Isla Vista Youth Projects (IVYP) hosted 125 attendees at its first LEAP AWARDS Luncheon in April, where the organization honored early childhood-education advocates Jon Clark, president of the James S. Bower Foundation, and Liz Barnitz, director of instructional services at Goleta Union School District.
“As Isla Vista Youth Projects approaches its 50th year, we’ve been reflecting on our partnerships and the people who support the work we do across the Goleta Valley,” said Lori Goodman, IVYP executive director.
“Jon and Liz share our vision of leaping IVYP into the future and their contributions have been instrumental to our organization’s success,” she said.
In her opening remarks, Goodman said IVYP is one of the best-kept secrets in Santa Barbara. She also said the organization’s name is a bit misleading. In fact, more than 1,800 families are supported by the extensive services of IVYP across the Goleta Valley and Santa Barbara.
IVYP’s key programs include a high-quality, credentialed preschool, a family resource center, after-school enrichment programs enabling parents to work full-time, and a collective impact-style community-based initiative.
IVYP also has a fully stocked emergency food pantry to feed families in need; parent-education classes for adults; and staff trained in promoting the five protective factors that strengthen families and reduce child abuse.
IVYP strives to level the playing field so all families have equal access to an excellent early childhood educational experience, a critical precursor for kindergarten-readiness and future success in school.
For honoree Clark, the cause is personal. His dad experienced an impoverished childhood in Texas while his mom arrived in the U.S. post-war Germany with what little she could carry.
“The idea of the American Dream resonates deeply with me,” said Clark. Yet, he admitted the system nationwide is in peril.
“But, here in Goleta, we can make a difference,” he said. “We have so many critical partners at the table committed and capable of giving families the tools and counseling they need to rise above.”
Elizabeth Padilla represents one such family. Padilla arrived at IVYP 20 years ago as a young mom with a newborn and no English skills. She enrolled her daughter in IVYP and the experience changed her life.
There, she became empowered, pursued her English education and eventually joined the IVYP team as a teacher. Her then-infant daughter (now the eldest of her four children) graduated from UC Berkeley last year.
Barnitz knows firsthand the transformative power of a good education. She has dedicated her career to improving schools throughout Santa Barbara and Goleta.
Barnitz served as a past principal of three local schools, including El Camino Elementary, where she led a team to achieve what was considered impossible: getting a school out of program improvement, a sanction imposed on schools during the era of the No Child Left Behind policy.
El Camino emerged as the only school in the county in the last decade to meet all the federal achievement goals.
“I’m honored to receive this award,” said Barnitz. “Yet, this is not an award for one person, it’s never one person, and it’s never one organization, it’s the collective that impacts change.”
In fact, it was the collective power and passion of a room full of educators, politicians, business professionals, volunteers, parents and funders who helped IVYP raise more than $25,000 at the inaugural luncheon.
LEAP, the event theme, says it all. The word expresses a significant jump forward and it’s an acronym for everything IVYP stands for: learn, engage, advocate and partner.
“We engage families, advocate for our community’s most vulnerable and we partner across the region to help families rise above the many obstacles they face, including poverty, language barriers and trauma,” said Goodman.
Key sponsors included Isla Vista Community Relations Committee, American Riviera Bank, Hilton Garden Inn, Hilton Rooftop Bistro and Bar, Lori and Rabbi Evan Goodman, Montecito Bank & Trust, Rabobank, Bobbi and Paul Didier, Santa Barbara City College Foundation, Jim and Chana Jackson and United Way of Santa Barbara County.
Founded in 1971, IVYP has provided assistance to children and families regardless of income. Starting as a grassroots organization serving 12 children daily, it is now a multi-program, award-winning agency helping some 1,800 families annually at five sites.
For more information or to make a donation, visit http://www.ivyp.org.
— Ann Pieramici for Isla Vista Youth Projects.