Arizona Community Foundation donates $25,000 to youth mentoring in Yuma

A $25,000 check handed over at Vista High School is aimed at something bigger than a single school event: building a deeper pipeline of young leaders in Yuma. The Arizona Community Foundation gave the money to the Travis Manion Foundation to support youth mentorship work designed to strengthen character, confidence and service among local students.

The Travis Manion Foundation’s Character Does Matter program is built around presentations, activity-based courses, group discussions and small-group mentoring. TMF says the model is led by veterans and families of the fallen and is grounded in positive psychology, with lessons focused on leadership, goal setting, self-reflection and service. The program is free for schools and youth groups, but mentors must complete training that includes an online course, a background check and a live session.

That structure matters in Yuma because the need is not just for one-time assemblies, but for sustained support that can reach students where they already are. Vista High School provided a visible setting for the check presentation, but the money is meant to help expand programming that can move into classrooms, youth groups and school-based leadership efforts across the city and county.

For the Arizona Community Foundation of Yuma, the gift fits a broader local grantmaking strategy. The Yuma affiliate was founded in 1993 and runs two grant cycles each spring for nonprofits serving San Luis and Yuma communities. In the 2025 cycle, the summer application window opened July 14 and closed August 15, with final funding recommendations made in October and award and decline notices sent in November.

TMF already has a footprint in Yuma County. The group says it has chapters in nearly 40 locations nationwide, and the local chapter has been active at events across the city. KYMA previously reported a Back to School Character Day and Operation Legacy project at OC Johnson Elementary School for YESD1 students in August 2024, when 300 backpacks with basic supplies were handed out. The chapter also held a Back to School Success Workshop at the Lab Training Center in August 2025 and had planned a leadership program for Yuma Elementary School District One students in August 2024.

Local chapter leader Dale Dumo, a retired U.S. Marine officer and major, has described the goal as helping youth through mentorship and life tools. The $25,000 from the Arizona Community Foundation now gives that effort added reach, turning school-based mentoring into a longer-term investment in Yuma’s schools, nonprofits and future workforce.