Claws for a Cause returns to benefit Juvenile Diabetes research

Mom-with-a-cause Stephanie Morgan is busy organizing the 5th annual "Claws for a Cause," a fundraiser to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

I wrote about Stephanie two years ago as her son Landon was getting ready to go to school. Landon, now 11, was diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes when he was 5, and he needs to have his blood sugar monitored constantly so he can take the insulin his body needs to break down food.

Through her fundraiser, which consists of a lobster dinner and a silent auction, Morgan has raised over $100,000 for Type 1 Diabetes research.

"Last years fundraising efforts was a record breaking $26,000 donated to JDRF," Morgan said in an email. "This year we have more support from JDRF, and Medtronic which is one of the insulin pump manufacturing companies that has been at Claws for the last 2 years."

The lobster dinner fundraiser  takes place  Saturday, Sept. 17 at 6 p.m. at the Amaral Barn, 23616 Parker Rd, Salinas.  Adults $90; children $50. For more information, visit the event's Facebook page here or contact Stephanie Morgan at (831)601-5721. 

Landon Morgan checking his insulin as his mother Stephanie watches in Aug. 2014 at his home in Salinas, Calif.

Chili Cook-off Competition to Benefit MPUSD Teachers

The Monterey Peninsula Sunrise Rotary Club will host its “Chili for Children” Benefit Cook-off to raise funds for 2017 grants for teachers in the Monterey Unified School District. The event  is intended to help defer costs of special projects, class trips and other “extras” so teachers don't have to reach into their pockets to pay for them.

Funds from last year’s fundraising event enabled the Monterey Peninsula Sunrise Rotary Club to award in modest education grants to more than 35 teachers in January.

“Our Rotary Club is pleased to support education, and especially our local teachers, through these grants, which will help enrich the learning experiences of many students on the Monterey Peninsula,” John Byrne, the club’s president, said in a statement.

The event will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, June 11, at the YMCA in Monterey, 600 Camino El Estero, at the corner of Webster Street. Tickets are $25, and include a gourmet chili dinner, two beverages and more. Everyone's welcome. There will be live and silent auctions, a 50/50 drawing and prizes. For tickets, contact John Byrne at (831) 884-3944, or click here

Happy New Year!!!!! Send 'The Birds' flying to Hawaii!

Happy New Year! I hope you're recharged and ready to take on the world of education by the horns!

Me? I've resolved to try to be more dutiful in posting to my blog. And to try to be a better-rounded human ;)

How's that for resolutions?

So here's me, posting my first post of the year, and it's about "The Birds."

You may remember that I wrote about a co-production of the Aristophanes classic by Hartnell and Millennium Charter High School Students. If you need a refresher, visit the story here.

Well, it turns out, "The Birds" has been chosen to be featured in the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival in Honolulu, Hawaii in February.

"It is a great honor for the college, and the theater department, in particular," said in an email Steve Ettinger, Hartnell's music instructor.

"All of our actors are young students who hope to share their talent and passion with others and inspire creativity," writes Hanne Tonder on the groups fundraising page. "But we need your help to reach our fundraising goals and bring our production to Honolulu."

If you're feeling generous, here's the link to the fundraising page. Go Birds!

Gingerbread decorating and gift giving at Washington Union School District

Order your gingerbread house kit online to be ready for the Gingebread party organized by the Parents' Club of the Washington Union School District.

The proceeds of the yearly fundraiser are used to purchase classroom supplies, host special events, and offer financial support to students who otherwise couldn't afford extra-curricular educational activities.

This year party will combine  the gingerbread decorating party with the holiday gift fair. The party will take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 13 at San Benancio Middle School, 43 San Benancio Rd., Salinas,

Families can shop for handmade gifts at the Gift Fair. Holiday music performed by student musicians will be playing and refreshments will be served. Gift prices are kid friendly and range from $1 to $20 per item, with the majority of items priced under $5. Families will have the opportunity to take pictures with Santa Claus.

Sounds like a great way to kick the holidays!

