The ever-popular downtown eatery Akasha was filled with supporters of the Culver City Education Foundation on the morning of Tuesday, Nov. 13 for the 16th Annual Benefactors Breakfast. People from all parts of the community came together to applaud the work of the CCEF in fundraising for the schools and giving another push to the “All for 1” campaign currently underway. CCEF gave $343,443 to our local schools over the last year in support of the arts, math, science, technology and literacy.
President Marci Shulman welcomed the crowd, and School District Superintendent David LaRose offered some witty remarks about how to define a benefactor.
“When I looked it up on Google this morning,” LaRose smiled over the podium, ” the definition of benefactor has some obvious definitions…protector was one that I was surprised to see. As the community comes together to support our children’s education, protection is one of the things we need to offer them. We are so grateful that CCEF is here to help us to help our students to learn.”
Every school had it’s own business benefactor to applaud, in addition to the major donors , Sony Pictures Entertainment and the Fineschriber Family Foundation.
Schulman offered “By virtually every quantifiable measure, the Culver City schools are raising the bar in academics, the arts and athletics. For over thirty years, the CCEF has been a part of these success stories.”
A new video was shown (after some small amount of technical difficulties) featuring the Front and Center Theater collective, showcasing the success of We Tell Stores, The Actors Gang, Center Theater Group, and the newly added 24th Street Theater with the students in make up and costume, creativity bubbling merrily out of the frame.
The end of the breakfast was a warm round of applause for all the supporters, and the organization that gives to our students and our schools.
The benefactors who got a round of applause included-
Jaime Edell Naylor – Surplus Store
Mike Eskridge – Culver City Flower Shop
Craig Ferré – CFP Studios
Greg Finnin – Applied Logic
Elliot Heffler — Eagle Sports
Dennis Hollingdrake – Courtyard by Marriott
Paul LaRocco – La Rocco’s Pizza
Linda Likins – Devereux Center For Resilient Children
Traverse Stamps – The Clare Foundation
You can contribute to the “All for 1” program by clicking CCEF90230.org
CCEF remains the ONLY entity in Culver City that does not set boundaries nor does it individualize school sites when it comes to support. Each and every school site and program within the school district has an even shot at and receives monetary support.
For the past 28 years I have hoped the CCEF would go away! I say this because I was always hoping our schools would somehow, through the state’s efforts, fund schools at pre-Prop 13 levels. Sadly, funding gotten worse over the years, not better.
If families had to choose only one entity in Culver City to give money to it should be the CCEF, and this is coming from me, a president of another non-profit organization in our fantastic, caring and involved community.