We had an unforgettable evening at the Hope Awards, where we celebrated local champions of public education. We honored the late Margie Yahyavi, former SBEF Executive Director, and the Children’s Creative Project for their outstanding contributions to the students in our community. The evening began with a reception at the beautiful Santa Barbara Historical Museum, featuring inspiring student performances, curated bites, and delightful libations. The event highlighted the impact of teachers in our community, with proceeds from the evening supporting our popular Teacher Grants and Student Grants programs.
Santa Barbara Historical Museum
136 E De La Guerra St, Santa Barbara, CA
SEE PHOTOS FROM THE 2025 HOPE AWARDS
Honorees
Margie Yahyavi
Margie Yahyavi’s legacy is one of vision, dedication, and profound impact on public education in Santa Barbara. As Executive Director of the Santa Barbara Education Foundation (SBEF) from 2010 to 2022, she transformed the organization from a small nonprofit with a $300,000 budget into a thriving force for local schools, overseeing ten signature programs and 14 fiscally sponsored initiatives with a $2.5 million annual budget. Margie’s leadership helped secure funding for literacy intervention, teacher grants, and vital emergency support for students during the pandemic. Though she retired, her passion for education never wavered, and she remained a beloved presence at SBEF events and a powerful advocate of public education. Her legacy of collaboration and commitment continues to inspire and uplift our community.
Children’s Creative Project
For 50 years, the Children’s Creative Project (CCP) has been igniting imaginations and transforming lives through the power of the arts. As a nonprofit program of the Santa Barbara County Education Office, CCP ensures that every student, from preschool through grade 12, has access to high-quality arts experiences. Through programs like the Resident Artist Division and Touring Artist Program, CCP brings professional artists into classrooms, sparking creativity and enriching education. Their signature event, the I Madonnari Street Painting Festival, raises critical funds to keep arts education thriving. CCP’s deep commitment to community engagement shines through partnerships with Kids at the Bowl, Pianos on State, the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara, and South Coast Kids Create, reaching over 50,000 students across the region.
Emcee
Rick Lashua
Rich Lashua is a dynamic educator and passionate arts advocate, bringing creativity and inspiration to Santa Barbara Junior High School for 14 years. Originally from the Bay Area, he came to UC Santa Barbara, fell in love with the Central Coast, and never looked back. Rich pioneered a Theatre/English hybrid for Emerging Multilingual Learners, achieving an 80% reclassification rate in its first year. He also coaches the school marching band’s drumline and regularly takes students to live performances. In 2025, he was honored as the Santa Barbara County Bowl Performing Arts Teacher of the Year.
Proceeds from the event's paddle raise will benefit our Teacher Grants and Student Grants programs.
About Teacher Grants
Santa Barbara Education Foundation funds grants once a year to support the purchase of much-needed, project-based supplies and tools and to encourage the development of innovative teaching in the Santa Barbara Unified School District through adopting new technologies, instructional tools, and field trips. Since 2018, the Santa Barbara Education Foundation has offered SB Unified teachers grants of between $500 and $10,000 to promote innovative teaching and purchase classroom supplies. With this grant cycle completed, SBEF has awarded over $888,000 to teachers over the past seven years.
With the support of donors like you, we awarded a record-breaking $203,000 in grants to Santa Barbara Unified School District teachers for the 2024-25 school year!
About Student Grants
Taking note of the success of Teacher Grants, SBEF has launched a new grant program designed specifically for Santa Barbara Unified high school students. Grants totaling $5,000 were awarded for student-managed projects enriching the academic, artistic, and personal development of their fellow students. The goal of Students Grants is to empower high school students to identify needs on their campuses and create solutions to solve them while introducing youth to the grant writing process and working with nonprofits. We can’t wait to see what the next generation of Santa Barbara leaders will do!
SPONSORED BY
Pedro & Whitney Paz
WITH PARTICIPATION FROM
About the Santa Barbara Education Foundation
Since 1985, the Santa Barbara Education Foundation has worked with community partners to strengthen the educational experience of ALL students in the Santa Barbara Unified School District. SBEF has raised funds to:
- Support at-risk students
- Ensure equal access to quality education
- Support art & music education
- Provide instruments
- Offer summer school
SBEF believes that great schools have long-lasting effects on students and the community. Our goal is to continue to elevate the quality of public schools in our community.