Many nonprofits have benefited from Season for Sharing from its start
Illustrations of 20th-century battlefield nurses hang on the walls of the American Red Cross in Phoenix, pridefully sharing a glimpse of the organization's past.
Edgar Olivo, CEO of the organization's Arizona and New Mexico sector, said the posters show a call to action that still rings true decades later.
"We will always find a way, and that's what the Red Cross to me represents," Olivo said. "That the best of humanity is here, and you can participate."
The Arizona Republic's Season for Sharing initiative was born in 1993 to "loosen poverty's grasp," according to the kickoff article. Over the decades, the annual fundraising campaign has continued to focus on supporting Arizona nonprofits that aid people who are hungry, people experiencing homelessness, older people and children.
Readers of The Arizona Republic have contributed more than $73 million during Season for Sharing's three decades. Those funds have been granted to hundreds of Arizona nonprofits.
Make an online donation to Season for Sharing by clicking here.
Out of the 68 groups that received Season for Sharing's first grants in 1994, about two dozen nonprofits, including the American Red Cross, received grants in 2023. The Arizona Republic spoke to some of the organizations that have continued to rely on Season for Sharing to understand the impact of Republic readers' contributions.
The Salvation Army
Alicia Fowler said she knew she had to move out of her apartment when she discovered her roommate was smoking fentanyl. A single mom with no place to go, Fowler went to the Salvation Army's metro Phoenix emergency shelter for help.
Not long after the start of her stay there, in February, Fowler was diagnosed with breast cancer. Without the Salvation Army, she said, she may have never connected with a doctor to assess the lump in her breast, gotten treatment or had a place to recover.
She stayed at the shelter while she recuperated from a mastectomy. Since then, she moved into an apartment in Scottsdale that the Salvation Army helped her find.
The Salvation Army received $20,000 from Season for Sharing this year. The funding supports the organization's Christmas Angel program, which provides meal cards and gifts to low-income families.
Fowler moved into the Salvation Army's emergency shelter near the end of 2022 and celebrated Christmas there. It was her son's first Christmas, and the Salvation Army made it special. She remembered the Christmas Angel celebration as a "huge party."
"They had so many toys for the kids," Fowler said. "There was a band playing, and we danced. It wasn't at all like I expected."
Literacy Volunteers of Maricopa County
Alexandra Dier dropped out of school in eighth grade to get a job to support herself and her sister. Her parents were addicts, Dier said. Eventually, she developed an addiction, too.
Dier wanted to change for the sake of her two daughters. She went to mandatory rehab with a smile on her face, she said. She keeps a photo of her mugshot on her desk to remind herself how far she's come and to show other people fighting addiction that change is possible.
"I didn't get my kids back to parent them through the phone," she said.
Five years ago, Dier started taking classes from Literacy Volunteers of Maricopa County to get her GED. She graduated from the program in the summer and now works in an outpatient program providing trauma-informed care to people struggling with addiction.
Literacy Volunteers of Maricopa County, which started in the early 1980s, received $10,000 from Season for Sharing this year. The grant covers the cost of class materials for GED students and people learning English. The nonprofit serves about 1,000 people each year.
Without Literacy Volunteers of Maricopa County, Dier would have never considered getting a GED because of its cost, she said.
The nonprofit's executive director, Jesús Love, said he loves to see people like Dier "unlocking the potential to fully participate in our society."
Friendly House
In 2021, Saboora Sharif and her two children left Pakistan to reunite their family in Arizona. Sharif's husband had moved to the U.S. a year before for a computer engineering job.
In her home country, Sharif spent her days weaving fabric and taking care of the house. Now, she writes emails in English, goes to school and is excited about the potential of working a retail job. They're all things Sharif said she never dreamed she would do.
At first, Sharif, who only spoke Urdu, had to depend on her husband to communicate, making daily life challenging. But with the support of Friendly House, Sharif is becoming more and more independent. The nonprofit provides English language classes and high school equivalency classes. Sharif is taking both.
Friendly House has been serving Arizonans for more than a century. The organization received $10,000 from Season for Sharing this year to help people learn English, get a GED and access essential resources like food.
"Life is much easier than before because I know how to communicate with people," Sharif said.
Donate to Season for Sharing
Since 1993, because of readers like you, The Arizona Republic's Season for Sharing campaign has raised and given away more than $73 million to Arizona nonprofits. Please help The Republic continue supporting our neighbors in need.
Where does the money go?
When you give to Season for Sharing, you're contributing to nonprofits that help teachers and students, aid older Arizonans and support struggling children and families. The Republic pays all administrative costs, so 100% of donations go back to the community.
Ways to give
Fill out the secure online form at sharing.azcentral.com.
Text "SHARING" to 91-999 and click on the link in the text message.
Go online at facebook.com/seasonforsharing and look for the featured "DONATE HERE" post.
Clip the coupon on Page 4A of The Arizona Republic, fill it out and mail it to P.O. Box 29250, Phoenix, AZ 85038-9250.
Scan the QR code with your smartphone camera, and click on the link to donate.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Many nonprofits have benefited from Season for Sharing from its start
