Courtnee Hamity President |
Courtnee was excited to join SchoolCARE because she sought a way to make a difference district-wide. SchoolCARE’s ability to restore and fund staff positions solidified her interest in joining the impressive (and fun!) board, especially in the face of State budget cuts for education. Her favorite memory is of joining another board member at an elementary school site to take photos of an art enrichment instructor that SchoolCARE funded. "The classroom teacher’s gratitude for having a creative outlet for her class and the students’ joy in creating their work was like seeing SchoolCARE’s mission in action."
Fun fact: Over 10 years ago, Courtnee had the hard decision of what to wear on her wedding day. She shared that decision and experience with viewers on Say Yes to the Dress, where she did indeed say "yes!" |
Amy Yamashiro
Secretary |
Amy decided SchoolCARE was doing the work in AUSD she wanted most to support - she dropped in to a meeting, they invited her back, and she stuck with it. One of her favorite memories with SchoolCARE is the 2019 AHS Back to School Night (in PERSON!), where she delivered the SchoolCARE message. "I felt like it helped people understand our niche a little better, and was grateful to be able to publicly express appreciation for how much of a difference every single contribution (money AND time AND effort) makes toward helping our public schools provide an excellent experience for our kids."
Fun fact (almost a haiku): I'm one of three (Yamashiro) girls; my husband took my last name; now we have three (Yamashiro) boys! |
Candace Renger
Treasurer |
Albany schools have been so good to her girls and Candace is glad to help with fundraising. "Plus, Yael asked me to help, and who can say no to someone as awesome and hard working as Yael?!" Candace is SchoolCARE's expert Treasurer.
Fun fact: Candace's family hiked the John Muir Trail all together (263 miles with side trips and resupplies) during the 2020 summer of COVID. It was amazing family time just before her oldest daughter started college! |
Michelle Aselstine
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Michelle heard from her Marin core parent friends about the amazing things SchoolCARE was doing for AUSD and saw first hand the impact SchoolCARE was having with her high school students. With young children and working at the high school she wanted to be part of an organization that gives back to students at every level within Albany schools. Michelle's favorite memory of School Care is the SoulCARE event: "Seeing families, staff and the community supporting all of Albany's schools was so much fun. The live band and dancing was a great highlight."
Fun Fact: Michelle is a daughter of the American Revolution born in San Salvador, El Salvador. |
Kat Bliss
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Kat originally got involved with SchoolCARE about 10 years ago helping with the annual Spring brochure drop. A friend was helping organize the effort and it seemed like a fun way to help out with kids in tow. Through the years she has enjoyed supporting various community and donor outreach efforts, and every year has been impressed by and grateful for the amazing support for education in our town!
Fun Fact: Kat is an avid puzzle-solver, and especially loves cooperative puzzle-solving such as escape rooms and puzzlehunts. She is looking forward to participating in her first MIT Mystery Hunt in 2021. |
Yael Bloom
Past President |
Yael got involved in SchoolCARE when her daughter Eliana (AHS '19) was in Kindergarten. She heard a presentation at the PTA meeting and was inspired by the emphasis on an organization that was deeply involved in the education, funding and policy of all AUSD schools. She has coordinated the phonathon & brochure drop and was President of SchoolCARE for 8 years. She was thrilled that we pulled off the 15th anniversary event at Sam’s Log Cabin and loved being presented with an air-plant crown by Anne Marie Sanders.
Fun fact: Yael recently acted as the volunteer responsible for coordinating photos and autographs at a Flip the West fundraising event for David Crosby of (Crosby, Stills and Nash). It was a highlight to talk politics with him! |
Lindsey Burbage
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Joining SchoolCARE through the encouragement of a couple friends on the board has been a highlight of Lindsey’s pandemic dominated year. "It’s been wonderful to be part of such an active organization within the community during this period of social isolation and encouraging to be a part of something making a difference in students’ lives in the midst of so much uncertainty." A highlight was participating in the flyer drop off fundraiser over the summer - it was a great way to support the schools while getting some exercise with her two kids.
