[Noozhawk’s note: Second in a series sponsored by the Hutton Parker Foundation. Click here for the first article.]
Two decades ago, Village Properties established The Teacher’s Fund, a nonprofit organization with a mission to support teachers and students throughout Santa Barbara County.
Over the years, the initiative has raised $2 million to enhance education in the region.
Teachers submit requests for classroom materials, from books, art supplies and electronics to dictionaries, STEM curricula and rugs.
The requests are important because budget restrictions in school districts often leave educators with limited funding to provide optimal learning experiences.
While parent-teacher associations help bridge the gap, teachers still report dipping into personal funds to cover classroom needs.
More than 80% of Teacher’s Fund recipients are Title I schools on Santa Barbara County’s South Coast and in Buellton, Lompoc, Los Olivos, Santa Ynez and Solvang.
The requests may seem small, but the impact is significant.
“I can see a difference in how my students think and talk,” Washington School second-grade teacher Heather McBurnie said after receiving a grant to purchase growth mindset books for all second-graders at the Mesa campus.
“The growth mindset books taught the students to persevere and not give up,” she said. “In addition, the books served as a tool, which helped me teach my students that our minds have the potential to get smarter over time and while today may be difficult, tomorrow might be easier.”
McBurnie said she could not have afforded this curriculum without the help of Village Properties.
McBurnie has applied for, and received many grants over her 15-year career, including a laptop computer, classroom carpet and a white board on wheels. She said it’s been “one great thing after another.”
Megan Cotich, who teaches science and AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) classes at La Colina Junior High, has also benefited from the generosity of The Teacher’s Fund.
The easel-style whiteboards she secured for AVID students had a tangible influence on the way students learn. Cotich said the whiteboards encouraged collaboration and independent thinking among students.
“Students were able to stand in front of their peers with their own boards, which naturally encouraged them to take charge of their learning,” Cotich explained.
“They became the leader as they posed questions to fellow students and pushed each other further,” she noted. “It’s really powerful to watch students getting excited to teach their peers.”
It’s precisely this impact that compels residents, local businesses and nearly 200 Village Properties real estate agents to donate each year.
While funding used to come primarily from an annual golf tournament, COVID-19 forced the nonprofit organization to create a new fundraising model that’s become increasingly successful.
The idea came from Village Properties Realtor Brianna Johnson, who serves on The Teacher’s Fund board and chairs The Teacher’s Fund Supplies Drive she initiated.
She said the idea for an online supplies drive was inspired by the many online wedding gift registries she found herself being invited to contribute to.
“I was in this stage of going to a lot of weddings and donating to ‘honeyfunds,’” Johnson told Noozhawk. “I thought how cool it would be if we could put specific teacher requests online, similar in style to honeymoon wish lists.”
Some of the wish list items on teacher’s minds this year include a set of Merriam-Webster dictionaries for The Notre Dame School, horseshoe table and wobble stools for Harding University Partnership School, scientific calculators and math supplies for 160 eighth-graders at La Colina Junior High, flexible seating for Foothill School students, educational games for first-graders at Roosevelt School, and art supplies benefitting 450 students at Isla Vista School.
Suggested donation for each of these categories is just $50 and donations can be made directly online at www.TFSuppliesDrive.com.
Now in its fifth year, the supplies drive runs through Oct. 19. There are also sponsorship opportunities with a minimum $250 donation that include social media mentions and other perks.
Johnson, who grew up in Santa Barbara schools has personally benefited from the great work of The Teacher’s Fund and she’s thrilled with the success of the online drive.
Last year’s fund was a record-breaker, raising $86,425. This year’s goal is $75,000, which represents approximately 61% of the total $123,000 annual budget.
Click here for more information about The Teacher’s Fund. Click here to make an online donation.