The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History held 375 Santa Barbara County educators Wednesday evening for the Village Properties Teachers Fund’s seventh annual kickoff event.
The evening kicked off the school year by treating local teachers to fancy hors d’oeuvres, wine and a raffle hosted by Mr. Santa Barbara himself, Larry Crandell.
Ed Edick and Renee Grubb knew they wanted to support schools when they founded Village Properties in 1996. Along with public relations specialist Dawn Villone, the pair began to develop a simple yet effective business plan to keep teachers from using their own money to fund classrooms.
They came up with the Teachers Fund in 2002, a system of direct requests from teachers that are reviewed by judges and usually granted. Since then, more than $500,000 has gone directly to teachers for classroom resources.
Ellwood School second-grade teacher Barbara Moore said she has applied for funding several times, and has never been disappointed.
“I’ve asked for costumes and ink cartridges, which cost an arm and a leg,” Moore said. “This is the only event that actually acknowledges what teachers do and appreciates them.”
In 2006, thanks to a continuing partnership with the Orfalea Family Foundation, the Teachers Fund was able to extend countywide and include seventh- and eighth-grade classrooms.
Once all of the teachers got settled, Villone took the stage and welcomed the large group. She reminisced about the first kickoff event in 2002, when the founders were worried they wouldn’t draw even 50 teachers.
“In September alone we had 80 applications,” Villone said, “which is double the amount we have ever had, and let me tell you we do look at every one and we wish we could fund all of them.”
The group of grant reviewers were in the front row, including Crandell, Santa Barbara Mayor Marty Blum, Grubb, Orfalea Fund vice president Catherine Brozowski, Village Properties manager Zena Drewisch and Aliso and Summerland schools Principal Tricia Price.
Brozowski spoke briefly about the Orfalea Fund’s progression to promote education through the partnership with the Teachers Fund.
“We really believe in enhancing the work (Village Properties) are doing. It’s a very simple concept of supporting each and every one of you so you don’t have to dip into your personal checking account,” said Brozowski, earning hearty applause from the teachers.
When Grubb stepped on stage, she was greeted with a lengthy standing ovation, to which she replied, “Right after this I’m going to call Ed and tell him what he missed!” Edick was not in attendance Wednesday.
Grubb thanked the Orfalea Foundation, saying it gave the Teachers Fund the opportunity to “do much more for each of you. And that’s what we want to do. And we are proud to do. And we appreciate, we really appreciate you.”
Grubb also publicly endorsed school board candidate Ed Heron, who was in attendance, on behalf of Village Properties.
Blum, who was involved in brainstorming the Teachers Fund and has been participating in the reviewing process since the beginning, also spoke.
“This community really loves our teachers, we really love our schools and we really love our kids,” Blum said. “This is just a real win-win-win situation.”
Crandell began the raffle with his token dry humor.
“If someone is talking next to you, would you pinch them? Because I’ve got a message for every single one of you. You are heroes and you are heroines, and you are underpaid and underappreciated,” Crandell said. Applause began, then stopped when Crandell chided, “Please don’t interrupt. And I am underpaid and underappreciated, and that’s what we have in common,” he finished, then announced more than 50 prizes, almost all with witty banter.
Crandell even gave away a lunch at the Coral Casino for one lucky woman and two of her friends, accompanied, of course, by Mr. Santa Barbara. Before he chose the lucky ticket, he clarified that if the winner were a man, the bet was off.
Many bottles of wine, $100 gift cards, pasta dinners and plane rides later, the grand prize was presented: four days and three nights at a Westin condo in Mammoth, including $100 for gas, dinner at the Chart House and $100 in spending money.
Laurie Yarnell, a third-grade teacher from Washington school, won the grand prize and said she is planning to take her two daughters and husband with her.
“I’m really grateful for Village Properties because I think they have really found a way to provide for the teachers during those years when the economy is so terrible,” a teacher from Adams Elementary said. “Every year we see less and less money at the schools. We come to this event and we don’t even have to do anything, just enjoy it.”
Noozhawk intern Mollie Helmuth can be reached at mhelmuth@noozhawk.com.