PALM DESERT, CA – (January 5, 2017) – BIGHORN Golf Club Charities is pleased to announce that it has selected 47 Coachella Valley non-profits to receive $450,000 in BIGHORN Cares Grants. BIGHORN Cares funds specific projects by local non-profit organizations which demonstrate a need and are making a real difference in the community. It is supported by BIGHORN Golf Club Member contributions.

“The Coachella Valley is home to many non-profits that do truly incredible work,” shares BIGHORN Cares Chairman Joe Kirby. “BIGHORN Members generously combine their funds to support organizations that are instrumental in bettering the lives of those they serve. These select organizations are creating brighter future for individuals, their families, and their communities.”

Over 130 Valley non-profits applied for the BIGHORN Cares program, requesting $1.8 million in funds, all with impressive programs and services that enrich the community. The types of organizations receiving grants service a broad range of people and programs.

“While we wish we could help them all, the organizations that received grants this year represent a wide-range of people and programs, from children, veterans and the homeless to educational outreach and repairs to keep buildings up to standards,” said Kirby.  

 

Those receiving BIGHORN Cares Grants include the following local non-profit organizations:

1. Abraham Lincoln Parent Teacher Club – Repair of a lighting console to add an afterschool program in Stage Production.

2. Assistance League Fund the Operation School Bell Program, giving needy children Valley school clothing and shoes.

3. Baseball Buddies – Purchase uniforms and supplies for special needs athletic program and help pay rent for use of fields.

4. Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Desert, Inc. – Fund the Littles to College Project, designed to work with high school seniors, giving guidance and resources for graduates.

5. Bob Hope USO Purchase of a “Bob Hope USO on the Home Front” Van to help transport troops and equipment to and from the 29 Palms base.

6. Boys & Girls Clubs of the Coachella Valley, Coachella Unit – Replacement of a 10-ton air-conditioning unit with a 5-year warranty.

7. Boys & Girls Clubs of the Coachella Valley, Desert Hot Springs Unit – Purchase children’s indoor games for use during warmer months.

8. Boys & Girls Clubs of the Coachella Valley, Indio Unit – Fund indoor bleachers so family and friends may watch the children play sports, plus snack machines and video projector screen.

9. Boys & Girls Clubs of the Coachella Valley, La Quinta Unit – Purchase a complete DJ System and lights to inspire students to discover their musical talents, plus gym wall padding to ensure the safety during sports.

10. Boys & Girls Clubs of the Coachella Valley, Mecca Unit – Fund games and DJ systems, seating, a new sink for the Art room and video camera.

11. Boys & Girls Club of Palm Springs – Fund the remaining portion of the gym floor renovation so it’s usable and safe.

12. California State University San Bernardino Philanthropic Foundation – Technological innovation bringing CSUSB’s Neurofeedback Program to ADHD and ADD school children helping their brains to function clearer.

13. Cathedral City High School Wrestling Team – Purchasing new, legal wrestling mats for 50 teenagers.

14. Central Valley Little League – Finish repairs to a field including repairing the back fence and purchase a pitcher’s mound.

15. Children’s Discovery Museum of the Desert – Update emergency response equipment to help staff and families react effectively.

16. Christopher’s Clubhouse – Providing the Always Be Safe Assemblies to 11,000 children in the Desert Sands Unified School District.

17. Coachella Valley Housing Coalition Fund family-friendly playground equipment for children of 50 farmworker households.

18. Coachella Valley Rescue Mission – Focused on the Food Prep and Cook Training Program giving the homeless experience in using restaurant equipment to help them get jobs.

19. College of the Desert Foundation – Childcare grants for Veteran Students who use their GI benefits to fund their education, but are excluded from any state grants to fund childcare subsidies.

20. Cove Communities Seniors Association, a.k.a. The Joslyn Center – Fund an ADA approved refillable water bottle station plus a commercial refrigerator to provide fresh fruits and vegetables to at risk seniors.

21. Desert AIDS Project – Fund the 100 Women Program, offering vital services to women and children affected by or at risk for HIV or AIDS.

