The old adage “It takes a village to raise a child” will be brought to festive life this Sunday at Fiesta Malibu, the annual fundraising event staged by school parents and other community members for Juan Cabrillo Elementary.
Parent volunteers hope to beat last year’s event total of some $200,000 to help buy equipment, provide for teaching staff and create new educational programs.
“Being at Juan Cabrillo now for two years, I am learning much about the Malibu community,” said Juan Cabrillo Principal Pamela Herkner. “One of the most important things I have learned is that the definition of the word ‘community’ in the dictionary should simply be the word ‘Malibu.’ The community of Malibu is a place where people join together to celebrate, to honor, to support, to rally, to participate and to create for the benefit of all.”
Almost to illustrate Principal Herkner’s contention, event organizers decided to change the longtime name from “Fiesta Cabrillo” to “Fiesta Malibu” in a bid to encourage greater community involvement. Accordingly, organizations from all corners of Malibu will be contributing to make the school event a success, including the Malibu Boys & Girls Club, the Rotary Club, Malibu Urgent Care, Malibu Unites and Vintage Grocers, the event’s principal sponsor.
Fiesta organizer Robert Hayman, whose nine-year-old son Julian attends Juan Cabrillo, says he is only a small part of an “amazing, inspiring team” of dedicated parents who “knocked themselves out this year” to ensure a memorable event.
“This really is for everyone in Malibu, not just Juan Cabrillo students,” Hayman said. “There will be the fun stuff for kids to do, like the gladiator joust and laser tag and the inflatable fly trap (a sort of trampoline that propels a jumper up onto a Velcro wall, ‘capturing’ him in odd positions), but our silent auction this year will be the best we’ve ever had.”
But even with parents bidding on alluring travel packages and dinners out, children can enjoy the pleasures of an old-fashioned town picnic with three-legged races, egg races and even a photo booth with Gilbert the donkey. Hayman thinks there will be something to appeal to everyone, in an egalitarian approach to creating an event that is fun, but aims to provide vital tools for schools that have seen deeper and deeper funding cuts over the past several years.
“Currently, funds will go to pay for this year’s specialists in art, computers, music, science, an instructional assistant, a P.E. assistant and educational materials,” Herkner said. “Our first goal is to pay off this year and the second goal is to get us started for next year. Maybe we can earn enough to provide the [Santa Monica-Malibu Education] Foundation with Juan Cabrillo’s donation so that we can put our parents at ease and start the year under less financial stress for all, allowing us to focus on what is most important—the kids!”
Hayman said that the Malibu City Council would be on hand – including Mayor and Juan Cabrillo alum Skylar Peak. The day’s activities are driven by local entertainment rounded up by parent Michael Bonewitz.
“We’ve got a little girls choir from Our Lady of Malibu; Deltaz, who is a Cabrillo alumnus; the Sposato Brothers and the Malibu High drumline,” Bonewitz said. “All of our talent is from Malibu … But the main philosophy of Fiesta Malibu is that it’s not just a fundraiser. It’s a real community unifier.”
Perhaps one of the more salient attractions will be the first-time Alumni Booth. Designed to reconnect old friends, teachers, volunteers and staff, the newly formed Alumni Club should underscore how connected the Malibu community really is and maybe, as Principal Herkner said, “make it easy for future volunteers to help with future fundraisers.”
“Parents teach by example,” Hayman said. “When you see what’s going on at Cabrillo and how parents drive it, it sets an example for our kids and our community. It really does take a village.”
Fiesta Malibu takes place Sunday, May 4 from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Juan Cabrillo Elementary School. Entrance is free. More information may be found at www.FiestaMalibu.com.
