Alameda PTA Council Honors Sarah Olaes with 2011 Founders Day Award

Post date: May 18, 2011 12:49:54 PM

On Monday, May 16th the Alameda PTA Council participated in the Peralta District PTA's Founders Day Ceremony. During this ceremony, I had the honor of presenting the Founders Day & Perlata District PTA Very Special Person Award award to Sarah Olaes. 

Sarah is an extremely active parent at Otis elementary school. When her oldest son was in kindergarten, Sarah took over the AEF after school enrichment program. At the time, the program offered just a few courses but under Sarah’s tutelage it has grown into a broad, wide-ranging selection that lives up to its purpose and that it to enrich the children who take the classes.  Sarah has offered her guidance to other enrichment program chairs and she was recently hired by the Alameda Education Foundation to coordinate the enrichment programs citywide.  And while we celebrate that move for Sarah, the Alameda PTA Council wasn’t thinking of her work at Otis when we unanimously nominated Sarah for the Council's Founders Day Award & the Peralta District PTA's Very Special Person Award.

Sarah is best known, and most gratefully thanked, for her role as campaign volunteer coordinator for both Measure E and Measure A, two parcel tax campaigns that aimed to expand local funding to support Alameda’s public school.  Her efforts as volunteer coordinator mobilized several hundred volunteers through two campaigns. Volunteers for every PTA in Alameda worked with Sarah to secure funding for our schools. While Measure E failed last year, I am happy to share that Sarah immediately rejoined the next campaign effort and Measure A passed, bringing aprox. $12 million in to Alameda Schools each year for the next 7 years. Without the incredible dedication of Sarah, and the entire Measure A Campaign staff, our community would not be able to pause during this ongoing state of fiscal emergency for California’s education budget. Alameda is certainly facing ongoing budget cuts along with the rest of California’s schools, but because of the Herculean efforts of Sarah, and the entire Measure A Campaign committee, the choices we would be facing  in Alameda would be a lot more difficult.

So on behalf of the Alameda PTA Council, I say thank you Sarah. For the work you’ve done for the community in two parcel tax campaigns. Your efforts truly brought the community together is ways many thought would never be possible. 

Christine Strena

President, Alameda PTA Council