The San Carlos Education Foundation (SCEF) held its first-ever cornhole tournament at Burton Park this Sunday as part of Life on Laurel, a weekend of community events in San Carlos.
The weekend started on Friday evening with downtown games and music on Laurel Street, and finished on Sunday with the SCEF tournament at Burton Park, giving residents two days of events to have fun, while also supporting a good cause.
The idea for the cornhole tournament originally came from Greg Zillmer, a teacher at Brittan Acres Elementary and a parent in the district, who attended a similar fundraiser when he was near the coast and reached out to SCEF President Melissa Schmidt with the suggestion to implement it into our community.
“I texted Melissa when I was at a similar event down on the coast,” Zillmer said. “I know how important SCEF is to our schools, and I thought this was just a great way to raise money and a lot of fun too.”
Schmidt said the organization had been looking for new ways to fundraise, and Zillmer’s idea fit what they had in mind.
“We have been looking for different ways to fundraise and were looking to put on an event where families could come out and hang out,” Schmidt said. “Cornhole has become really popular, so we thought a tournament could be a lot of fun.”
The event was able to raise money through entry fees and sponsorships. Businesses such as Chang Orthodontics and Endure Fit Club paid to have their names featured on custom cornhole boards and were able to keep the boards after the event. After the event, the money that SCEF raised was carefully distributed.
“The money that SCEF raises goes back to the San Carlos School District and gets used at all of the schools in San Carlos,” Schmidt said.
SCEF is a non-profit organization that works to help fill in the funding gap between what the state provides schools with and what is needed for the programs in the district to flourish. California ranks 30th in the nation for per-pupil education spending. Community donations help supplement state funding for programs such as music, physical education, libraries, and counseling. Donations also help fund staff salaries and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) supplies.
Yahli Lupesko, a sophomore at Carlmont High School, said the foundation’s work has an impact on students’ experience in school.
“SCEF is important to the San Carlos community as it funds public education for all students in the San Carlos School District,” Lupesko said. “Without this foundation, kids in these schools wouldn’t be able to participate in courses such as music, physical education, art, or STEM.”
Lupesko’s beliefs are echoed by many other individuals impacted by SCEF funding, such as Zillmer, who has two children in the district.
“I’m a teacher in the district and I have two kids in the district,” he said. “I know how important SCEF is to our schools.”
The tournament is one of several ways SCEF raises funds each year, in addition to an annual fundraising drive, a fall dinner and auction, and the spring Starlight Gala, according to Schmidt. This year, SCEF is also fundraising with each school’s PTA, meaning a donation to SCEF now supports district-wide programs and school activities. According to Schmidt, the cornhole event is an opportunity for the community to interact, and many hope it becomes a tradition.
“This is our first cornhole tournament,” she said. “We are hoping to do it again next year and make it even better.”
