Surprise Youth Foundation
Advocate, Initiate, Educate.
SYF

Surprise Youth Foundation is committed to acting as a leading resource and coordinating presence for Surprise-area youth assistance.

Why we're all here

Surprise Youth Foundation is an all-volunteer 501(c)3 focused on Advocating for kids, teens and young adults, Initiating conversations for change in the community and Educating and providing resources for our at-risk youth.

With past and present projects like Fill-the-bus for back-to-school, an annual Thanksgiving turkey dinner for local foster children, and our Job fair, career day, and day of service sponsorships, SYF promotes investment into the future of our community - beginning with our Youth.

Our flagship project, Kids Count Surprise, is an after-school program for our under-served Original Town Site, and serves more than 50 children, with a wait-list for additional space depending on your support.

The program offers a safe space for kids to work on homework, engage in structured activities and interact with volunteer members of the Community in the afternoons and evenings.

It's slated to grow with your contributions, which will go to support this and all of Surprise Youth Foundation's programs.

Surprise Youth Foundation
P.O. Box 7101
Surprise, AZ 85374

It's easy to include us on tax day with
Arizona income-tax-deductible QCO Code: 22107

Contact:
Jim Conner, SYF President

SYF at Fiesta Grande

We had a blast with the rest of the city at the Original Town Site's Fiesta Grande celebration, October 8th 2022!

Everyone enjoyed live music, great food and all sorts of entertainments for the whole family. SYF handed out some Arizona-themed kids' books to lucky visitors and got to know several of our neighbors. Thanks to all who make this party so much fun every year!


Fiesta Grande
Southwest Gas sponsoring SYF and Kids Club Surprise

Kids Club Surprise is nearing full capacity for summer and after-school programming for up to 75 children this year.

After-school programming helps take the burden off of working parents, while improving outcomes through supervised homework time, activities, and socialization.

Thank you to our major sponsors, including Southwest Gas!


Eagles Club Donation


"Deck the Hock" celebration - SYF's Kids Club Surprise

Kids Club Surprise, the flagship project of the Surprise Youth Foundation in Surprise, Arizona, sponsored the "Deck the (Holly)Hock" celebration at the Hollyhock Rec Center.

The kids were treated to a snow day (which doesn't happen naturally here!) and spent time making crafts, singing songs and enjoying themselves with their families.

Kids Club Surprise is sponsored by the Surprise Youth Foundation. All activities and programs are supported by the work of the Surprise Youth Foundation, helping under-privileged children attend an award winning after-school program to help improve their grades, their behavior and their self esteem.


SYF supports HART Pantry with $500 donation

HART Pantry (Helping At Risk Teens) puts together food bags for teens to get them through week-ends when many have no other resources. HART distributed over 200 bags a week prior to the Covid situation. In addition to food distribution, SYF's own Ken Johanson has been collecting and repairing bicycles for the last 2 years, for those kids who need them for transportation to school or work and HART Pantry has been facilitating the dispersal.

We are proud to support HART pantry and other organizations in our mission to improve our community.

HART Pantry can be reached via their website, HART Pantry

SYF Secures major funding commitments for Kids' Club Surprise!

After many years of successes with small and large projects, SYF has chosen a flagship project - Kids' Club Surprise. As an after-school program currently serving 50 children in the Original Town Site in Surprise, Kids' Club Surprise has already been improving lives for many years. With help from SYF the program will be able to grow to serve more deserving children throughout the community.

SYF was able to enlist the help of several valley corporate sponsors to aid the mission of Kids' Club Surprise and support doing tangible good for our Youth. To that end, we have received generous commitments from Southwest Gas Foundation, APS and EPCOR water totalling over $50,000 in the next three years.

These three donations cover a large portion of the yearly cost of the program, and we would like to express our deep gratitude towards these companies for their commitment to supporting the communities they serve. While it is a great boon to receive the support of large sponsors, it is through the combination of these sponsorships and individual contributions that SYF can continue its mission of supporting the youth of Surprise with a variety of programs, events, and direct aid.




SYF upgrades to Qualifying Charitable Organization!October 1, 2019

SYF has received certification as a Qualifying Charitable Organization for purposes of obtaining an Arizona State tax credit up to $800!
This certification goes a long way towards advancing our mission of assisting the residents of Surprise and surrounds. While SYF focuses on assisting Youth, its mission has expanded to fostering intergenerational cooperation, interaction and service through lecture series, bilateral volunteering opportunities, and more. Big things are ahead!

SYF received a grant from the Surprise Sundancers as part of their 50/50 raffle proceeds program!May 9, 2019

“The Surprise Sundancers are pleased to offer you this opportunity to apply for grant funding in the form of 50/50 Raffle proceeds raised during Surprise Spring Training baseball games.


These funds are intended to support initiatives that enhance the quality of life for West Valley Youth that benefit the communities of Surprise, El Mirage, Youngtown, Wittmann, Waddell and Wickenburg.”


