Riverside Unified School District

The Riverside Unified School District Foundation supports student success by securing resources to enhance Riverside Unified School District’s mission of providing engaging, innovative and equitable learning experiences.

The Riverside Unified School District Foundation supports student success through community engagement. We collaborate with donors, volunteers, and nonprofit organizations to enhance our students’ learning experience and ensure academic, artistic and co-curricular success. Our programs address the needs identified by school staff, and we work with district administration to determine fundraising and program implementation priorities.

For the 2023-2024 school year, these priorities include providing students with additional resources to support transition from Riverside Unified School District (RUSD) to college and career opportunities. Transition to college and career begins long before a student’s high school years. “Without formal career exploration activities, young people from affluent backgrounds may learn about high-wage careers through their families’ networks but young people from families with fewer resources and social capital often don’t get those opportunities.” (Jobs for the Future, Abel, 2022).

The RUSD Foundation needs your help to support these unique needs to achieve student success. You can be a part of helping each student reach their highest potential. Please consider a gift today.

To connect with the RUSD Foundation please contact Knea Hawley at [email protected]

Board of Directors / Trustees:

• Dayne Brassard, CEO Tilden Coil
• Virginia Blumenthal, CEO Blumenthal Law Offices
• Paulette Brown-Hinds, Founder Voice Media Ventures / Publisher Black Voice News
• Renee Hill, Superintendent Riverside Unified School District
• Thomas Loza, AIF®, RFC® Loza Beck Wealth Management
• Tom Podgorski, CEO CAtrs Teachers Retirement Services & Investment Advisor
• Matthew Webb, CEO Albert A Webb Associates

Greatest Need Allows the Foundation to support current student needs for RUSD students. In addition to the programs listed, the “Greatest Need Fund” also provides for future student needs when the unexpected occurs. The Foundation plans for the unforeseen by securing resources before a need arises.

Student Well Being This student-well being program emphasizes the existing models developed to aid psychosocial and physical well being in a child’s environment. There are increasing roles that community agencies, schools and families play in improving childhood health behavior and development. Students who are experiencing difficulties or trauma in their life are more likely to experience behavior and truancy issues. This fund provides students in crisis with support to ensure they have what they need to be in school. When schools engage community partners in meaningful ways, student health, well-being and learning aspirations are achieved.

Experiential Learning Experiential Learning is the process of learning by doing. “It is a strong instrument for bringing about positive modifications in academic education which allow learners to apply what they have learned in school to real-world problems. (Guo et al.,2016). Students will be provided out of the classroom learning experiences. Opportunities such as participating in college tours, enable students to envision themselves as college students, generates an interest in higher education and encourages them to set college as an attainable goal. Work-based learning activities expose students to a variety of industries and offer opportunities to interact with employees on the work sites. These activities open the students’ minds to new possibilities and inspire them to consider a variety of career paths.

To view a full list of all funds, click here.

RUSD Foundation is an exempt organization as described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code; EIN 85-2507113.