You enjoy the new jerseys your soccer team gets, sporting vivid red and black as the new season begins. In conservatory, a new guest artist is brought in, another mentor to extend their knowledge and life experience to you and your peers. The countless memories and events we have all treasured, yet who are the people behind it all? That’s where the CCA Foundation (CCAF) comes in, a dedicated, non-profit organization that supports CCA through financial, community, and volunteer support. Every day, the work towards enriching the life of every student, every single day. Pulse got the chance to speak with Joanne Couvrette, Executive Director.
Ms. Couvrette is responsible for majority of the operations for the Foundation, which is not limited to assisting the community in creating fundraising ideas to support CCA programs, extensive fundraising, and monitoring donations. In a typical day, she works in the nuts and bolts of CCAF, working in budgets, audits, accounting, and purchase orders. However, she also assists students in generating revenue for their programs. For example, she has aided the Robotics, Speech and Debate, and iGem programs with everything from operations and customer service to marketing and pricing.
In general, the Foundation plays a crucial role on campus, namely funding it. “The CCA Foundation provides over $425 per year per student in a typical year. And the CCA Foundation is essentially the CCA parents. So the next time you are bouncing a ball in the gym, or singing on stage with the new, state-of-the-art sound system, thank your mom or your dad for their double contribution to your education, their taxes and their donations,” she notes. The hallmark event of CCAF is, of course, the annual gala, which is an opportunity to raise money and enrich the lives of students. For example, due to COVID-19, CCAF has switched to virtual galas, but has taught students real world experience of running a Livestream Studio. Moreover, past galas have included opportunities for students such as singing alongside a Tony Winning Broadway performer. In the midst of the pandemic, the CCAF has kept up with requests made this year, albeit the requests being smaller in nature; this has also resulted in less donations and funding. “Our goal is to maintain the status quo, to end the year with about the same in reserve as a typical year, while meeting all the needs of the school during this unusual year.”
So, what does CCAF do that you may not be aware of? “I am sure there are a lot of things we fund that may surprise you! Graduation is one that comes to mind,” she states. “They work towards purchasing everything from diplomas and the stage to sheet music, paint brushes, and guest artists to reagents you use in your Chemistry courses. “We even own a tractor to spread the fertilizer and the grass seed.”
When donations are admitted to the Foundation, donors are allowed to allocate their donations to one of the designated funds for a specific program or into the general fund to support the needs of students. Nonetheless, every spending decisions are made by the school, as per the requests of teachers, and then later approved by their respective department heads, and, ultimately, the Principal.
Finally, Ms. Couvrette wants the CCA community to understand one last thing about the Foundation: “Above all else, the Canyon Crest Academy Foundation exists to enrich the experience of every student at CCA, every day. We are so grateful for the generosity of our parent community with their time, the talent and their treasure as they continue to give, year after year, to benefit our students.”
From myself, and the rest of the students here at CCA, thank you CCAF.