Wells Fargo Donates $10,000 to San Leandro Schools

With East Bay schools facing unprecedented budget challenges, Wells Fargo is stepping up to lend a helping hand.

At a special gifting ceremony at the Alameda County Office of Education in Hayward on Friday, team members of the San Francisco-based bank presented educators from 13 school districts—including one from Santa Clara County—a sum of $250,000 to help fund various educational needs and programs.

The bank contributed $10,000 to the San Leandro Education Foundation, and $15,000 to the .

“I know that the contribution that we’re making is the right thing, and it will help many of the school districts go a long way in some of the programs that they need to support,” said Micky Randhawa, Wells Fargo’s East Bay Market Regional President.

Donations to school districts and education foundations are as follows:

• Alameda Education Foundation: $15,000
• Berkeley Public Education Foundation: $15,000
• Castro Valley Educational Foundation: $20,000
• Fremont Education Foundation: $40,000
• Hayward Education Foundation: $20,000
• Milpitas Community Education Endowment (MCEE): $20,000
• New Haven Schools Foundation (Union City): $10,000
• Newark Unified School District: $20,000
• Oakland Schools Foundation (OSF): $50,000
• Piedmont Educational Foundation: $10,000
• San Leandro Education Foundation: $10,000
• San Lorenzo Unified School District: $15,000
• Emery Ed Fund receiving $5,000

“We’re fairly newly formed, so this is such a wonderful gift to get recognized,” said Deborah Cox, President of the San Leandro Education Foundation, which was founded in 2008 to mobilize resources for local public schools.

“We’re going to be touching the lives of 8,800 kids.”

Cindy Cathey, Superintendent of the San Leandro Unified School District, said in an email that getting the money "was an exciting moment."  

"It's not every day that someone gives you a check for $10,000."

During pre-ceremony gatherings, many award recipients were seen discussing budget cuts to California schools. Wells Fargo, Randhawa emphasized, is doing everything it can to ease the burden on school districts that have been hard hit by deep cuts to education.

In all, the bank has donated more than $826,000 to support education across nine Northern California counties.

“This money whittles down the shortfall,” said Ed Mullens, immediate past president of the Hayward Education Foundation. “We had a lot of grants that we could not fund, and this represents a whittling of that down by one-third.”

During the gifting ceremony, representatives from each school district or education foundation were presented a check. They then shared a few thoughts—some in greater detail—on how the money will impact their district.

Some donations to San Lorenzo Unified will go toward the city’s scholarship foundation.

In Newark, district Superintendent Kevin Harrigan said, "we’ve actually used these funds historically to support instrumental music in the elementary and middle schools, as well as [providing] opportunities for students to go to science camp because we have a hands-on science program.

"And all of our students for a week go to a hands-on science program, so we’re very grateful.”

In the South Bay, according to MCEE President and CEO Robert Jung, funds awarded to Milpitas will help minimize budget cuts there.

In Oakland, according to OSF Executive Director Dan Quigley, the $50,000 awarded to his foundation will help staff raise money for the city’s schools. But he also revealed something more significant.

“For every dollar we get donated like this, we’re able to raise at least $5 for [Oakland] schools from other donors, foundations and elsewhere.”

At the ceremony, Randhawa from Wells Fargo mentioned a program that let's bank customers also help out schools. Every customer that refinances a mortgage with the bank can choose to give $300 of the freed-up money to a school of his or her choice.

“Can you imagine the population in Alameda County? And you see how many people refinance their mortgages?” asked Randhawa of Friday’s crowd. “The [donation] number just multiplies significantly.”