Tag archives: Santa Barbara Education Foundation

Here’s Hope
By Richard Mineards   |   May 7, 2024

The Santa Barbara Education Foundation held its annual Hope Awards at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum honoring local heroes of public education with 160 guests raising more than $50,000 with a paddle raise benefitting the Teacher Grants program, which has given 387 grants since 2018 with more than $685,000 invested in classrooms. The two recipients […]

For the Love of Literacy
By Richard Mineards   |   October 10, 2023

Santa Barbara Education Foundation hosted its annual Love of Literacy lunch at the Rockwood Woman’s Club with a sold-out crowd of 200 raising more than $49,000 for the cause. The bibliophile bash, chaired by Tisha Ford, featured prolific author Thomas Sanchez, 79, a descendant of Spanish immigrants and Portuguese cattlemen, who has lived in Paris, […]

Santa Barbara Education Foundation
Love of Literacy Luncheon
By Steven Libowitz   |   September 26, 2023

Having books in the home has been proven to positively benefit children in many different ways. One 20-year study found that the mere presence of a home library, no matter how small, not only increases children’s vocabulary development and literacy, but also leads to increases in attention, academic success, and, eventually, job attainment.  The Santa […]

Bringing Hope to Teachers and Students
By Richard Mineards   |   May 16, 2023

Largesse reigned supreme when the Santa Barbara Education Foundation held its annual Hope Awards at the historical museum honoring Senator Monique Limón, who served two terms on the Santa Barbara Unified School District, and Abe Jahadhmy, former athletic director for San Marcos High School until his retirement this year. Musical entertainment was provided by the […]

Dunbar Joins SBEF
By Richard Mineards   |   January 24, 2023

After three years as Opera Santa Barbara’s Director of Development, Nina Dunbar is leaving to become Donor Advisement Officer at the Santa Barbara Education Foundation. In her new role, Dunbar will be overseeing the organization’s relationship with major donors involving supporting programs that enrich the academic, artistic, and personal development of Santa Barbara Unified School […]

For the Love of Literacy
By Richard Mineards   |   October 11, 2022

Picturesque Godric Grove in Elings Park was the venue for the Santa Barbara Education Foundation’s second annual Love of Literacy lunch with 130 guests raising more than $30,000 for the cause. Keynote speaker, county supervisor Gregg Hart, whose mother was a teacher and father a librarian, expressed his love of literature, reading 60 books during […]

New ED of SB Education Foundation
By Richard Mineards   |   August 9, 2022

Pedro Paz has been named executive director of the Santa Barbara Education Foundation. Paz joins the organization after working for the Santa Barbara Foundation as Director of Policy and External Affairs, and First 5 in Santa Barbara and Merced counties. Raised in our Eden by the Beach and attending Dos Pueblos High, he holds a […]

Hope in Education: Annual Award Ceremony Returns
By Carly Williams   |   March 29, 2022

The Santa Barbara Education Foundation’s annual Hope Awards will mark its return to the Historical Museum on April 28 after the pandemic scuttled the in-person gala in 2021. The doors to the Historical Museum will open at 5:30 pm to an evening of local food, drink, and a chance to show some extra support. The […]

We Should All Care
By Sara Miller McCune   |   March 1, 2022

Two years ago, COVID-19 was simply an outlier, something that seemed to be impacting “others” and not destined to alter life as we all know it. Some 23 months ago, life did change. For business owners. For politicians. For children. And it put our teachers to the test. But this wasn’t one they could study […]

Feting the Unsung Superheroes New Fund Focuses on Celebrating Educators During Unprecedented Times
By Nick Masuda   |   November 30, 2021

The past 20 months for educators have been ones of great angst and innovation — with the need for patience and a willingness to embrace the unknown paramount to serving thousands of students in the Santa Barbara Unified School District. It has also been thankless. Educators have not only had to teach students through computer […]

‘Tis the Season, Part I
By Nick Masuda   |   November 16, 2021

This community seemingly has a heart of gold, from massive fundraising projects that save farms in Summerland (read Kelly Mahan Herrick’s piece on page 8 this week) to the San Marcos Foothills. This holiday season, a new project is making the goal far more personal — the Santa Barbara Education Foundation wants to shower teachers […]

Lovin’ Literacy
By Richard Mineards   |   October 12, 2021

Santa Barbara’s 36-year-old Education Foundation hosted its first Love of Literacy lunch at Godric Grove at Elings Park, attracting 150 guests and raising $50,000 for the cause. The boffo bash, the first in-person event since March 2020, featured Montecito uber philanthropist Sara Miller McCune, who said she became “angry and upset” when she read about […]

Embracing our Community’s Children
By Cassie Lancaster   |   September 7, 2021

Imagine a kid. He’s your son, and he has big plans. He wants to attend college, launch a startup, and make it big. He wants to change the world. He’s always been like this. He always aims high, and he usually succeeds, even when the odds are stacked against him, which they always seem to […]

SB Education Foundation
By Steven Libowitz   |   April 22, 2021

Santa Barbara Education Foundation Executive Director Margie Yahyavi was reluctant to have her office visible during our Zoom call last week, even going so far as to employ a virtual background of a rustic cabin complete with a woodburning stove in place of her actual surroundings.  “Oh my God, this office is insane,” Yahyavi said. […]

Too Cool for School
By Richard Mineards   |   May 2, 2019

The Santa Barbara Education Foundation, which serves 15,000 students with more than 15 programs county-wide with a $2 million annual budget, hosted its 20th annual Hope Awards at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum for 200 guests. The boffo bash in the institution’s courtyard, chaired by Cita Torres, focused on literacy and honored Kinko’s founder and […]

Woman Of the Year, 2004
By Beverlye Fead   |   January 24, 2019

Susan Miles Gulbransen is a real Santa Barbara girl. She went to Santa Barbara High School and graduated from Laguna Blanca. After graduation, she attended Mills College as a History major, English minor, and went to UC Berkeley to get her secondary teaching credential. Already, I’m impressed! There is, however, a lot more learning she […]

Historical Hope
By Richard Mineards   |   May 3, 2018

It couldn’t have been a nicer evening when the 33-year-old Santa Barbara Education Foundation held its annual Hope Awards at the historical museum, which attracted 175 guests and raised $30,000 for the cause. Montecito author Fannie Flagg spoke eloquently about her struggles with dyslexia while the award went to Santa Barbara Public Library for its […]