The South Pasadena Educational Foundation presented a record-breaking $964,000 to the South Pasadena Unified School District at their school board meeting on Sept. 12.
Teachers and administrators gave a standing ovation during SPEF’s “big check” presentation, which celebrated a year’s worth of fundraising efforts from the community to bolster education at SPUSD’s five public schools.
While SPEF raises more than half a million dollars annually, the 2022-23 school year shattered records with the help of its signature programs, Fall Fund Drive and Parti Gras, as well as strong SPEF Summer School enrollment.
When presenting the check to the SPUSD School Board, Emilia Aldana, SPEF’s president, said, “This check is a tangible reflection of the effort and time by the SPEF Board, our Parti Gras volunteers, the dedicated investment of our circle (this community), and the passion, work and mission of SPEF. We are pleased and proud to present this gift to our district, and so grateful for their stewardship of these funds in paving the dynamic pathways to the future for the students of our public schools.”
SPEF’s donation to SPUSD included $130,000 in Teacher Direct Grants that funded a wide range of projects in individual classrooms. Additionally, $150,000 was earmarked for major grants, which helped provide a new theater lighting system at SPHS and a high-tech Anatomage table that will allow high school biology, biomedicine and sports medicine students to explore 3D human anatomy. The donation also included unrestricted funds to maintain ongoing programs throughout the district.
This school year, SPEF hopes to cross the unprecedented $1 million fundraising threshold in order to help every student thrive.
The 2023-2024 Fall Fund Drive is already underway, with phone and text banks in October and orange yard signs adorning the town in November.
SPEF’s upcoming Food For Thought dine-out fundraiser will take place on Sept. 27. Ongoing afterschool programs, this winter’s Fifth Grade Musical, Summer School registration in spring, and the annual May spectacular, Parti Gras, round out some of the many ways the community’s dollars go toward funding enhancements in education.
To learn more about what SPEF does and to donate toward this year’s goal, visit spef4kids.org.
First published in the September 29 print issue of the South Pasadena Review.
