PHOENIX–With 90 golfers participating, Desert Financial Foundation’ Annual Charity Golf Tournament raised $680,000 for Phoenix Children’s 1 Darn Cool School.
According to Desert Financial, 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, the organization said.
“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,” Ron Amstutz, tournament director and executive vice president of Desert Financial Credit Union, said in a statement. “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.”
Helping Children Keep Up
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 reported the contribution 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.
Organizers said 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.
