Our future is in their hands

Let's give them the tools they need to succeed

Mrs. Guillermo-Rios poses with her Desert Trail Elementary School students in Chaparral. Guillermo-Rios was recently named Bilingual Teacher of the Year by the National Association for Bilingual Education. (Photo: Luis Carlos Lopez / El Paso Times)

The Santa Teresa Charitable Foundation

The STCF is a 501(c)3 non-profit that works to give youth in the Santa Teresa/Sunland Park region the tools they need to achieve success. Since 2000 we have been working with teachers, parents, and administrators in the Gadsden Independent School District to identify areas of need in our community and to develop programs to address them.

Areas of Focus

By working with students, parents, teachers, and administrators over the past 20 years, the STCF has identified four areas of focus where our work can have the greatest impact on the lives of our students.

Students receive bikes for the hard work and grades at a GISD board meeting.

1. Rewarding Attendance and Hard Work

Successful schools begin by engaging students and making sure they come to school regularly. That may seem obvious. What’s less obvious is that the consequences of low attendance are serious for all children and for the community, not just the students who miss school.

Attendance and hard work are keys to success in school and in life. It is important to instill this mentality in students at a young age.

Students at Riverside Elementary receive donated uniforms.

2. Reducing the Impact of Poverty

Poverty affects children on several levels, including physical, social-emotional and cognitive. According to the NIH, “the stresses of poverty lead to impaired learning ability in children from impoverished backgrounds.”

Recognizing that poverty is an issue within our community, the STCF works to lessen its impact on learning.

Santa Teresa Class of 2018 Santa Teresa High School Salutatorian Elizabeth Beltran, and Valedictorian Clarissa Molina, were part of the record scholarship winning class that had $4.3 million in scholarships awarded. The commencement ceremonies took place Saturday, May 26, 2018, at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso. (Photo: Luis Villalobos)

3. Transitioning After Graduation

Industry has been telling us that the young workforce lacks soft skills. Students who learn these skills early on put themselves on the fast track for success and benefit the companies they work for.

The STCF helps high-school students develop these skills by giving them opportunities to work in chosen fields.

Jerry Pacheco speaking at the 2019 GISD Teachers of the Year Celebration.

4. Recognizing Top Educators

How many of us can remember one or two teachers from our formative years that continue to have an impact on our lives today?

The STCF looks for programs that recognize and reward those educators that "go the extra mile" and are creating lasting impressions on their students.

To our Sponsors

From the bottom of our hearts,

THANK YOU!

MCS Industries