Newsletter - Women's Fund of Santa Barbara

There Is Still Time...

The end of August always seems to be a time to finish the carefree days of summer and start focusing on the year's end...

There is still time…
To invite your friends to the 4th Annual Site Visit Tuesday, September 16: 9:30 am – 1:30 pm (visit three agencies, eat lunch and hear other 2007 recipients at the new Girls Inc. facility in Goleta). Or from noon – 1:30 pm (lunch at Girls Inc. and short agency presentations). Join the dozens of women already coming. Call 963-1873 to make your reservations by Thursday, September 11. It’s free; you'll feel good seeing what your donations do; you'll have fun and enjoy a surprise or two!

There is also still time…
To invite your friends to join the Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara. All women who are members of the Fund by December 1, 2008 will be able to vote for the non-profits who will receive our grants. Members or contributors who have donated a minimum of $250 in 2008, will be invited to the very special Presentation of Funds luncheon on February 9, 2009. Call or email Parm Williams (parmw@cox.net; 683-5775).

Why we join the Women’s Fund: The success story psshguadalupe below is one example of why the Women's Fund is making a difference with our collective giving to help local women, children and families.

Guadalupe and Friend

Jo Gifford,
2008 Oversight Co-Chair

Guadalupe's Story at People's Self-Help Housing

Guadalupe Saldana, age 9, is one of many children of PSHH’s Carpinteria Camper Park who benefited from the Youth Education Enhancement Program (YEEP) this past year thanks to the support of the Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara. She is the youngest of three children and her parents are mono-lingual Spanish speakers. When the YEEP educator met with Guadalupe’s parents and teacher at the beginning of the school year, her teacher told them that Guadalupe would be held back in third grade unless her grades drastically improved.

On her first report card, Guadalupe tested below or far below basic in almost all language arts and math grading categories. She was having trouble reading and spelling and was unable to pass the second grade subtraction and addition facts test. In response to these academic struggles, the YEEP educator, Brittany Hadidian, worked with Guadalupe on her homework daily and prepared additional math and spelling activities for her so she could practice and improve her skills. Her mother administered YEEP’s timed math tests to Guadalupe at home a few times per week for extra practice. Brittany also arranged for Guadalupe to work with an Americorps volunteer, who is specifically trained in literacy. Guadalupe read aloud with the volunteer daily.

Even before parent-teacher conferences six months later, Guadalupe’s teacher called the YEEP educator to tell her that Guadalupe’s grades were better and that she was scoring higher on her weekly spelling tests. Her reading fluency had improved by 20 words per minute and she had passed the subtraction and addition tests and had moved onto multiplication.

By the end of the year, Guadalupe’s report card reflected a basic to proficient understanding in all language arts and math grading categories. In addition to improved grades, Guadalupe’s teacher also noted that she had more confidence and understanding of English as well as increased class participation. Guadalupe will begin fourth grade next year on time. She is attending summer school and continues to attend the YEEP program in order to work on her academic progress.

Teacher with Guadalupe and Friends

In addition to the 40 K-12 youth served at the Carpinteria Camper Park, YEEP also serves 300 K-12 youth at one other PSHH site on the South Coast and three in North County. Bilingual educators work with these children of low-income households to complete their school work Monday-Friday 2-6 pm in PSHH Education Centers located at our properties.

Also, by including the parents in the academic process, YEEP empowers parents to be involved in their child's academic success. The program has been effective in increasing math and English literacy competencies and in keeping children at their grade level, which helps them graduate from high school and go on to higher education and career opportunities. Enhancement activities offer the children the opportunity to explore art, music and science, and to learn about colleges, universities and career opportunities for the future.

In partnership with Santa Barbara Foundation