Consider donating to the Dream Academy for their busing needs

Touring college campuses may be a family activity for middle class families, but for many working class students it's not that easy.

That's why the Dream Academy has been driving students to some nearby colleges and universities so they can get an idea of how attainable they are. These academy students have great dreams for their lives and they understand that to achieve most of those dreams they're going to need a college education.

 But the buses are expensive and so is the food for the students. Each trip costs about $2,500 for meals and transportation of about 90 students, and organizer Ruben Pizarro just launched an online campaign to raise money.

These year, Pizarro is hoping to bring the students to UC Berkeley, Stanford, and UC Davis. Tax deductible donations can be made through this link. 

"Exposing our students to institutions of higher education, providing them the information regarding admissions criteria, and giving them an opportunity to meet and discuss college life with other students of color is an essential step in empowering our students to attend college," Pizarro said.

All Saints School welcomes the fall with a festival

The annual All Saints' Fall Festival is a community event for the entire Monterey Peninsula featuring attractions, food and other surprises. The festival is both a community builder and a fundraiser for the Parents' Organization supporting the school's financial aid program.

Our Hot Lunch Dads will be cooking up burgers and hot dogs, and Hot Lunch Moms will be offering Allegro Pizza. The attractions will include Jacobs Ladder, Big Baller, Human Foosball, face painting, petting zoo, cupcake walk, zorb ball track, 27’ slide, pony rides, My Museum’s Wheelie Mobilee, train ride, bounce house, dunk tank.

Admission is free. Wristbands available for purchase to participate in the attractions.

From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24, at All Saints' Day School, 8060 Carmel Valley Rd. For more information, click here.

Twenty intrepid climbers go up Mt. Shasta for foster youth

Next week, 20 climbers will brave Mt. Shasta to raise funds for two organizations that lobby on behalf of foster youth.

One of the climbers is my kid, the brave and tenacious Heidi Moran. But that's not the only reason I'm writing about this.

Over the years I've learned about the difficulties children in foster care have to endure, chief among them having to be separated from their families -- as bad as they could be, it's all these children know, and often it's an ordeal for them to start anew with a different family or a group home.

But having to be away from their families is just the beginning of a long journey. Many face tremendous challenges to graduate from high school and college; much higher than the hurdles faced by youth who have the support of their next of kin. Yet, many go on to successful, fulfilling careers.

Organizers say they chose climbing Mt. Shasta as a fundraiser not just because one of their leaders is a climbing enthusiast. Going up a volcano is a good metaphor for the mountains foster youth have to conquer.

“You get to see people experiencing the mountain for the first time, putting on crampons, wearing a headlamp,” said Heather Matheson, outreach associate for Fostering Media Connections and a coordinator for the climb. “As an adult you don't get to do this often, and it gives our youth climbers a chance to channel their drive and resilience to overcome a mountain metaphorically and in reality. They’ve overcome so much and it's an exciting thing to do to build confidence.”

Matheson, who will be on her third climb, said the “Questival” is also a great chance for the adult climbers to be around foster youth, something they may not usually have the opportunity to do. Interestingly, it’s the youth climbers who have more success reaching the top, she said.

“It comes down to resilience,” Matheson said. “It's a huge mental battle and the youth climbers are more than ready for that kind of things.”

The California Youth Connection, a youth-run and led legislative advocacy organization, is composed of hundreds of current and former foster youth who embody the inspirational story of foster care children succeeding. Fostering Media Connections is a non-profit organization that harnesses the power of journalism and media to improve the foster care system. Together, CYC and FMC are helping to give foster youth a platform to make their voices heard. These are the two organizations that will benefit from the "Questival", the fourth annual Mt. Shasta fundraiser

Please consider supporting  these brave souls and their worthy cause. You can find their link here.

Local lawyers host fundraiser for Tom Torlakson

If you have a cool $100 to spare, and you're dying to meet California Superintendent of Schools Tom Torlakson, this fundraiser is for you.