We thank the Sundancers for their support and look forward to putting the grant to great use supporting the Youth of Surprise!

Veterans Day Parade Nov 12, 2018

SYF was represented with two cars in the parade this year to celebrate and honor our Veterans! Thank you to our Youth volunteers, and the Veterans who walked and rode in the parade!

Thanks to the Rotary Club of Surprise and the patrons of the second annual Taste of Surprise festival!

The Surprise Youth Foundation was proud to be involved with the Taste of Surprise food festival again this April, put on by the Rotary of Surprise. Thank you to all our volunteers and to everyone involved in organizing this amazing charity event, and to the community for coming out to explore local food while supporting local causes!


SYF supports the Police Explorers youth programFebruary 16th, 2018

SYF donated $1000 to the excellent Police Explorers program to cover travel expenses for an out-of-state conference. You can learn more about the great Explorers program at the Surprise Police Explorers page

SYF supports Eve's PlaceFebruary 16th, 2018

SYF distributed $300 to Eve's Place to support ongoing social awareness campaigns which directly impact the High-School age youth of Surprise. We thank Eve's Place for their commitment to the under-served in the northwest valley.

2nd Annual Surprise MLK Day of Service January 13th, 2018

SYF once again attended the City of Surprise Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, on January 13th, 2018. This year we helped sponsor the event. Lots of great performances and speeches were made at breakfast before volunteers dispersed to serve the community. Thanks to all involved for your support and camaraderie!

Veterans Day Parade Nov 11, 2017

SYF again had a car in the parade to celebrate and honor our Veterans! Thank you to our Youth volunteers and the Veterans across the country on their special day. The Foundation looks forward to coordinating volunteer opportunities to both serve and allow to serve veterans and other community in the future!

Fill-The-Bus For Back-To-School July 21st, 2017

Surprise Youth Foundation took in many carts of donated goods for Kingswood Elementary this Friday, including an All-In-One PC donated by the hosting Wal-Mart location!

Photos can be seen on our facebook page.

Thank you to the community and the volunteers who made our Fill-The-Bus event a success!

The final tally is 14 carts and many cases of water & assorted Frito Lay snack packs which are on their way to the school. For the first time there was over $200 in cash contributions compared to about $60 last year. Also, Walmart donated an All-In-One HP Computer to the school; a value of almost $400.

I can’t thank the Volunteers enough for their contributions to the event. Bob Wingenroth, City Manager for the City of Surprise and Roland Winters, Councilman from the 1st District, City of Surprise; Michele Smith and 2 volunteers, from Eve’s Place; Zachery Fountain, Dysart Schools; Jeremy St. Germaine, Principal of Kingswood Elementary School along with several Teachers and Students; Patricia Bates and Mark Harpur from The Surprise Youth Foundation.

Although the Store was under-going a complete and total remodel we had unbelievable support from David Hakhamian, Walmart Store Manager and his Staff.

The outpouring from Residents and Shoppers was extraordinary and the Surprise Youth Foundation would like to thank all who participated whether Volunteer or Contributor.

Thank you, on behalf of the Surprise Youth Foundation,

Ken Johanson

Thank you to everyone who donated and to the teachers, students and administration who showed up to help!

Thanks to the Rotary Club of Surprise and the patrons of the Taste of Surprise festival!

The Surprise Youth Foundation was proud to be involved with the Taste of Surprise food festival in April, put on by the Rotary of Surprise Thank you to all our volunteers and to everyone involved in organizing this amazing charity event!


Surprise Youth Foundation to benefit from Taste of Surprise 2017 festival

We've been busy with helping the Taste of Surprise. Our Foundation will benefit from this event - let us know if you would like a ticket as we also benefit from tickets we sell. $35 / Each ticket Or $75 for VIP.

Go to tasteofsurprise.org for more information about this fun event, or Contact us directly. Get your tickets before April 8th, 2017!

MLK Celebration, Day of Service Jan 14, 2017

SYF participated in the celebration and community service opportunities at the City of Surprise Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. on January 14th, 2017. We assisted members of the Surprise Rotary Club and a delegation from Dysart's Shadow Ridge High School in improving the garden space for our partner, One Step Beyond, Inc.

Thank you to all who came out to help improve our community via service and comraderie!

13 Turkey Dinners for Surprise-area foster familiesNovember 2016

SYF donated $650 in total to 13 area foster families in order to provide for Thanksgiving dinners.

Veterans Day Parade Nov 11, 2016

SYF had a spot in the parade to celebrate and honor our Veterans. Thank you to our Youth volunteers and the Veterans across the country on their special day. The Foundation looks forward to coordinating volunteer opportunities to both serve and allow to serve veterans and other community in the future!

Fill-The-Bus For Back-To-School July 23rd, 2016

Expecting 12-15 grocery carts full of donations at most, Surprise Youth Foundation received 18 Saturday, Mr. Johanson said... "We filled (the bus) with everything from the carts and had some snacks left over that we sent to the school," Mr. Johanson said.