Desert Financial Foundation Golf Tournament Raises $680K for Phoenix Children's

Annual event supports Phoenix Children’s 1 Darn Cool School

PHOENIX (Originally published March 18, 2025) – 190 golfers participated in the Desert Financial Foundation Annual Charity Golf Tournament on Monday, March 17, raising $680,000 for Phoenix Children's 1 Darn Cool School.

The 2025 tournament featured 38 teams, each paired with a professional golfer, playing a 5-person pro-am scramble at Talking Stick Golf Club – O'Odham Course in Scottsdale. Since its inception in 1999, the tournament has raised nearly $8 million to support educational programs for hospitalized children.

"We're grateful for all of the teams and professional players who participated in this year's tournament to help raise funds for Phoenix Children's 1 Darn Cool School," said Ron Amstutz, tournament director and executive vice president of Desert Financial Credit Union. "While the tournament is a great day on the course, its real impact is in the difference it makes for children receiving care at Phoenix Children's."

A fully accredited K-12 program, 1 Darn Cool School provides classroom and bedside instruction to help children keep up with their studies while undergoing medical treatment. The program's seven full-time master's-level teachers offer academic support, school re-entry guidance and communication assistance between families and their home schools.

Earlier this year, Desert Financial Foundation, the credit union, and its team members contributed a record-breaking $2.25 million to 1 Darn Cool School, bringing their total support for the program to $13.2 million over the past 28 years.

The golf tournament was made possible through the generosity of sponsors, including Presenting Sponsor Elan Financial Services. Champion Sponsors included Allied Solutions, Arizona Cardinals, Business Data Inc., Corelation, Desert Financial Credit Union, Fiserv, Franklin Madison, SwitchThink Solutions and UnitedHealthcare. Additional Title Sponsors included Alkami, Arizona State University, Cox Business, CSG, Elavon, FlexPrint, Global Credit Union, MicroAge, NTT, TTEC Digital, Vericast and VISA.

For more information on Desert Financial Foundation and its community initiatives, visit DesertFinancial.com/Foundation.

About Desert Financial Foundation 
Founded in 2015, Desert Financial Foundation supports organizations and individuals in Arizona to strengthen financial capability through education and scholarships. To learn more about how Desert Financial Foundation gives back or to donate, visit DesertFinancial.com/Foundation.