Pagnozzi Charities was formally founded in 1999 by former University of Arkansas Razorback alumni and coach, Tom Pagnozzi. Pagnozzi Charities programs continue to make a huge impact on our community. The charity was conceived by Tom and then head baseball coach Norm DeBriyn as a way for "Pags" to give back to the program that launched his professional career. What began in 1991 as the Razorback Foundation's Celebrity Golf Tournament and Auction, eventually evolved into the Tom Pagnozzi Charity Golf Tournament, Banquet and Sports Memorabilia Auction. Now in its 15th year, the annual event continues to be a gateway of support for Pagnozzi Charities to meet its charitable goals.

In addition to the support provided to the Arkansas Razorback Baseball program, with its separation from the Razorback Foundation in 1999 and the development of its own 501(c)(3) status, Pagnozzi Charities took on a new goal and new events.

The Pagnozzi Youth Sports Scholarship Program was created with a desire to extend the charitable arm of the organization to include disadvantaged youth throughout Arkansas, providing them with an open door to the same athletic experiences of their peers and following the Pagnozzi motto to "level the playing field".

Pagnozzi Charities has provided scholarships to over 1800 youth through the Pagnozzi Youth Sports Scholarship Program. With the aid of a very valuable support team that includes board of directors and leadership team, an executive director, the creation of an endowment fund, office support and numerous volunteers, the charity hopes to continue to increase its efforts significantly in the coming years.

Community Need

The Northwest Arkansas area is growing in many ways but unfortunately there is also a growing need for financial assistance to low income families trying to make ends meet. In the Northwest Arkansas area alone (Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers, Bentonville and surrounding towns) there are 37,318 students enrolled in kindergarten through 8th grade in public schools and 44.8% are currently utilizing the free/reduced lunch program. Pagnozzi Charities uses the same nationally recognized DHS income guidelines that the school systems use for the free/reduced lunch program to establish initial eligibility for a Pagnozzi scholarship. For example, a family of three makes $16,090 per year or less to qualify. A fact that is even more overwhelming is that the childhood obesity rate for Arkansas is a staggering 38%. Participating in sports is more that just a game; it is a way of life.

Along with financial need, children need the opportunity to develop physically, socially and emotionally as well. Recreation activities provide a safe and supportive environment for children and youth to explore their strengths, develop skills and test their limits. Children's self esteem is nurtured by the mastery of age-appropriate skills and the achievement of reasonable goals. This mastery contributes to the development of a resilient child. This means that a physically active child, regardless of circumstance, is more likely to thrive.

High self-esteem, which can be developed by participation in sport and recreation, can lead to a higher level of motivation and can buffer young people against adverse influences such as substance abuse and delinquent behavior. Physical activity and recreation provides youth with the opportunity to develop leadership skills that as adults, are put to use by participating as coaches and team leaders in our community. Once children fall behind in their "recreational" skill development in most cases because of financial reasons, they are less likely to pursue sports and arts programs at school because they cannot keep up with their peers, they do not make the teams, and their self-esteem suffers. Another consequence is that these children have time on their hands - time they may use getting into trouble.

Pagnozzi Charities granted over 1500 scholarships in 2007 and hopes to raise funds for 1800 in scholarships in 2008. That is 500 over our combined 2005-2006 goal! Providing underprivileged youth sports scholarships helps in more ways than providing sport opportunities, it improves their everyday walk in life. Recreation and physical activity is particularly important in helping adolescents though the years of transition to adulthood. The ongoing social relationships that develop from participation in physical activity and recreation provide a core of social resources that can support and protect children and youth as they mature.

Following a 12-year career with the St. Louis Cardinals, former Razorback Tom Pagnozzi has returned to Fayetteville, Arkansas. Although he spent only one year in an Arkansas uniform, Pagnozzi was one of the Arkansas baseball program's most prominent supporters. Tom Pagnozzi came onto the Arkansas Razorback's baseball coaching staff as a volunteer, assistant coach and stayed with the team until last year. Under his guidance, Arkansas catchers threw out 43 percent of potential base stealers in 2003- the second best mark in the Southeastern Conference.

Pagnozzi was a catcher and third baseman when he transferred to the UA from Central Arizona prior to the 1983 season. Pagnozzi wanted to be only a catcher, and Coach Norm DeBriyn gave him that chance by making him the starting catcher in the 1983 season. After leading the Hogs with a .362 batting average, 50 RBI and helping Arkansas to a berth in the NCAA Midwest Regional in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Pagnozzi was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the eighth round of the 1983 major league draft.

The former Hog was a mainstay on St. Louis teams of the 80's and 90's, and was named to the National League All-Star team in 1992. Long regarded as one of Major League Baseball's best defensive backstops, Pagnozzi earned three Rawlings Gold Glove awards in a four-year span from 1991-94. In 1992, he made just one error and tied a National League record with a .999 fielding mark. During Tom's two year coaching tenure he along with the others coaches brought the Razorback baseball team to new heights. The Razorbacks are the 2004 SEC co-champions, 2004 NCAA super regional champions, and World Series participants.