Cardinals Help Send Students on Washington,  D.C. Trip

Over 200 students from the state of Arizona are heading for Washington, D.C. following a partnership with the Arizona Cardinals and State Farm.

The 241 students and 30 chaperones boarded the Cardinals team plane on Wednesday (June 22) and will return on Saturday. While visiting the nation's capitol, the students will visit historical sites, meet elected officials and see the behind-the-scenes working of government.

The trip is part of the Civics Matters Arizona program that focuses on teaching American Civics to students. The program was created following Gov. Doug Ducey signing the American Civics Act in 2018.

The trip to Washington is designed to inspire the young students to make a difference in their community.

“Supporting this effort is consistent with the priority our team and our league place on issues of social justice as well as diversity, equity and inclusion," Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill said. "Through this experience, we are hopeful that these students learn more about the process of government and the role they can play in affecting positive change.”

The students were selected from grades 9-12 and come from 46 schools across 11 cities. The Valley schools involved are mainly Title 1 schools, according to Bidwill. The trip allows students to take part in an experience that they may not have experienced before.

“I feel that the history and government part of school is overlooked a lot, especially in public schools and a lot of schools that don’t get the opportunity to learn about it,” student Mia Vizzerra said. “I think this is important for the kids that don’t get it and it gives them a chance to get that opportunity.”

The students were selected for the trip following the submission of a 500-word essay about community involvement, young difference makers, or how to build “a more perfect union.”

“The state has a statewide spelling bee, but we do not have a statewide civics competition, so this year we worked with school leaders to put together the first ever statewide civics competition,” Bidwill said.

Along with visiting sites like the Smithsonian National Museum and the National Museum of African American History and Culture the students will also take part in workshops.

“We wanted to engage them and give them a really special experience, meet some incredible people. They are going to be meeting U.S. Senators, they’ll be seeing the sites, they’ll be seeing and learning a lot about this history,” Bidwill said. “It’s just not a trip to go see sites; there's going to be a lot of education that goes on over the next four days in Washington, D.C. and on the airplane.”

Before boarding the plane, students were greeted by Cardinals players including DeAndre Hopkins and rookies Trey McBride and Keaontay Ingram.

Helping with additional funding were Chicanos Por La Causa, APS, Raza Development Fund and Greater Phoenix Leadership.