Benefit for a Brighter Future 2009:

Invest in a Dream

The RCEF is pleased to announce that we raised more than $103,000 at Benefit for a Brighter Future 2009 on April 24, 2009.

More than 350 Redwood City parents, community members, and education and business leaders attended the event. Memo Morantes, San Mateo County Board of Education Trustee, was our host and MC for the evening.

Our special guest speaker was Jack O'Connell, California Superintendent of Public Instruction. Mr. O'Connell spoke on the need for local control of education and endorsed Measure E. "The budget speaks for itself," he said. "We need to have a stable, predictable revenue stream."

Keynote speaker Dave Girouard, President of Enterprise at Google, made the connection between personal success and access to opportunity through education. He also correlated Google's unique Innovation Time Off, where engineers are encouraged to spend 20% of their time on projects that interest them, to time students spending during the school day on creative projects and physical activity.

The RCEF recognized the Redwood City Civic Cultural Commission with our annual Investors Award for the more than $100,000 it has donated to our Music for Learning program since 1998. We also recognized some of our longest and most loyal supporters and volunteers from our local community by adding them to our RCEF Honor Roll.

A key feature of the event was the display of entries from the joint RCEF and Civic Cultural Commission essay and art contest "What I Want to be When I Grow Up." Guests were able to view student artwork and essays during the opening cocktail reception. Three essay contest winners read their entries during the program describing their career choices of Doctor Without Borders, environmental architect, and artist.

Jan Christensen, Redwood City School District Superintendent, introduced the students after recognizing Michelle Griffith, of Taft School, for being named Principal of the Year by Region 5 Association of California School Administrators. This year Taft became only one of 9 out of 900 schools in California that exited Program Improvement status, as defined by the federal No Child Left Behind Act. As Ms Christensen explained, "Michelle and her staff have dramatically increased test scores at Taft ... while creatively integrating art, music, social studies and science into all areas of the curriculum."

Ms. Christensen also thanked the RCEF for our support of the district's students, saying, "The RCEF exemplifies exactly the type of creative thinking we want to nurture in our students...we all know that academic success does not end with test scores, and that is why we are grateful that the RCEF makes it possible for us to offer music, Outdoor Education and enrichment at all of our schools."   

A Special Thank You To:

Host

Memo Morantes

Presenters

Jack O'Connell, Jo-Ann Sockolov, Dave Girouard, Jan Christensen, Barry Schnur

Investors Award Recipient

Redwood City Civic Cultural Commission

RCEF Honor Roll Members

Nicole Bergeron, Westly Foundation
Ray Dawley, Redwood City School District administrator
Roger Horstman, Key Market
Naomi Hunter, Redwood City School District staff member
Elaine Park, RCEF Board
Susie Peyton, RCEF Volunteer

"Invest in a Dream" Artist

Elizabeth Gomez

BBF 2008 Committee & Volunteers

Gail Blomstrom, Sheila Cepero, Donna Collins Williams, Kim Freitas, Kris Johnson, Jennifer Lamantia, Carol Lashman, Diane Martin, Liz Olson, Elaine Park, Susie Peyton, Amy Shan, Barry Schnur, Jo-Ann Sockolov, Georgia Solkov Jack, and Jane Taylor.

Student Volunteers

Middle-school students from Clifford, Kennedy, North Star, Roy Cloud, and Selby Lane.

Artwork from our "What I Want to Be contest" on display at the event: "Helper to the World" (top) "Dancer" (bottom).

Students and mentors at displays for Science, Animal Care, and Creative Careers (top to bottom).

State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Jack O'Connell, speaks to guests on the need for stable financing for education.

Dave Girouard, President of Enterprise at Google, speaking on the importance of providing our children access to opportunity.

RCEF Honor Roll recipient Nicole Bergeron of the Westly Foundation (l) with Ted Lempert.

Warren Dale receives RCEF Investors Award on behalf of the Redwood City Civic Cultural Commission, presented by RCEF president Jo-Ann Sockolov.

RCSD Superintendent Jan Christensen (right) receives "Invest in a Dream" artwork as our door prize winner from artist Elizabeth Gomez (center), while host Memo Morantes (center), and RCEF Board member Barry Schnur (left) look on.

RCEF Board member Caryl Athanasiu presents $20,000 check on behalf of Wells Fargo.

Thank You banners posted on Jefferson Avenue at John Gill School (top) and on El Camino Real at Sequoia High School (bottom). Banners are posted at six other high-visibility schools