Teacher’s Fund was created to help Santa Barbara County teachers get the tools and materials they need for their classrooms and their students. Teacher’s Fund has granted more than $1.6 million dollars to Santa Barbara County public and private kindergarten, Elementary, Middle and High School teachers.
In 2002, Renee Grubb the owner of Village Properties established The Village Properties Teacher’s Fund (Teacher’s Fund). The non-profit organization was established to assist local teachers with the purchase of supplies, materials and equipment needed for classrooms. Village Properties and several Village Properties real estate agents supported Teacher’s Fund, and were the sole donors for several years until the non-profit’s mission and reputation were established.
Recognizing that the desire to support teachers was a shared mission in the community, Village Properties began encouraging others to join in supporting the nonprofit organization. They removed the Village Properties name from the nonprofit organization and today, Teacher’s Fund continues to be a strong and vibrant 501(c)(3), with major funding from Village Properties, their real estate agents, in addition to several businesses, individuals and foundations.
On average, the Teacher’s Fund was receiving more than $25,000 a month in requests for grades K – 12. In April of 2009, due to the magnitude of budget cuts to schools, Teacher’s Fund once again expanded support to include grades 9-12 for most Santa Barbara County public and private schools.
While Teacher’s Fund may not be able to solve the budget restraints on the Federal, State and school district levels, Teacher’s Fund support can make a difference one classroom at a time.
Established in 1993, the Save Our Youth (SOY) Center was founded through the hard work and steadfast vision of parents on the Westside of Costa Mesa who believed their teenagers needed an alternative to gangs and the temptation of the streets. As a non-profit agency serving low-income youth to provide a worthwhile option to an at-risk lifestyle, SOY provides a challenging and healthy environment where teens receive mentoring, tutoring, and college preparedness. This includes visits to college campuses throughout California where they are often given a tour by SOY graduates attending the college visited.
uding staffing expenses associated with volunteer recruitment, training, supervising and retention as well as activities associated with connecting volunteers to in-need seniors with memory impairment. The program assists families in delaying institutionalized care for their loved ones. OPICA’s mission is to enable adults impaired by dementia to continue to live at home by 1.) providing compassionate and stimulating day programs, 2.) supporting family caregivers through counseling and respite and 3.) increasing community understanding of memory disorders through education, resource referral and professional training. They currently serve 120-170 people.
“One of the best parts of Jubilee Year is getting to collaborate with some absolutely amazing non-profits. This week we had site visits at Neighborhood Youth Association, an after school program focused on student empowerment, enrichment, and college readiness – and Open Temple, a dynamic, creative, emerging Jewish community that seeks to foster a sense of openness and connection to transform the world!