Shoes for Students is a non-profit organization supported and operated by the Santa Maria Association of REALTORS.The purpose of Shoes for Students is to raise funds to purchase shoes and warm clothing for elementary and middle school students who do not have these essential articles of clothing.
Due to the generosity of the members of this community we have been able to expand the program to include, in addition to shoes and sweatshirts, musical instruments for the local school districts music programs, scholarships for high school graduates and assistance with book purchases.
All funds are raised through voluntary donations, primarily from real estate agents and members of affiliated professions (lenders, escrow and title companies, etc.).We have also received donations from local service organizations and the general public.
Shoes for Students has been in existence since the fall of 1998 and since that time we have assisted over 2,000 students. We have purchased over $40,000 in musical instruments for local schools, so that no student has to forego music education due to lack of finances. We fund scholarships for deserving high school seniors, so that they may pursue their college and career goals.
Our 5th fundraiser, held in August of 2005, raised over $40,000 for Shoes for Students! Please help us exceed that amount this year --- remember, this is for the children of the Santa Maria Valley!
The Santa Maria Association of REALTORS had our 6th annual fundraiser on Sunday, August 27, 2006at the Cypress Ridge Golf Course in Arroyo Grande! It was a day filled with fun, golf, dinner and an auction, with all proceeds benefiting the children of our community. We raised over $40,000, and we're already looking forward to next year!
Our 2007 event was again held at Cypress Ridge, and this year we raised nearly $40,000 for the children of the Santa Maria Valley!
In 2008, due to the economy, we had only the golf tournament (again, at Cypress Ridge) and dinner. Still, we netted$20,000for the children of the Santa Maria Valley.
Our 2009 Golf Tournament, Dinner and Auction was held at Cypress Ridge, and a great time was had by all! It was a typically gorgeous Central Coast day, and over 120 golfers enjoyed the scramble tournament, followed by a delicious tri-tip BBQ dinner at the Cypress Ridge Pavillion. We had a silent auction featurning items ranging from theater tickets to Harley Davidson gear, and after dinner, the most fun of all --- auctioneer Tony Gonzales raising the level of excited bidding as each item was auctioned off! I had the winning bid on a brand new "netbook", which is basically a small laptop computer --- perfect for taking to the many meetings I go to, as it fits right into a purse! All the agents at my office, Prudential California Realty, donated to purchase the netbook for the autcion --- and I got to be the lucky owner of it.
It is SO rewarding --- I would have bought the netbook at some point anyway, but this way, the money ALL went to our great local charity, Shoes for Students!
