Stories of Volunteerism
Harding School, on Santa Barbara’s Westside, has been Trinity’s neighbor and friend for over 15 years. Approximately 94% of the student population is Hispanic and 76% are English learners. Ways in which Trinity has been involved over the years include classroom volunteers, Homework Helpers, Cinco de Mayo Carnival helpers, silent auction donations and generous funding from our Justice and Outreach Fund.
It has been my distinct pleasure to volunteer, for at least 9 years now, in Andrea Lawson’s kindergarten/transitional kindergarten class. It really has been one of the highlights of my week, and I miss it so much right now. I can’t wait to get back with those students. I get the pleasure of working with the students individually on their reading and we often play a fun word game. Building a relationship with the students over the school year has been so fulfilling and Andrea is truly an amazing and dedicated teacher.
Things are in flux at Harding right now. They are looking into forming pods of 14 students who might be able to return to school and be supervised as they do Zoom class. There would be limited amounts of students that could participate, and the opportunity to volunteer is unclear at this point.
Below is a brief summary of the current needs of the Harding School Foundation and how they are allocating their limited resources. Until there is an opportunity to volunteer in person, donations to their Foundation are always appreciated.
Harding School Foundations major expenditures are:
- $6350 for a garden teacher
- $2000 for garden repairs and 3 washing stations
- $4000 for teacher reimbursements for supplies needed for the school year
Two major needs right now:
1) Monetary donations can be mailed to Harding School Foundation, 1625 Robbins Street, Santa Barbara CA 93101
2) Help with their Community Outreach/Fundraising Committee to build a donation database. A volunteer is needed for data entry, envelope stuffing and outreach phone calls. Feel free to let me know if you are interested in helping.
Once things return to a new normal, I look forward to returning to the classroom, and invite you to consider spending some time with these amazing children.
Thank you for your continuing support of Harding School and its students,