HEF raises record $500,000

The Healdsburg Education Foundation wrapped up the 2009-2010
fiscal year with $500,000 in donations, the most ever for the
fundraising organization that partners with Healdsburg area schools
to improve educational opportunities within the community.
The total far exceeds the amount raised the year prior—up
$200,000 from 2008-2009—an upward trend HEF Director Pamela Swan
attributes to partnerships between the schools and the community to
fund meaningful projects and programs that benefit children.
“The projects we support have large impacts on student
learning,” she said. “We’re building on a strong record of 25 years
of supporting our schools. I think it’s become very evident to our
community that public funding is not enough to fund our students.
If we want art, music, science, drama, athletics, agriculture—all
the things that reflect our diverse community—we’re going to need
to pay for them.”
With an operating budget of $18 million, district superintendent
Jeff Harding said the extra $500,000 paid for programs and projects
that otherwise would have been impossible to fund. “The hiring of
Pamela Swan, and the donations that came, was really instrumental
to the transformation with HEF,” said Harding. “[HEF has] gone from
raising $30,000 a year to $500,000 a year. Having the executive
director is the key, along with a supportive community.”
Swan was careful to give credit to other community organizations
and individuals who fundraise for specific programs and projects
and give money through the foundation. “We’re a strong bridge
between the community, the businesses and the district,” said Swan.
“We provide the communications and accountability piece.”
The foundation’s biggest projects in the past year will impact
students at every school in the district. HEF raised $100,000 to
pay for an elementary school enrichment program at both Healdsburg
Elementary School campuses designed to provide students access to
classes in robotics, chess, gardening drama and many other
electives taught by professionals hired from outside of the
district. While the students took a break from the regular
classroom faire, their teachers took time to meet and collaborate
together.
District curriculum director Annie Millar called the program
hugely successful. “That was just win-win-win, all the way around,”
she said. “It was phenomenal, mind-blowing that they understood the
request and were just absolutely able to make it happen. It really
boosts the academic program for kids and increases student learning
and achievement.”
HEF raised $91,000 for the Healdsburg Junior High School library
renovation and technology project, an effort to give students
access to computers while improving the overall facility. The
project came on the heels of a similar project already completed at
Healdsburg High School that also brought computers and technology
to Healdsburg students.
HEF also raised $72,000 for Healdsburg High School’s new
Construction and Sustainability Academy—widely referred to by its
acronym, CASA. The new academy will officially be unveiled this
fall to high school students interested in construction, especially
in green building.
Swan pointed to CASA as an example of a cause driven by a
community volunteer—in this case Ray Holley—who in turn uses HEF to
funnel community donations to the district to fund the project. “He
does all the heavy lifting while we help with the financial side,”
said Swan. Recently the Sunrise Rotary Club of Healdsburg donated
$1,500 to CASA through HEF, which in turn gives the money to the
district to pay for the program.
The remaining funds went to a myriad of other programs and
projects, ranging from new microscopes at the high school to
fieldtrips to athletics at the junior high.
“This community has impressed me,” said HEF President Gina
Fontana. “It’s just amazing how this community steps up for the
kids. We knew it was going to be a challenge to raise $500,000, but
we also know what this community is like. It’s like the community
knew it was more important than ever to support the kids.”
HEF has much bigger plans in the coming years. They’re already
meeting with district officials to decide what programs to fund in
2010-2011, and plans have already begun for an endowment fund that
will help pay for Healdsburg education in perpetuity. Summit Bank
has already pledged $25,000 to the endowment over the next five
years, and John Lloyd of Big John’s Market donated $5,000 to the
fund earlier this month.