunity to lead an organization like this is a wonderful feeling,” he says. “It’s very cyclical in nature. Because people come out and enjoy themselves for that week, that allows us to get into the community to help where there are needs.
“At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about.”