Lombardo and Giles -- the high powered land use attorneys that are reputedly expanding their expertise into education law -- will host the "Agriculture & Hospitality Industry Fundraiser" for Torlakson on April 16 at Corral de Tierra Country Club.

The event will also feature a special recognition for Margaret D'Arrigo-Martin for doing both the agricultural industry and school children a favor by increasing the number of salad bars in local schools.

Torlakson just got re-elected in 2014 in a very competitive race. If he's starting fundraising so early it must mean that: he's running again (this one from the duh! files) and that he's expecting another strong challenger.

And if you feel generous, you could support the supt at different financial levels. Call Holly Davis at 754.2444 ext 333 or email Holly@LG-Attorneys.com to find out how.

Carmel high students host event to address hunger

For the second year in a row, Carmel High students will host "Empty Bowls," an event to alleviate hunger at the local level.

The “Empty Bowls” Soup and Bread Supper, along with the Carmel High Art Show, and open house will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, April 30.

Empty Bowls is an international grassroots effort to alleviate hunger. It starts with a group of craftspeople creating handcrafted bowls. For a $20 donation, guests are invited to enjoy a simple meal of soup and bread, and are welcome to keep their bowl as a reminder of all the empty bowls in the world.

All the money raised at the Carmel High event will be donated to Ag Against Hunger, a local non-profit dedicated to providing fresh produce to schools and food banks. Tickets are available in the CHS ASB Office or online here. at . For more information, or to donate to this cause, contact Diana Vita: (831) 624-1821, ext. 2780.

Lighthouse Preschool to host fundraiser

Lighthouse PreSchool, a co-op preschool  on 17 Mile Drive, is  holding fundraising even on March 7.

The event will benefit the school's music program.  Teacher Kim Biggio is trying to raise the funds to buy musical instruments for the little ones at school. The fundraiser will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the school. Suggested admission price is $5, and there will be food, music, a bouncy house, face painting, massages and more.

Contact  Kim Biggio at 831-236-7210 for more information or with s donation ideas!

Robert Down's PTA hosts taco night and silent auction

The Robert Down Elementary PTA is inviting the public to a taco dinner and silent auction to benefit school programs. There will be over 200 items in the silent auction, including an American Girl doll, Disneyland tickets, endurance race entries, restaurant gift certificates, signed sports items and dream vacations such as Space Camp. There are items for every budget, and 100 percent of each purchase goes straight back to the school.

Money raised from the silent auction will fund classroom supplies and projects, field trips, school garden, playground equipment and STEM lab resources.

The taco night and silent auction will take place from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 6. At the school, 485 Pine Ave, Pacific Grove. 

Dinner is $10 for adults, $7 for kids 11 and under.

Click here to order dinner tickets and view the auction items. For more information or to donate items for the auction, please contact Kat Uppman at kuppman@pgusd.org.

King City teacher, PG graduate, wants your help to raise $100K

Michael Jones, a 1st grade teacher at the King City Union School District, wants you to vote for his project so the district can get $100,000 from the "Thank a Million Teachers."

Jones, a graduate of PG high, MPC and CSUMB, wants the money to fund digital art classes throughout King City elementary schools.

"Our rural district is competing against two projects from highly populated areas in Nevada and Arizona. The best chance we have is finding advocates that will help us spread the word throughout California and finding believers in Arts in education," he wrote me in an email.

"My proposal is for digital arts centered after-school sessions as well as a summer session. It will benefit all of the elementary schools in my district. I am hopeful that the initial materials outlay will create sustainability for this project. We will work on mixed media projects, integrating traditional art techniques with digital photography and other digital input technologies. We will have community art shows to involve our community and show what amazing things can happen when arts are supported."

The winner will be decided by internet votes, so Jones needs people to vote early and often for his project.

The voting starts October 1 and endd on November 30. You can vote here.

 Good luck, Mr. Jones!

Salinas City schools to host music festival, fundraiser

The Salinas City Elementary Education Foundation will host its First Music Festival on Saturday, May 3, 2014 at Boronda Meadows Elementary School, where students from the district's thirteen elementary Schools will be performing.

