Our Stories

Volunteer Spotlights
National Volunteer Week 2020

National Volunteer Week 2020 feels particularly important this year. It gives us an opportunity to celebrate the compassion and generosity of so many of you in our community. Our volunteers stand beside PUSD food service workers providing meals to make sure our students won’t go hungry, they tend to our school-community gardens, read to our students, serve as youth leaders and mentors, contribute to our board and committees, share our stories, and so much more.

All week we honored our volunteers by sharing their stories and the impact they have had on our school community.

Our heartfelt thanks to the many community members who jump in every year as volunteers, partners, and donors. Your support today—and moving forward—is key to the success of our public schools.

We hope you will enjoy reading these stories.

Sylvia Vega | PUSD Certified Realtor

Our spotlight series began with a local realtor and volunteer extraordinaire, Sylvia Vega, who together with our other volunteers, has so far helped distribute more than 60,000 meals to PUSD students. Ms. Vega is also a PUSD Certified Realtor who volunteers on multiple campuses throughout our community.
[Read full story]

Val Zavala | Video PUSD Grab & Go Meals

Our friend, anchor, producer and award-winning journalist, Val Zavala volunteered with the Pasadena Educational Foundation to help hand out free grab and go meals to our Pasadena Unified School District families. Meals are available on 7 campuses throughout the district Mon-Friday and provided by the City of Pasadena on Saturday and Sunday. Val took us on a little video tour at our Wilson Middle School meal delivery site.
[Watch video]

Felita Kealing | PEF Board President

PEF’s current Board of Director’s President, Felita Kealing, embodies the passionate and community-driven spirit of the board she chairs. The entire Kealing family has gotten involved with PEF, too; while Mrs. Kealing has devoted countless hours volunteering for PEF, her husband Michael also lent a hand with last year’s chess tournament and both their sons, Miles and Preston, are Summer Youth Leader Volunteers. Thank you Felita for your volunteerism and leadership and thank you to the whole Kealing family. [Read full story]

Community Groups

We feel very fortunate so many volunteer groups have taken a seat alongside Pasadena Educational Foundation. We’ve witnessed firsthand their commitment to others and quiet leadership. Without fanfare, these giants have done things big and small for our school community – and have done them well. It matters… and we are incredibly thankful.
[Read full story]

Sylvio Montoya | Parent Volunteer

Meet our longtime volunteer Sylvio Montoya. Currently, the Pasadena Unified School District and PEF community are sure to see Mr. Montoya’s smile while driving in to pick up their grab-and-go meals, and his is a friendly, familiar, and reassuring face for many. Mr. Montoya “wants everyone involved with the grab-and-go meals – from the cafeteria folks, to other volunteers, to the organizers at PEF – to know that they are doing wonderful work and that he appreciates them.” And we so appreciate him!
[Read full story]