Hope Awards raises $110,000 for Santa Barbara Education Foundation
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The Santa Barbara Education Foundation hosted the Hope Awards on Thursday.
The annual event successfully raised $110,000 for the Santa Barbara Education Foundation which provides support for students in the Santa Barbara Unified School District.
Over $55,000 will go towards Teacher Grants which help to fund project-based supplies and tools that come from innovative educators in the Santa Barbara Unified District.
The awards featured the La Colina Junior High Advanced Band playing live music and culinary arts students from Santa Barbara, San Marcos, and Dos Pueblos high schools serving prepared dishes.
The event was held at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum and hosted more than 150 guests.
Among those honored during the event were former San Marcos High School Athletic Director Abe Jahadhmy and State Senator Monique Limón for their work on behalf of local students.
Abe Jahadhmy was a coach and educator for over 35 years. He began working with local youth at the Goleta Boys and Girls Club in 1975. In 2004, he became San Marcos High's Athletic Director, a position he held until his recent retirement.
Jahadehmy said, “There is nothing I’m more proud of in my life than being able to influence youth that I worked with to give back to the community. Whether it’s financially, volunteering, or being there to have empathy for people that need support, that’s the most important thing that I could have given.”
State Senator Monique Limón was born and raised in Santa Barbara before representing the area in Sacramento.
“I am someone who had incredible teachers in our schools who believed in me, who pushed harder to ensure that I would succeed. I am someone who at the core has the belief that investment, human investment, yields community outcomes,” said Limón. “We don’t forget, ever, the teacher who made an impact on us. And that is what tonight is about, ensuring that we give the resources to those teachers.
The Santa Barbara Education Foundation promotes private support for the area's public education system that serves over 12,500 students at 19 schools.
