Newsletters
 Trivia Night 2024 It’s time! Gather your friends and family for another night of competition on things you know, kind of half-remember, and can only wildly guess at. This is our most popular “fun”raiser of the year, and we typically have 70+ participants in teams of 4–6 fighting it out on Zoom to see who has the most accurate general knowledge. This will be our 4th annual event, and it’s only $30 per team member if you sign up by October 18th ($40 per team member after that date). The winning team members each receive an Amazon gift certificate. Get together in person (we encourage potlucks/pizza/elegant soirees), or spend time with your far-flung friends and family as you gather with them in your very own Zoom breakout room to discuss your answers. This year’s event will take place on Sunday, October 27th from 6–8pm Pacific. Register today––and may the best team win! Pepperdine University Students Volunteer to Help the Nonprofit with New Fundraising Campaigns!The Seaver School of Management at Pepperdine University requires its business students to participate in a service learning project for their capstone class. This fall semester, the GFSF nonprofit is fortunate to have a team of 6 students working as pro bono consultants to develop strategies to launch three new fundraising campaigns––a membership campaign, an individual donor campaign, and an endowment campaign. The students have named their team Strategic Horizons, and here’s what they have to say about the work of the nonprofit: “We love that Get Focused, Stay Focused works with the teachers to help provide students with knowledge and guidance that will be useful for post graduation of high school. We are really excited to work with Get Focused, Stay Focused and help them to continue to shape students’ lives.”  The Strategic Horizons Team (from left to right – back: Andrew Morris, Devon Walczykowski; middle: Annelise Cady, Molly Skorobohaty; front: Myers Mentzer, Madeline Acuna) GFSF Activities Fall 2024The GFSF nonprofit has kicked off the new academic year with several professional learning communities and executive coaching sessions across California for new teachers and new schools. With the support of funding from the Henry W. Bull Foundation, the nonprofit is providing executive coaching/professional learning communities in the Central Valley of California for middle school teachers at Vineland Elementary School and Haven Drive Middle School and is planning to also support new middle school teachers in Manteca Unified School District at multiple school sites. In Ventura county, funding from the Limoneira Foundation and the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians is supporting executive coaching for teachers at Nordhoff High School in Ojai and Simi Valley High School. These funders are ongoing supporters of the work of the GFSF nonprofit, and we are grateful for their donations, which allow us to provide services to these teachers for free. If you are a new teacher of the curriculum or an administrator who will have new teachers in the spring semester and would like similar support, please reach out to karen@getfocusedstayfocused.org. Paint and Sip EventThe Get Focused, Stay Focused nonprofit held its first Paint and Sip fundraiser on July 14th at the Montecito home of one of its Board members, Dr. Robert Bronfman. With renowned local Santa Barbara artist Libby Holland overseeing the painting class, 17 budding artists painted seascapes. The attendees also took part in a silent auction and raffle, and over $2,800 was raised for the nonprofit. Big thanks to former Board member Linda Schwartz for organizing another successful fundraiser!   Spotlight on New Board Member, Dr. Jessica Jacquez The GFSF nonprofit welcomes Dr. Jacquez to its Board. Dr. Jacquez holds a PhD in Education focusing on Special Education from Claremont Graduate University, as well as a Master’s in Education and a Bachelor’s in Liberal Studies, and has worked in different positions with three different school districts. Dr. Jacquez is committed to advocating for best practices and advancing educational support for all students. She is passionate about education and youth development and sees the GFSF nonprofit mission as “a vital cause that shapes futures.” Karen Miles, Ed.D.
|
