As we approach the first anniversary of my appointment as president and CEO of the Scholarship Foundation, I feel it would be a good time to take stock of our progress as an organization as well as our accomplishments on behalf of the community. My appointment was effective August 14, 2023, just as the Foundation was gearing up for a new scholarship application cycle. The intervening months have not been without challenges, but time and again the team has shown itself to be both resilient and adaptable. I am very proud of what we have accomplished together!
First and foremost, I would like to highlight our core programmatic efforts. In May, we awarded scholarships totaling more than $7.1 million to 1,787 students throughout the county. Extraordinary though these figures are, they don’t fully capture all that we achieved, however. As students, parents, and educators nationwide know all too well, the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA has been beset with problems, giving rise to a scholarship application process marked by confusion, delays, and heightened anxiety. Our program advisors rose to the occasion, guiding applicants and families through the morass. They shined throughout the year!
We’re coming off a very successful events season that saw the organization celebrate this year’s scholarship recipients as well as many of our supporters. Capping it off, this year’s South Coast Business & Technology Awards ceremony in June grossed record proceeds on behalf of the Scholarship Foundation – the second time in as many years!
And as if all that weren’t enough, we’re now in the midst of a strategic planning process that will inform Foundation operations for years to come. Stay tuned for details on that.
In short, it has been an eventful and inspiring year. To my staff and the Board of Directors, my sincere thanks for your hard work and support. To our many advocates in the community, I remain humbled by your generosity and compassion.
Please know that I am deeply grateful for the warm welcome and touching words of encouragement I have received from our community of supporters over the last year. They continue to sustain me in more ways than I can recount.
I am very excited to see what the future will bring, and eagerly look forward to another great year of transforming lives at the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara!