The Alli Ortega Empty Bowls event is a fundraiser benefiting Scottsdale Community Partners (SCP) and City of Scottsdale Human Services in partnership with Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation, Scottsdale Unified School District, Paradise Valley Unified School District, and Scottsdale Community College.

The upcoming Scottsdale Family ArtsFest at SkySong will be on Friday, March 22, 2024 from 5 – 9 p.m and Saturday, March 23, 2024 from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

The Alli Ortega Empty Bowls Fundraising Event will take place during the festival in SkySong Building 1.

This festival is the second-annual SUSD end-of-year showcase featuring student performances and artwork in a two-day festival atmosphere with food trucks, family activities, art galleries, and performances.

All proceeds benefitted SCP and City of Scottsdale Human Services shared programs for youth (Back to School and Healthy Packs), families (Vista del Camino Food Bank at the City of Scottsdale Vista del Camino Community Center, Adopt a Family, and Emergency Rent & Utility Assistance), and seniors (Adopt a Senior, Beat the Heat, Brown Bag) in the Scottsdale community who are experiencing a crisis.

In 2022, 249 families, 116 seniors, and 811 students in Scottsdale were served through these critical programs.

In the months leading up to this year’s fundraiser, Tammy Hinds from Scottsdale Center for the Arts and Scottsdale Community Partners and Janet Blum will be facilitating bowl-making workshops at various Scottsdale Unified School District and Paradise Valley Unified School District schools, teaching the students and artists about the 30-year mission of the Alli Ortega Empty Bowls Fundraiser as part of the process of creating their bowls. The goal of the program is to get students educated about the benefits of philanthropy within their local communities. Typically these bowls are sold at a wonderful in-person event, but as a precaution for the safety of our community, Scottsdale Community Partners will instead hold this fundraiser online with the hopes of returning to its beloved original format in 2023.