Kathy King of Finding Homes
Finds Additional Royal Role
Last updated 11/25/2020 at 9:49am
Martha Deichler
Fifth grade teacher Jackie Williams checks out her new computer.
She used to be known as "Queen of the Salton Sea" back in the real estate boom days by the Sea and now local Coldwell Banker Realtor Kathy King has earned the title, "Queen of Finding Funding" for non-profits in need. Kathy recently discovered, after a conversation with local educator Polly Macuga, that the Borrego Springs Elementary School teachers' personal classroom computers were hand-me-down laptops that although functioning, had a lot to be desired. What did she do? Just like being maddish about selling homes, she went on a passionate quest to find donors for a cause she has long held close to her heart – promoting and supporting our elementary teachers and children.
Within hours of posting her Facebook Fundraiser, dollars began pouring in, ranging from $10 to $1,000, from current and former parents of children in the elementary school, as well as locals and Snowbirds who love Borrego Springs and care about our schools and educators. We are grateful for these kind souls.
One local foundation anonymously and graciously donated $4,500 which served to promote this fundraiser to even higher levels. Within 10 days donations had risen to over $15,000! This allowed Kathy King to not only purchase one Hewlett Packard laptop computer for each of the 10 elementary school teachers, but also to give each teacher $300 for school supplies. The remaining balance of $3,000 sits in the elementary school's ASB account ready to be used for supplies and materials in this unprecedented school year.
Teachers are most grateful for this donation and for the acknowledgement of the challenging work they are now doing.
Technology has taken on a whole new meaning as teachers and students struggle to make distance learning a reality.
Caught in the middle of a juggling act, our teachers have been superb in their effort to handle a changing classroom situation daily as only a portion of the students may be in the classroom at any one time due to COVID-19 safety standards. The other two thirds rotate between online learning and in-classroom learning.
The gift of a shiny, new and updated computer could not come at a better time for our teachers. Thank you, Kathy King, and thank you to this incredibly generous and compassionate community. Underneath their facemasks, teachers were all smiles last week!