The Festival will be filled with live music, good food, and many activities for the entire family. Some performers included are: Monica Botello (Recently on La Voz Kids!), The Pacific Brass Band,The Sand Dabs (Oldies but Goodies), The Flat Rock Boys (Americana), Militia of Love (Reggae), The Lightfighters (Indie Rock), Joe Johnson (Salinas High Group), Valley Roots (Reggae), Sherwood School Fokloriko, Royal King Academy, Boronda Meadows Dancing Hawks, and more.

The event is free for all ages. Boronda Meadows is located at 915 Larkin Road, Salinas.

BBQ tickets are selling for $10 at all schools. Volunteers are needed! To sign up to volunteer, fill out the form here.

Oasis Charter to hold a donation drive

Oasis Charter School will be holding a three day weekend donation drive in their parking lot this weekend February 22end-23erd. The focus of the drive is to collect clothing, shoes, small housewares ect. No furniture will be accepted.

Goodwill industries will park a trailer with a donation attendant from 10-4pm each day of the drive Friday, Saturday and Sunday. At the end of the drive Goodwill will pay the school based on the amount of donations received.

The fundraising idea was introduced a year ago, and many non-profit, charitable organization benefited, earning hundreds of dollars from the program last year.

The students and faculty of Oasis Charter School are asking everyone in our community to clean out closets, garages, and attics, and plan to bring the items to Oasis Charter School located at 1135 Westridge parkway on Friday Saturday and Sunday February 22end – 23erd. This will benefit Oasis Charter School.

Alisal High students dream of the Big Apple

In 2008, Alisal High teacher Ruben Pizarro took 30 students to see President Barack Obama's inauguration.

For his second inauguration, Pizarro took 60 students.

This year, 90 students have joined "Dreams of New York City" and are raising funds to go to the Big Apple in the spring.

They've raised $90,000. They need $150,000 for all the club members to go.

Yeah, time's running short, so they held a press conference/pep talk on Thursday at the school's auditorium. They received words of encouragement from Salinas City Mayor Joe Gunter, Salinas Union High School District board members Eva Marie Martinez and Phillip Tabera, and Salinas Councilman Tony Barrera.

The students looked happy. Cristian Salcedo, 17, told me he joined the club because he wanted to start developing his business skills. He was elected to be co-treasurer, and it's been an experience to keep tabs of 90 student accounts and the account for the whole group.

It's difficult for their working parents to take them on vacations, Cristian told me. So this is an opportunity they're all eagerly awaiting.

Good luck, guys! You're almost there!

If you want to contribute to these young men and women's efforts, send a check to Alisal High School with "NYC trip" on the memo line. 777 Williams Road, Salinas, CA 93905. 

Here's Ruben Gonzalez, co-president of the Dreams of NYC club, talking about the significance of this trip for everyone. Enjoy!

Camel High School hosts rummage sale to benefit sober graduation

Carmel High School parents are asking for donations of sellable items to benefit he school's Sober Graduation. Cash donations are also accepted.

Sellable items will be accepted on Friday, January 31st at the Carmel High School Theatre, 3600 Ocean Avenue, at the intersection of Highway 1 & Ocean Avenue Carmel.

Drop-off times: 8:30am until 2:30pm and from 3:30pm until 6:00pm.

The rummage sale will take place on Saturday, February 1st from 8am until 4pm at the CHS Theatre

For more information, email: CHSPadreparents@gmail.com

Mexican vacation raffle to benefit Pacific Grove High girls basketball team

Members from the girls basketball team from Pacific Grove High are planning to go to Australia in the summer, and they're selling raffle tickets to raise funds.

Top prize is a vacation for four to one of five Palace Resorts in Mexico, includes $1,600 towards resort expenses.

Also:

Golf Green fees with cart and dinner for two at Carmel Valley's Rancho Canada.

