MALIBU—Malibu Elementary School PTA announced on Saturday, August 8 that Malibu Foundation has given Malibu Elementary School and Webster Elementary School a subsidy to fill the fundraising gap of their SOS Campaign to continue their STEM program.
According to Malibu and Webster Elementary PTAs, the two schools lack $275,000 for the 2020-2021 school year. Due to the shortage in centralized fundraising for Malibu schools, the schools were about to lose instructional aides and arts & tech programs for the upcoming year. They indicated students might lose some instructional aides, P.S. ARTS programs, and Planet Bravo computer lab currently in place.
Aiming to improve the situation, Malibu Elementary PTA posted on Facebook on July 24, announcing about an online auction from July 24 to 30: “Our online action is live! All proceeds benefit Webster & Malibu Elementary’s SOS Campaign: Save Our Aides, Arts, and Tech!” In that post, they noted the amount they collected by July 30 would determine the school programs of the upcoming year.
They conducted SOS Campaign, where individuals could select a $50, $150, $350 or $500 donation. They called for donations with the comment “Our beloved Teacher’s Aides, PS Arts and other programs are at risk of being significantly affected!!”
After the online auction the SOS Campaign, the schools still had to fill the fundraising gap. On August 6, Malibu Foundation announced their support to the schools on Facebook: “We love our community, and we are more than happy to help the SMMUSD PTA with fall programming for their students.”
Malibu Elementary School PTA posted on Facebook on August 8 their gratitude for Malibu Foundation’s support.
“Without Malibu Foundation’s tremendous generosity and support, our students would not have access to…We are honored for the opportunity to form a partnership with the Malibu Foundation to enhance our students’ learning experience during this difficult time.”
According to Patch, the schools raised $16,440 from the online auction, $20,822 from direct donations, and $159,096.10 from the Malibu Foundation.
