The WiSH Education Foundation is proud to announce that it has raised over $50,000 in funding for Santa Clarita public school libraries. The funding will affect all students in grades 7-12, nearly 23,000 students. Every single school in the district, including Bowman and Sequoia, will receive funding.

“District librarians came to WiSH over a year ago to alert us to the fact that they have not received state funding since 2008,” says WiSH Executive Director Amy Daniels. “We were surprised but not shocked; state funding simply does not meet need and that’s why our foundation is so important. Our goal is to get students the tools they need for success. The libraries are an integral part of that.”

Originally, the kickoff for the library fundraiser was set for September of 2017. Due to a series of disasters here and around the world, supporting dollars went elsewhere, which the Board of Directors understood. According to Richard Cohn, Chairman of the WiSH Board, “With so many people in need, we absolutely recognize that discretionary income goes to other deserving recipients. We decided as a board that the libraries were important for our young people and instead kept the funding program open for at least another year.”

Funding came from several sources, including the very generous SCV Chili Cookoff and a new Jersey Mike’s store opening. WiSH also received grants from Reading is the Way UP, City National Bank and the LA Clippers Foundation. While they have raised over $50,000, much more is needed to replenish the libraries. With that in mind, WiSH still has about $70,000 in outstanding grants related to the program with high hopes that they will be funded.

Vice Chairman Lynne Secrest says, “When we saw the state of some of the books on our library shelves, we knew we had to make a difference – not just in replacing the most loved titles but getting updated, modern subject matter available to our students. Reading is absolutely essential to academic growth. The libraries in our district are crowded with students from before school until after school ends.”

WiSH needs your support. Please contact Executive Director Amy Daniels at WiSH@hartdistrict.org or 661-799-9474 for donation and sponsorship information, or go to www.wishscv.org to make your donation today.