One night with dinner at the Post Ranch Inn

$25.00 per ticket or 5 tickets for $100. Drawing will take place February 17. For more information, contact Angela Matthews at 521.3045 or pg1team1goal@gmail.com

Carmel parents raffling attractive prizes to benefit education

The Carmel High School Padre Parent group and the Carmel High School Foundation invite the community to participate in a raffle extravaganza to benefit student scholarships.

Grand Prize Package includes two tickets to Super Bowl XLVIII (Feb. 2014) plus $2,000 cash for travel expenses.

Other prizes include tickets to Pebble Beach Food and Wine festival, AT& Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Laguna Seca/LaMans, Laguna Seca/Historic Car Races, San Francisco Giants, San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders; wine tasting at Joyce Vineyards; golf at Quail Lodge and Rancho Cañada Golf Club; lodging and dinner at Post Ranch; and more.

All proceeds will go towards scholarships for the senior class of 2014, CHS Foundation endowment scholarships, and Padre Parent student-based needs.

Cost: $25 per ticket, 5 for $100. Winning tickets will be drawn from 5:30 to 6:50 p.m. on Friday, December 20, at the Il Fornaio Rotunda, Carmel.

To purchase tickets or to promote its efforts by selling tickets, contact Cindy Haydock, CHS Padres Parents, at (831) 298-7330, chaydock1@comcast.net, or download an order form here. Tickets also available at the drawing event on December 20. Need not be present to win.

It's not too late to sign up for a Turkey Trot

Come work off those Thanksgiving pounds! Sign up for a Turkey Trot to benefit youth in foster care.

Peacock Acres, a non-profit dedicated to supporting foster children in Monterey County, will host the 6th Turkey Trot for foster youth in their program this Saturday, Nov. 30. The event will be held in Manzanita Park at 17100 Castroville Blvd. in Prunedale. Race day registration will begin at 8:30 am and the race will start at 10:00 am.

Race registration costs $30, and all participants receive a t-shirt. Registration is available online here. This is a pet- and family-friendly event, and participants are strongly encouraged to bring their four-legged friends.

Proceeds from the Turkey Trot will benefit a new project, The Learning Center at Peacock Acres. The Learning Center is designed to guide foster youth toward completing their high school requirements and preparing them for independent adult life. The unique educational needs and classroom challenges shared by students in foster care are often overlooked, and the Learning Center will increase the chances for personal fulfillment, economic self- sufficiency, and positive contribution to society in the foster youth who participate. A portion of proceeds from this event will also help us provide holiday gifts for our youth.

Peacock Acres has been providing therapeutic foster care since 1980 and currently operates four residential programs: Therapeutic Group Homes for boys age 7-17; Incarceration to Success for boys ages 16-19; Transitional Housing Placement Program for foster teens ages 16-18; and the Peacock Acres Transitional Housing program for emancipated foster youth ages 18-24. To find out more about our programs and the youth we serve, click here.

Family day for charity and scholarships at Carmel High School

The Carmel High School Foundation and the students of Carmel High School are sponsoring a race and a family day  to raise funds for scholarships and to benefit the community as a whole.

The event will take place Oct. 27, and will feature:

A 5K race,
A 2K fun run/walk
Family day for charity

Registration starts at 8 a.m. at Carmel High School. The race begins at 10 a.m.

Race entry fees are $35 for adults, $10 for students, $5 for kids ages 6-12, and $65 for families. For more information, or to register, click here.

Race fee includes a student-designed T-shirt. Race proceeds benefit student scholarships.

Family Day for Charity is a free community event and it will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Organizers ask community members to bring donations of  non-perishable food, new socks and cash.

All contributions for Family Day for Charity will go to local charities, including MEarth, The Carmel Valley Angel Project, Hope Center Food Pantry, Big Sur Health Clinic and Legal Aid for Seniors. Family Day is sponsored by Carmel High School student clubs and organizations.

For more information regarding the 5k/2k run, or to donate, contact Kelli Foy at Carmel High School Foundation, 915-9831. For information about Family Day for Charity, or to donate, contact Diana Vita at Carmel High School, 624-1821.