Santa Barbara Education Foundation Event Raises Hope for Local Students

Although the past year has been challenging for students, the Santa Barbara Education Foundation is finding a lot to celebrate. The organization has worked diligently to provide Santa Barbara Unified School District students with the essentials for academic success. With a growing list of needs for students like internet access, food, and even jackets to keep students warm with new safety protocols that create cold and drafty classroom environments, SBEF has not had much time to plan parties.

However, on Thursday, April 29, the Santa Barbara Education Foundation will host the Hope Awards to shine its light on individuals and programs making strides for students in the Santa Barbara Unified School District.

The online gathering will honor Craig Price and Nick Rail for their long-time support of local students and features a silent auction, mystery wine pull, and performances by the Dos Pueblos High School Jazz Band. Although the Hope Awards’ long-awaited return promises to be a celebration for the community, the event’s goal is to raise critical funds for the Santa Barbara Education Foundation to continue making a positive impact on SB Unified student outcomes.

Honoree Craig Price is a well-known lawyer for his work in providing counsel in education law and has been a strong supporter of public education. Being on SBEF’s Board of Directors for nine years and notably serving as its president for two of those years, Craig has continuously displayed leadership that helps better enable the organization to assist youth with their educational endeavors across Santa Barbara. With his vision and influence, SBEF expanded to include even more programs to serve all students in the 19 schools making up the Santa Barbara Unified School District. Setting the groundwork for further support in public education, Craig played an instrumental role in growing the organization to make certain that students are not only prepared for their future education and careers but also that they will live a “happy and satisfied life.”

SBEF’s second honoree, Nick Rail, is commonly known within the organization as the founder of the Summer Band Camp, which provides an enriching and affordable summer music experience for youth. Nick is also the founder of Nick Rail Music – a network of stores serving as the premier school music dealer for Southern California. Remarkably, Nick Rail Music has been a long-time partner with SBEF to provide new instruments valued in excess of $100,000 to Santa Barbara public school music programs. The philanthropic efforts of Mr. Rail follow his desire to give students the opportunity to study music with low-cost registration and high-quality instruction. In Nick’s eyes, “music education creates an important balance between creative expression and traditional academics, making every student deserving of such opportunities.”

Please join this free virtual event on Thursday, April 29, at 4:00 pm. To RSVP, please visit sbefoundation.org/hope-awards.