PHOENIX – The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors today approved a series of grants from the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community (SRPMIC). Three of the grant recipients were Boys Hope Girls Hope (BHGH), First Place Phoenix, and the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center (SWCC).
“I am pleased we can help these organizations reach their goals through partnership with the SRPMIC,” said District 2 Supervisor Steve Chucri. “They each play critical roles in our region and are exemplary community partners.”
Boys Hope Girls Hope (BHGH) helps highly-motivated children-in-need to meet their full potential and become men and women for others by providing value-centered, family-like homes. The organization funds educational opportunities and housing costs for these children through a scholarship program.
The Board also approved a grant to First Place Phoenix, which aims to ensure that housing and community options are readily available for adults with autism.
“First Place is a top notch program that provides essential services to the growing population of adults with autism,” said Supervisor Chucri. “They provide a support for individuals promoting life skills and transitions when family members are no longer able to care for their loved ones.”
Additionally, the Board approved a grant to the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center (SWCC), which rescues and rehabilitates wildlife that has been injured, displaced, or orphaned. They provide volunteer dispatch teams that respond to wildlife emergencies and an on-site medical care center. SWCC releases 70% of the animals they see back into the wild and, as an American Sanctuary Association accredited sanctuary, it houses animals that cannot be released.
“Earlier this year, the Board granted a Special Use Permit to SWCC to allow them to continue operating as they have for more than 20 years,” said Supervisor Chucri. “SWCC cannot do this essential work for free. Their success depends on community investment.”
