About 60 enthusiastic students received a brief lesson in generosity Monday, Nov. 2, 2015 as the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians presented Solvang School District with more than $31,000 in hardware and tech services in the school’s gymnasium.
The donation featured a mobile Chromebook cart, 40 Chromebooks to be used in classrooms and 20 Dell laptops specifically for the school’s teachers.
Solvang School District was the fourth local school to receive its share of the proceeds from the 11th annual Chumash Charity Golf Classic, which raised a total of $120,000 in technology grants. The other three beneficiaries were Santa Ynez Valley Charter School, College School District and Los Olivos School District.
Solvang Superintendent Dr. Steve Seaford took the opportunity to speak to the students about the importance of philanthropy, and he introduced them to the Samala word àmuyich.
“It’s a word that refers to ‘the spirit of generosity,’” Seaford said. “Certainly, the Chumash Indians’ spirit of generosity has been represented here today. All of this technology is going to help us do a lot of good things in the classroom and, eventually, help us give back to our community.
“There’s a famous person named Cesar Chavez, and he once said, ‘The end of all education should surely be service to others.’ So, it’s about constantly giving back to your community, and that’s what we intend to do,” he said.
School administrators and Solvang City Councilmembers Hans Duus and Joan Jamieson were in attendance for the presentation, which featured an introduction by Mike Lopez, a member of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians’ Business Committee.
“This gift is special for me because I grew up here, and this is where I went to school,” Lopez said. “We had another great Chumash Charity Golf Classic this year, and, on behalf of our board, I’m proud to present to you these 40 Chromebooks, a mobile Chromebook cart along with 20 Dell laptops for the teachers.”
Fellow Business Committee members Gary Pace and Maxine Littlejohn were also on hand, and they were more than happy to shake the hands of students who lined up to thank them, personally.
“One day, we hope that, just as obvious as it is to see a pen or a pencil in every classroom, you’ll see this kind of technology,” Seaford said. “Because of the generous spirit of the Chumash Indians, we’re moving toward having that reality today.”
The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians has donated more than $19 million to hundreds of groups, organizations and schools in the community and across the nation as part of the tribe’s long-standing tradition of giving.
To find out more about the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Foundation and its giving programs, visit www.santaynezchumash.org.
— Mike Traphagen is a public relations specialist for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians.