The Scottsdale Charros and Spring Training Baseball

Supporting Arizona’s Children and Educators

Formed in 1961, The Scottsdale Charros are an all-volunteer, nonprofit group of business and civic leaders that help build our community by supporting youth sports, education and charitable causes. From the very beginning, the Charros—by their very name—meaning gentlemen riders, embodies the Scottsdale’s 1947 slogan, “The West’s Most Western Town.”

While Scottsdale has grown and modernized since the Charros’ were formed, the group continues to remind longtime and new residents that Scottsdale has a rich and diverse Western heritage that should be preserved and celebrated. Just as the humble farmers and ranchers of early Scottsdale shared whatever they had with their neighbors, the Charros have shared their time, talent, and resources with their community.

The Founding Charro members knew they wanted to be at the forefront of creating a community in which they and their families could live, work, learn, and have fun and continue to do so today. Their spirit of volunteerism was contagious, and they enlisted the participation of many other civic organizations in their programs to make Scottsdale a very special hometown.

Many Charros have worked within the civic and political system for positive community development as elected officials, as citizens appointed to city boards and commissions, and as campaign chairs on bond issues and other causes. Others have served in dozens of leadership roles in civic, charitable, educational, philanthropic, and business organizations. Through all of these community experiences, Charro members have developed insight and perspective on community needs that they, in turn, have shared with their fellow Charros at planning meetings and during grant-making deliberations.

The Charros have helped to incubate ideas, activities, and programs that others viewed as too risky. And just as they have done in the sports arena, the Charros as an organization and as individuals have served as role models for other area nonprofits who want to make a short-term and long-term impact in the greater Scottsdale area.

Today, the Charros are stronger than ever, continuing their legacy of charitable giving and innovative programs.