Teachers’ Fund back-to-school supplies drive sent $62,000 to local classrooms | Good for Santa Barbara

Village Properties donations facilitated return to in-person teaching

Teachers Fund Committee members Sheela Hunt, left, Leanne Wood, Ivonne Arroyo, Renee Grubb, Brianna Johnson, Dianne Johnson, Candace Cavaletto, Alyssa Jones, Angel Speier. (Village properties)

Santa Barbara-area teachers welcomed students into their classrooms in the fall with more than $62,000 raised by the local nonprofit Teachers Fund.

The annual back-to-school campaign was particularly important, as teachers were able to purchase new tools and learning materials to equip their classrooms for students making the transition to in-person learning.

Community members and local businesses responded to calls for help, bringing total donations beyond the $60,000 goal.

Donors also sponsored requests from individual instructors to enrich their teachings with specialized art, language, and math subscriptions; more comfortable, with adjustable work benches and class mats; and adaptable to new indoor-outdoor learning environments.

“I am thrilled to have students back in the classroom, alongside friends and the rest of the school community where they learn best and have strong in-person support,” said Village Realtor Brianna Johnson. Properties and co-chair of the event, who had the idea for the first ride in 2019.

“And I’m so grateful to the businesses and community members who help ensure students have what it takes to help make this transition as successful as possible,” she said. .

Renee Grubb, owner of Village Properties Realtors and founder of the Teacher’s Fund, said the generosity of the community never ceases to amaze her. She congratulated the committee: Johnson, Amy Abbott, Sheela Hunt, Angel Speier, Dianne Johnson, Candace Cavaletto, Alyssa Jones, Ivonne Arroyo and Leanne Wood.

“It’s a team effort, and this team works so hard to make sure as many classrooms as possible get the support they sorely need,” Grubb said.

All money raised through the fundraiser goes directly to local K-12 teachers to help them purchase educational materials that enhance their students’ learning.

The Teacher’s Fund was established in 2002 by the owners of Village Properties to enable teachers to request needed supplies for their classrooms. Since then, the Teacher’s Fund has donated $1.8 million to schools in the Santa Barbara area, with 100% of funds raised going directly to teachers.

Learn more about the Teachers Fund at https://teachersfund.org/. To learn more about Village Properties, visit https://www.villagesite.com/.