Fun fact: One of Lindsey's favorite vacations was a 12 day cross-country road trip with her family when her kids were 2 and 4 years old. Highlights included camping in alpine forests of Utah and on a beach in Virginia, visiting hot springs In Colorado and staying in a haunted Airbnb in Kansas! |
Helene Class
Founding Member |
When AUSD was facing severe cuts, Helene joined other parents in realizing: “If we want to have great schools, we are just going to have to start paying for them!” And so this group of parents began to ask for donations to make up the difference in needed funding. Helene has helped with practically every aspect of SchoolCARE. Helene's favorite memory is of helping in the middle school library at lunch, where many kids go for refuge. Without SchoolCARE there wouldn’t be a library space to go during lunch.
Fun fact: Helene loves teachers. Her parents were both teachers. But she hates speaking in front of crowds. It would terrify her to be a teacher! |
Jodi Raggio
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After being introduced to the amazing work of SchoolCARE and their ability to make things happen, Jodi knew she wanted to contribute. "SchoolCARE is supportive to the district and facilitates our kids getting the most from their education." Her favorite memory was SoulCARE, an event to raise money for our students and teachers and give parents an excuse to dance the night away to the wee hour of 9 PM.
Fun fact: Jodi was a LifeTouch photographer in the late '90's. She may have taken your prom or graduation pictures. |
Zoe Pehrson
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Zoe is a 4th grade teacher at Marin. She loves teaching in Albany- the families, students and fellow staff members make it an amazing community. She first got involved in SchoolCARE through her friendship with Courtnee, current SchoolCARE president, and loves being on the board with brilliant people. Zoe grew up in Richmond and began teaching at the tender age of 21! She has taught in three states: Colorado, Michigan and California. She believes that all students are capable of thriving in school with the support of a loving community and a robust, engaging education.
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Karen Buttwinick
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Karen's dad was a public school teacher and left the public schools to open up an art school for kids with her mom. She felt lucky to be exposed to art and felt it was important to do whatever she could to help Albany students stay engaged in an enriched school environment. SchoolCARE was the right organization for her to fulfill this goal. Karen has led the Needs and Resources committee for most of her SchoolCARE tenure. One of her favorite memories is dancing at the SoulCARE party while friends snaked through the house in a conga line.
Fun fact: Karen chased down the “Big Suited” performer David Byrne from the Talking Heads after his debut of "Stop Making Sense" in Florence, Italy and got him to autograph her ticket after chatting about the “Big” Duomo. |
Grace Xu
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Grace joined the board as an intern curious about the role of SchoolCARE in her community. She had volunteered at previous Spring Brochure drops and had benefited from many SchoolCARE funded positions so she was excited to be able to support SchoolCARE's mission and inform her peers and the community about SchoolCARE's impact.
Fun Fact: Grace is obsessed with cats and has a cute grey cat named Mimi. |
Haadiyah Mohammed
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Haadiyah joined SchoolCARE after seeing the impact at Albany High School, and was curious if there was anything she could do to give back. Haadiyah has experienced firsthand the lack of funding and changes at her previous highschool, so she was thankful to see SchoolCARE's steadfast support, and decided she also wanted to take a part in bringing about change in her community.
Fun Fact: Haadiyah loves reading and learning old literature, especially in her mother tongue Urdu. |
Isabel Louie
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Isabel joined SchoolCARE after being recommended by another intern, and right away was drawn in even more by how deeply SchoolCARE funding and support went in Albany. She enjoys contributing every small action that she can to help SchoolCARE's goals, but especially loves being able to make creative visuals to accompany outreach to the community. She's happy to play even a little part in SchoolCARE's impact on Albany and its families.
Fun fact: Isabel loves little trinkets and stuffed animals, especially finding them at estate sales or small shops! |
Board President: Courtnee Hamity |
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