Davis Schools Foundation hosts new community event in support of local schools
With the end of Davis’ prolonged summer heat comes weather better suited for outdoor events — especially in celebration of fall festivities. Recognized for its love of bikes, Davis is also known for its love of community. From weekly farmer’s markets to larger events like Picnic Day, the city constantly finds ways to bring everyone together. This month, the Davis Schools Foundation is kicking off fall with its first Fall Music Fest in support of the local school district.
The Davis Schools Foundation is bringing two musical groups to the mini festival: One Eyed Reilly and Element Brass Band. Additionally, the event will provide food and drinks from Sudwerk Brewing Co. and Buckhorn BBQ Food Truck.
The vice president of the Davis Schools Foundation, Ryan Davis, wants the event to inform the community about the organization, but also to gain support for its local schools.
“We’re putting on this event to basically get the word out that our organization exists and to connect with the community and raise a little bit of money. We’re inviting all members of the community who want to support our schools. This is the first year we’re going to have this event,” Davis said. “We’re looking forward to seeing families with students in schools attending the event in support of our school district. We hope that UC Davis students will also come, because they have direct connection with the community as well. I think it would be great for them to support our schools.”
With each ticket purchase, fifty percent of the proceeds will be donated to the school PTA of your choice or to the Davis Schools Foundation, where they will allocate the money toward their main areas of focus. Beth McMullen from the Davis Schools Foundation believes that the organization’s three pillars of funding — technology, counseling, and instructional aid — are the keys to enhancing education.
“We’ve been giving grants to put in computer labs into the school. We also support counseling and have been contributing to the support of counselors at all of our schools. Lastly, we support instructional aid so that kids who are at risk of falling behind are able to get extra support in math and reading. These are our three areas of focus right now,” McMullen said. “I think money is the biggest problem with California schools and underlies all the problems that we’re having. I think what the Davis School Foundation can do is to identify the areas where our dollars are going to benefit most. Part of this event is that there’s a social aspect to it. You’re bringing together people who either have kids in schools or have kids in college, but everyone supporting the event wants to make the schools as good as it can be.”
Miroslava de la O from the Davis Schools Foundation understands the necessity for the school district’s parents and community members to support students in schools. The organization put a lot of time into creating a fun community event where people can share their support for education in Davis.
“We’ve been planning for at least six months, and the idea came from wanting to reintroduce the foundation to the general public and fund for the school district. We thought once everyone gets settled after the new school year begins, this would be a great start for everyone. Like a fun night out where the whole family can come and give back to the schools,” de la O said. “We wanted to bring bands that were local and thought it would be the best fit for the event.”
While in larger city settings, gathering an entire community in support of its school district might pose a difficult task, events like the Fall Music Fest in Davis are possible. Emilie Rodriguez, a third-year English major, says that Davis’ small town feel and love for community is exactly why she loves attending a university in Davis.
“What I love about Davis is that everyone is really friendly,” Rodriguez said. “I think what makes it unique is that it’s a very resilient town. Even when you go to the farmer’s market on Saturday, you see people from different walks of life. I think Davis has all these cool events that puts focus on arts, and everyone supports it. These events are meant to foster welcomeness and family.”
The event will be on Friday, Sept. 29 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Davis Art Center’s outdoor stage. Tickets are available on Eventbrite.
Written by: Becky Lee — arts@theaggie.org
