Every year since 2012, Marymount of Santa Barbara students in Grade 6 Religion and Service choose a local nonprofit group for which they raise money throughout the school year.
After narrowing their choice of charities and hearing from executive directors about each organization, the students vote.
This year they are supporting Storyteller Center, a therapeutic preschool in Santa Barbara for homeless or at-risk children (18 months-5 years old).
In addition to education, Storyteller Center provides free food, clothes, therapy, and doctor check-ups with the goal of getting children ready for a successful kindergarten year.
For the Marymount sixth-graders, lemonade stands, bake sales and larger donations solicited from local companies all add up, but the student-run Chili Cook-Off, held at lunchtime Tuesday, is their ultimate fund-raising event.
Originating with a beloved recipe from the grandmother of a sixth-grader, the Chili Cook-Off has become the heart of the students’ fundraising efforts.
The chili drop-off line on Tuesday morning was busy with students escorting parents who were carrying in crockpots of homemade chili in hopes of being crowned this year’s Chili Cook-Off champion.
As community members come together to sample 25 chilis and vote on their favorite, there is a huge sense of accomplishment for the students.
The 2019 People’s Choice award went to the Weathers Family.
Past nonprofit beneficiaries have been Casa Esperanza, Gwendolyn Strong Foundation, Challenged Athletes Foundation, and Unity Shoppe to support the community after the Thomas Fire and debris flow.
Collectively, the students have raised close to $50,000 for local nonprofit charities since 2012. On top of that, this year the Marymount sixth-graders have raised $10,000 for Storyteller Center.
“Never has a school been so involved with Storyteller,” said Donna Barranco Fisher, executive director of Storyteller and guest judge.
“The Marymount students are so organized and thorough with their process during the year, and ultimately they become ambassadors for Storyteller in the community,” she said. “To have children engaged and connected with our mission is very powerful.”
Marymount of Santa Barbara, 2130 Mission Ridge Road, is an independent school for children age 4 through grade 8 that places equal value on the intellectual, social, emotional, and ethical dimensions of learning to prepare bright, confident, caring young people for the next adventures of their lives.
For more information about Marymount, visit info@marymountsb.org or call 805-569-1811 ext. 131.
— Molly Seguel for Marymount of Santa Barbara.