This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

An Update from the Alameda Education Foundation

Alameda Education Foundation president Bill Sonneman reflects on the work the community does to support Alameda's public schools.

School may not have been in session the last few months, but the (AEF) and the Alameda community have been very busy with events and activities supporting the AEF mission of Supporting Student Success! 

School Supply Drive

All summer long AEF has been collecting school supplies for needy students with a goal of collecting 880 backpacks filled with essential school supplies. AEF also collected musical instruments as part of our School Supply Drive.

Find out what's happening in Alamedawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Shop for School, Shop 4 Education

Back to school often means shopping and AEF has many wonderful shopping opportunities for you, all of which benefit Alameda public schools. Need a stylish handbag? Want to learn how to ensure your child eats a healthy lunch? Looking to refinance your mortgage or perhaps even purchase a home? Then check our Shop 4 Education Marketplace to learn about all sorts of different shopping opportunities, all of which benefit AEF support of Alameda public schools.  

Find out what's happening in Alamedawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Thank you to Lilac Boutique for supporting AEF with its Hobo handbag trunk sale on Aug. 25. Coming soon is the launch of Lunch Wars, a book about healthy school lunches, at Books Inc. on Sept. 22, which will also benefit AEF. Who knew shopping could be so philanthropic?

Summer Heroes

AEF Boardmember Diana Kenney has been a real school hero this summer, leading an extreme makeover for . Diana and well over a hundred volunteers — mostly students — spent the summer transforming the campus into a beautiful outside environment that will enhance Jet pride and student learning. You can read the  on The Patch! Thank you, Diana! You make us all proud.

Summer Thank Yous

Many of our local businesses are also heroes for their work on behalf of Alameda schools. Thank you to the Alameda Theatre and Cineplex for hosting the for children, the proceeds of which were donated to AEF. Thank you to Daisy’s and Bank of Alameda for helping with this fundraiser by serving as ticket outlets.

Thank you Kirk Cowan and the Harbor Bay Club for hosting the kick-off event for All Together Now on July 3.  This event raised vital funds for music, art and drama in our schools.

Thank you Alameda Municipal Power (AMP) for partnering with us on Power Up 4 Learning, which enables AMP customers to support Alameda schools via their utility bill. Thanks to this program, AEF recently received over $8,000, which will be used directly for teacher support through AEF’s Teacher Mini-Grant program.

Thank you to Alameda Girl Scout Troop 31532 for partnering with AEF on the School Supply Drive and to Alameda South Shore Center for hosting a booth for the drive during their concert series this summer and to Peter’s Kettle Corn for donating proceeds from popcorn sells to this important cause. Many, many businesses have participated in the School Supply Drive by hosting donation bins. Please click here for a complete list of these generous businesses and organizations!

Save the Dates

As fall approaches, please mark your calendars for these fun fundraising events:

  • Sept. 22 - Lunch Wars book launch, Books Inc. - 7 p.m.
  • Oct. 16 - Pirates in Paradise, a day of fun-filled waterfront activities for the whole family - Bridgeside (Nob Hill) Shopping Center, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
  • Nov. 10 - All Together Now 2011, our annual benefit support music, art and drama in Alameda public schools, featuring The Sun Kings and Alameda student musicians at the Alameda Historic Theatre, 6:30 p.m. - 10 p.m. Tickets on sale now on the AEF web site.

We welcome you to check out AEF's website to learn more about the work we do, upcoming events and, of course, those philanthropic shopping opportunities!

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?