The San Diego Urban Corps Charter HS Fundraiser

The students of Urban Corps of San Diego County are given a place to rebuild, rebrand, and reclaim their future. This unique program, which provides a setting for young adults aged 18-26 to return to school, complete their education, and receive real-world job training, ultimately offers a second chance. Some of our participants originally dropped out of high school due to circumstances they were unprepared for, or beyond their control; some are refugees, some were raised in abusive homes, and some have aged out of the foster care system. These students work hard, and they are guided by a team of supremely talented and compassionate teachers and staff who deeply care for them. 

I joined Urban Corps in August 2021, and have the privilege of working directly with these students every week. This fundraising page and a subsequent eBay auction fundraiser to follow will create new and immediately impactful opportunities for our students. We raised  hundreds before this link went live, and I thank all of our generous donors to date. Our goal is now to raise $15,000. 

Our amazing students will have full control over how this money is spent, whether it goes to scholarships, post-graduation grants, better food or much needed classroom equipment. They are individuals who come to Urban Corps with a variety of stories and backgrounds, and they deserve the dignity that comes with making choices and stating what they most need. Funds raised will provide new opportunities to help these young adults flourish in their next phase of life, as well as their graduation luncheon!

In addition to this page, auction items will be posted to eBay in December, and will include memorabilia from the Phoenix Suns, and bands like Green Day, Everclear, Prima Donna, and Blondie, as well as a few comedians to be named. Please be on the lookout for updates!

Below is an email sent to me and other new hires by Dan Thomas, Executive Director on my first day of work at San Diego Urban Corps Charter High School. Please remember, we are your dollar. This organization means the world to me and I am hoping we can cause a chain reaction of goodness with this fundraiser. This is possible if we all pull together. 

 

I hope that your experience here might inspire you to become teachers.  The need for great teachers is greater now than ever before.  

 

Each one of our students has a story as to why their high school education was interrupted.  When you peel those stories back you will invariably find where somewhere along the line they were failed by school systems, governments, adult role models and/or just born into circumstances that makes their journeys more difficult.  There will be times when you will need to reflect on these hardships they have faced in order to have patience and understanding. I always ask staff, first and foremost, to be kind to our students. The world has already kicked most of them pretty hard. Therefore, our kindness, compassion, genuine care, and support is paramount.

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I will share everything I can with my students in the present, and hope to have so much more to offer these students after earning my Master of Teaching from Cal State-East Bay, which I will begin attending this summer! (What!? Yes, grad school is on my horizon.)

In the meantime I am looking to build community around these students. Please consider being part of that community and donating. These students have been hit hard by forces outside their control, and attendance has decreased with the ongoing pandemic . We are hurting. Help us heal!

As a bonus, here’s the pandemic-inspired song “Pollyanna” by none other than Green Day. I’d like THIS to be the official song of this fundraiser. Prestige Worldwide fundraisers always have an official song, and this is the one that fits best as we move toward better days.

 

 

A special thanks goes out to the SD Urban Corps teachers, staff, and administration for their support.  Additional special thanks goes to Tiffany Rajski, Helena  McLaughlin and Dan Thomas for hiring me to their team and allowing this fundraiser to happen, and to some of these epic, inspiring teachers:

Mr. Jamal Abedin (English Learning as a Second Language-aka ELD)

Ms. Lisa Shiroma (U.S. History, World History, Visual Arts)

Mr. Edward Hanna (Pre-Algebra, Algebra and anything math)

Ms. Eden Gonzalez (Life Skills, and everything science)

Mr. Josh Brisby (Former Life Skills, CAB, and Health)

Mr. Lovato (He is one of the most tenured teachers we have here at SD Urban Corps)

Cecilia Villatoro (English studies and advanced ELD)

"If young people come to us from strong, healthy, functioning families, it makes our job easier. If they do not come to us from strong, healthy, functioning families, it makes our job more important." 

~ Barbara Coloroso, author                                                                                                                                              

 Thank you so very much and please consider sharing this fundraiser on your social media pages if you can. 

gofundme.com/f/the-san-diego-urban-corps-charter-hs-fundraiser

Written by Prestige Worldwide Fundraisers, edited by the great China Bialos and Rachel Burdman, and inspired by the lives of Sean Robins, Kris Kaufer, and Chris Ramirez—good friends of mine gone but never forgotten.