Brendan Kunkle and Robin McKenzie present the Schools Plus Board of Directors with a check for $12,500 on behalf of Celebrate Community. Front row: left to right: Jeff Carniglia of Burr, Pilger & Mayer, Inc., Brendan Kunkle of Abbey Law, Robin McKenzie of Redwood Credit Union, John Bribiescus of Schools Plus, Patty Jellison of Sutter Hospice, Cortney Burke of Boylan Point Advertising Agency, Tracy Weitzenberg of Kaiser Permanente/Freelancer. Back row: Patrick Stelzner of KZST/KJZY/KTRY, Rick Niles writer/consultant, Jason Lea Principal HSMS.
The ten businesses that make up the Celebrate Community Partnership have donated $12,500 to Schools Plus to help them reach their fundraising goal of $165,000 by January 1, 2011.
Schools Plus is a group of parents, educators and businesses working to save co-curricular activities in Santa Rosa school.
In addition to the $12,500 donation, members of Celebrate Community are volunteering their time to help clarify the current situation in Santa Rosa schools, providing answers to questions that citizens may have by speaking at meetings.
Friedman’s Home Improvement and Redwood Credit Union have been involved with Schools Plus since its inception. “Redwood Credit Union is pleased to join with our Celebrate Community partners to support youth in our local community. It is our hope that together, our Celebrate partnership with organizations like Schools Plus will have a real and lasting impact on the health and well being of our community.” stated Robin McKenzie, Senior Vice President, Redwood Credit Union.
When evaluating the decision to support Schools Plus, Celebrate Community Executives asked a lot of questions. Primary among them was, ‘Can you guarantee that funds raised will be focused on important co-curricular activities like sports?’ The answer from Schools Plus and others at the Santa Rosa School District was a resounding, ‘Yes.’ The funds distributed through the all-volunteer Schools Plus 501c3 go directly to each secondary school, and provide scholarships for participant fees, transportation fees, and tournament fees, as well as buying equipment and instruments for the various enrichment programs that depend on Schools Plus allocations each year.
“As a volunteer coach at my children’s elementary school in Santa Rosa, I have a firsthand view of the many ways that sports help children develop. When I heard about Schools Plus’ efforts to preserve high school sports at several Celebrate Community meetings, I knew I wanted to get involved so I volunteered to serve on their board.” said Brendan Kunkle of Abbey, Weitzenberg, Warren and Emery P.C.
Why is Celebrate Community supporting Santa Rosa schools alone? Santa Rosa’s high school teams are an integral part of the larger community. For example, the Santa Rosa-based teams represent two-thirds of the North Bay League. It takes two teams to play ball, and if Santa Rosa high school sports go away, it will negatively affect all teams in the region. It is that synergy that serves as the catalyst for Celebrate Community to assist organizations like Schools Plus in other communities with promotional support when they go through similar funding transitions.
“Schools Plus is already working with other communities in an advisory capacity,” said John Bribiescas of Schools Plus. This collaboration is not intended to be a consolidation. Fundraising is most effective for each district when it happens in each district’s own backyard. It is recognition that healthy school-related activities are important to all children in the region, and Schools Plus and Celebrate Community care about all children in the region.
While caring is important, it isn’t enough. We need to do the right thing. We hope that many others will join in this effort by lending their strength to this worthwhile cause.
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About Schools Plus: Schools Plus is a partnership of concerned parents, educators, and community businesses that have come together with the shared belief that co-curricular activities are not expendable luxuries in the education of our youth. Rather, they are vital enrichment activities that help to develop qualities of leadership, teamwork, tolerance, and perseverance that are the foundation stones of civilized society.
By offering our young people continued opportunities to develop their talents, we help improve our community and assure a better future for those who will come after us.
For more information about Schools Plus go to www.SchoolsPlus.org or contact them at:
Schools Plus
John Bribiescas
P.O. Box 14714
Santa Rosa, CA 95402
(707) 539-6695
info@schoolsplus.org
About Celebrate Community
Celebrate Community Partners encourage support for local community efforts. We lead by example volunteering our time and donating promotions to many local area nonprofit organizations each year. Donated promotions help these local nonprofit organizations to inform local residents, businesses and government about the ways we can all work together to solve key community challenges.
Celebrate Community Partners combined serve more than 643,000 customers and/or students, and employ 7,800 people from throughout the North Bay. We envision and work hard for the best for our community, and welcome others to join us in that endeavor.
To find out how you can volunteer or if you know someone who needs assistance, please call 2-1-1 for more information. For more information about Celebrate Community, please contact Cindy Butner at 707.526.8577.
