The Santa Monica-Malibu Education Foundation (SMMEF) has received a gift of $25,000 from Kaiser Permanente to fund innovative programs at Santa Monica-Malibu public schools. With this gift, Kaiser Permanente joins SMMEF’s growing Corporate Partners program.
“We are delighted to support and enhance the health and well-being of the students, staff and families in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District,” says Georgina Garcia, senior vice president and area manager at West Los Angeles Kaiser Foundation Health Plan & Hospitals. “We care deeply about this vibrant and engaged community, and support the Foundation’s work to ensure that all students thrive and reach their full potential.”
Kaiser Permanente will open a medical office in Santa Monica next spring at Tenth Street and Broadway.
Like all donations to SMMEF, the gift from Kaiser will fund programs for every school in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD). SMMEF-funded staff and programs include arts education for the district’s 4,900 elementary students, 87 instructional assistants, and enrichment grants for all 16 schools in the district.
In line with Kaiser Permanente’s mission to encourage health, many schools use these grants to promote student health through augmented on-campus counseling, health clerks or other wellness programs.
Some schools also use these grants to provide science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) or visual and performing arts programs.
“We are very thankful for Kaiser Permanente’s generous contribution,” said SMMEF Executive Director Linda Greenberg. “Through their donation, Kaiser Permanente is showing their commitment to healthy, vibrant schools and communities. I hope their gift is an inspiration to others to support education in our community.”
For more than 33 years, SMMEF has partnered with businesses to support educational opportunities for students throughout SMMUSD, which serves more than 11,300 students and 8,000 families annually.
SMMEF’s Corporate Partners program is an opportunity for businesses to publically support education in the Santa Monica and Malibu community.
For more information or to donate, visit www.smmef.org.
