Dear REF Community,

When you make a donation to the REF Annual Campaign, you are directly impacting the lives of 1500 amazing students and 350 dedicated educators in East Palo Alto and eastern Menlo Park. 

One of these amazing students is Angel. 

Angel is in 4th grade in Mr. Reising’s class at Costaño School of the Arts. His mom Marcia shares “My son is always excited about school and that makes me really happy. He is growing up so fast. It makes me tear up - he is excited about his teachers, his friends, going to the after school program. All his teachers, starting in kindergarten with Mr. G, made a great impact in his life.”

In addition to his emerging academic focus, Angel is a passionate participant in the district’s robust REF-funded music program. He attends class weekly with music teacher Dominic Samuels and relishes the opportunity to perform in the school’s annual musicals. 

When Marcia registered Angel for school, she explained to the district registrar, Adriana Vasquez, that she was struggling financially. Adriana was able to quickly provide Marcia with a gift card funded by REF for immediate assistance as well as connect her with other resources for longer-term support. “I was struggling buying groceries, but God works in mysterious ways. I will never forget. It was a Safeway card. People would say ‘No es mucho’, pero para mi, si lo fue. God was good to me, so I try my best to give back. When I see that people are struggling. I try my best to give back and teach Angel to help others in need.”

Jenna Wachtel Pronovost

Executive Director