On Dec. 17, the employees of the Santa Maria-Bonita School District Office came together to award more than $12,600 they had raised over the past four weeks for various local charities. The third annual fundraising Reindeer Games, as they are known, culminated in a luncheon where representatives from the nonprofits were invited to receive the donations and celebrate the season of giving.
Each department at the district office raised money for a chosen charity organization, including the Junior Blind Olympics, CASA, the Mission Hope Cancer Center, Domestic Violence Solutions, and Honor Flight of the Central Coast. Three of the district office departments raised money for the family of Elijah Olivas, a Tunnell School student who was severely injured in a car accident in October. The fundraising events included raffles, bake sales, a silent auction, food sales, and other activities. The total raised was nearly $13,000.
In three years, the employees of the SMBSD district office have raised nearly $32,000 for local charitable organizations, according to district Public Information Officer Maggie White.
In addition to the district office’s fundraising activities, Fairlawn School held its fall Pennies for Patients drive. The students and staff raised $3,692 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, White said.
This article appears in Jan 7-14, 2016.