Amphi Foundation

We were deeply honored to be named the Inaugural School District Foundation of the Year at today’s Arizona Educational Foundation Back to School Breakfast!

It was wonderful to spend the morning celebrating Arizona’s dedicated educators and cheering on the 2027 Arizona Teacher of the Year. A special shoutout to our neighbor in the Vail School District who took home the honor!

Congratulations to our fellow Hall of Fame inductees:
Desert Financial - Pillar of Public Education Award
Salt River Project - Spirit of Education Award
Marianne Lescher - Education Leader of the Year
Michelle Bugh Doherty - Carolyn Warner Legacy Award

Thank you to Amphitheater Public Schools Superintendent Todd Jaeger, Associate Superintendent Tassi Call, and Board Chair Michael McConnell for joining us today, and to our incredible community of supporters, board members, donors, and staff who have helped build our Foundation over the last 43 years. This honor belongs to all of you!

A new classroom doesn't come ready to teach.

Teachers purchase shelving and organizational supplies, headphones, snacks and more to create spaces where every student can learn.

📚 Teachers spend an average of $895 out of pocket each year.

📄 97% say their classroom budget isn't enough.

📈 82% say rising costs are making it even harder.

We think teachers should be focused on students, not supply receipts! Help us welcome a new teacher today with a $250 gift!

It's not too late to donate: www.amphifoundation.org/newteacher

*Source: 2025 AdoptAClassroom National Teacher Spending Survey

Wishing all students, educators, and families a fantastic start to the new school year. Have a wonderful first day!

"Knowing the community believes in you before the school year even begins means so much."

One by one, we're welcoming Amphi's newest teachers with a $250 Classroom Start-Up Grant to help them prepare for the year ahead and remind them that this community is standing behind them!

Help us continue to welcome every new teacher. Our goal: $5,000.

Donate today: www.amphifoundation.org/newteacher Thank you!

What a whirlwind of a day at the Clothing Bank! We hosted our annual refugee shopping event and welcomed 19 families totaling 73 students.

Huge thanks to everyone who put in the hard work and helped these Amphi students prepare for the new year with a little extra confidence. One student shouted “JACKPOT!!” when he found the perfect pair of shoes.

We honestly can’t say enough about our incredible volunteers. They stepped in as “personal shoppers,” distributed backpacks, organized hygiene supplies, and bridged language gaps with the assistance of our 3 translators.

Days like this remind us why we do what we do.

Today Amphi’s amazing health office staff and social workers gathered for our annual lunch at the Clothing Bank. The group enjoyed a lovely meal from Baggin's Gourmet Sandwiches and picked up their fully stocked resource bins to take back to their schools.

Megan from the Amphi Foundation, Sandy from the Clothing Bank, and Tiffany from ECHO updated everyone on all of the wonderful resources available to support Amphi students and families.

We love celebrating and supporting the incredible people who care for our kids every day!

Right now, 20 brand-new educators are preparing to welcome their very first students into Amphi classrooms.

They're planning lessons and arranging desks, but they're also purchasing books, storage bins, learning materials, student snacks, and countless supplies to prepare their classrooms.

That's why the Amphi Foundation provides every first-year teacher with a $250 Classroom Start-Up Grant. They deserve to feel the support of our community right from the start!

Will you help us welcome them?

Donate today: www.amphifoundation.org/newteacher

Our Board of Directors spent their Annual Retreat diving deep into planning and strategy for the 26-27 school year! Among many key activities, our board put together this year’s Health Office Resource Kits for every Amphi school!

Handling all 1,730 hygiene items, lice kits, and comfort care supplies made the true impact of our mission feel tangible.

We extend a heartfelt thank you to our incredible partners:
❤️ The Junior League of Tucson for funding our essential period supplies.
💙 Our friends at Youth On Their Own for funding a large portion of the remaining items that help keep our students in class, ready to learn.
💚 Cross Middle School for allowing us to use their space for our meeting.

📸 Swipe through to see our board in action during retreat sessions + take a look at all the supplies headed to school health offices!

The Amphi Foundation is proud to introduce our newest Board Members and Leaders!

Please help us welcome:
Kelcy Bronson
Frank Gregory
Kate Maguire Jensen
Kate Price
Lisa DaDeppo (returning board member)

We also want to recognize the leadership of our 2026-27 board:
Michael McConnell, Chair
Carol Tracy Kitchen, Chair-Elect
Monique Conway, Secretary
Angela Wichers, Treasurer

Our board plays a crucial role in strategic planning and securing resources to ensure the continued success of our programs. They work closely with our small staff team to make a real difference in the lives of all Amphi students. We’re looking forward to another great year!

Our clothing bank tables might look like a mountain of chaos right now, but these piles are about to turn into possibilities for our students, giving them a fresh start for the new school year!

A huge, heartfelt thank you to the St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church community and Faith That Works for donating 250 backpacks and many other essentials. Thank you for surrounding our students with so much support!