22. Desert Arc – Provide Nutrition Lunch to at risk special needs people in the Work Activity Program.

23. Desert Best Friend’s Closet – Fund 4 laptops and software for Job Club and Bridge to Employment programs to help 724 unemployed clients with job searching and building resumes.

24. Desert Hot Springs Area Little League – Cover the dugouts, fence and concrete areas where the children ages 4-8 play.

25. Ears4me – Purchase of 50 hearing devices, 250 specula units and a new computer to help with increased number of patients.

26. Family YMCA of the Desert -– Fund 18 Lenovo B50-80 Notebooks benefitting 416 kids at 10 after-school clubs in low income housing complexes in Indio and Coachella.

27. Father’s Heart Ranch – New recreation area with a play structure for the boys to become more physically active.

28. FIND Food Bank New essential industrial grade floor scrubber to keep dust and bacteria away from food.

29. Full of Grace – Feeding the Homeless Project, serving over 100 meals and waters every week for a year.

30. Galilee Center – Backpack Distribution and School Supplies Program, helping 1,200 kids receive fully stocked backpacks and shoes.

31. Hidden Harvest – Fund a portable evaporative cooler to keep the 1 million pounds of produce fresh and delivered on time.

32. John F. Kennedy Memorial Foundation – Fund the 2017 Ophelia Project Art Project offering 650 girls to create a master art project that builds self-esteem.

33. Las Palmitas Elementary School – Fund an educational trip to Pali Institute in Running Springs for the top 25 students in 5th & 6th grade.

34. Loma Linda Children’s Hospital – Support the Neonatal Intensive Care and Pediatric Intensive Care Transport Teams for the Coachella Valley team with a Revel Transport Ventilator providing airflow from small infants to adults.

35. Los Medicos Voladores a.k.a. The Flying Doctors – Purchase vital supplies plus 8 tents for privacy and 5 portable exam tables.

36. Martha’s Village & Kitchen – Fund 3 air-conditioning units for the children’s services program, The First Five, which provides free childcare year-round and parenting resources such as workshops, seminars and a resource library.

37. Mission Outreach Project – Opening an additional day of the week, offering meals to homeless in Desert Hot Springs.

38. Palm Desert High School Health Academy – Cost of scrubs for all the students in the program to wear to Hospital internships, plus CPR/First Aid certifications.

39. Pegasus Therapeutic Riding – Adding additional misters to the facility to keep special needs children cool.

40. Street Life Project – Purchase of a truck to use for outreach services such as delivering meals and resources to the homeless.

41. The First Tee – Implement the First Tee National School Program by becoming part of the physical education curriculum within Desert Sands Unified School District.

42. The Narrow Door – Purchase of a trailer to haul pallets of food to distribution sites across the Coachella Valley.

43. The Ranch Recovery Centers, Inc. – Replace two commercial washing machines used to launder all the facility’s bedding, towels and linens.

44. Tools for Tomorrow – Provide 14 schools with musical instruments.

45. United Cerebral Palsy of the Inland Empire – Provide children with special needs shoes and back to school supplies.

46. Valley View Elementary School – Implement the LIPS Program in first grade to start when the children are young to bring all the students up to their “grade” level in reading. Last year only 15% of the 6th graders scored proficient on the English Language Arts State test. The program’s contribution is the development of oral-motor, visual and auditory feedback system that enables children the ability to identify, number and order of phonemes in syllables and words.

47. Well in the Desert – Create a community garden and planting fruit trees in the Gateway Highland Community, a 480-home development made up of low-income residents.

 

A celebratory recognition event will be held on February 7, 2017 at BIGHORN’s renowned Vault. Applications for the next round of funding will be available in June 2017.  Since its inception in 2006, BIGHORN Golf Club Charities has gifted over $8.3 million in local funding to support wellness programs, education, the arts, and building the BIGHORN Golf Club Charities Veterans Resource Center at College of the Desert for the 400 warriors attending the institution.

 

BIGHORN Golf Club Charities

BIGHORN Golf Club Charities is the parent organization for both BIGHORN BAM, which funds a number of local cancer related causes, and BIGHORN Cares, which funds specific projects for local non-profits that demonstrate a need and make a real difference in the quality of life for people in the Coachella Valley.  

 

###