Ohlone Gets Tools 4 Schools Donation

Students and staff of received a generous donation of much needed school supplies on Wednesday. Ohlone is one of several local schools to receive $10,000 worth of supplies from the international fundraiser Tools 4 Schools.

“This shows that communities do care about their schools,” said Ohlone principal Liz Lonsdale, who spent a good portion of the following day dividing the materials between the different classes. “That to me is what’s so wonderful. I don’t know the names of the individual donors and I don’t know how to thank them, but it all whittles down to the individuals.”

The supplies, which included whiteboard erasers, pencils, paper, highlighters, crayons, markers, construction paper and more, were delivered to the school by realtor Gayle Threets, a principle organizer and host committee member of Tools 4 Schools who has pledged to donate a portion of his real estate commission to education and community activities in Hercules.

“Because of the budget cuts across the state we do a fundraiser every year around Christmas,” said Ceara Threets, who works with her husband on their real estate and philanthropic ventures. “Ohlone was one of the schools that was impacted, so we chose it.”

Since it is not a Title I school (meaning 40 percent of the student population does not qualify for a federally based free and reduced lunch program), Ohlone is limited in its state funding for school supplies. There are also regulations about how much money can be donated to the school for this purpose.

Tools 4 Schools was able to intervene by raising $10,000 for 10 schools around the Bay Area, and one in the Philippines. More importantly, the strategic placement of nearly 30 “drop off” boxes around the Bay Area was able to garner several of the supplies, while the rest were purchased.

“This helps to put two children through the public school system,” said Jess Bart-Williams, whose daughter is a first grader at Ohlone.

The funds were raised in a number of creative ways, including online through the help of social media such as Facebook, as well as through staged events in various eateries throughout the greater Bay Area. The campaign began in November and reached its allotted target in mid-January.

“We handed out fliers in different neighborhoods and at schools,” Threets said. “We converted the monetary donations to purchase supplies, and then divided them up at a warehouse before delivering them.”

 Other beneficiaries of Tools 4 Schools include Nystrom Elementary in Richmond, George Washington Carver in San Francisco, and ACE Charter School in San Jose, as well as others in Oakland, South San Francisco, and Camarines Norte, Philippines. Gayle Threets can be reached at www.besteastbayrealestate.com.