About Us
The mission of the Castro Valley Arts Foundation is to provide our students and community with artistic experiences that educate, enrich and entertain by securing resources for the Castro Valley Center for the Arts.
The Castro Valley Arts Foundation (CVAF) has a unique partnership with the Castro Valley Unified School District (CVUSD) and shares the financial burden of supporting the Castro Valley Center for the Arts. Every year, the Foundation donates $50,000 that is used exclusively for operational expenses. In addition to an annual fundraising campaign, the Castro Valley Arts Foundation produces a Series with performers from around the Bay Area and beyond. Concession proceeds from these shows fund scholarships to college-bound CVHS seniors who contribute their time and talents to the Center.
The high quality educational, enriching and entertaining events that Castro Valley Arts Foundation produces at the Center for the Arts make a difference in our community, and keeps the Castro Valley Center for the Arts accessible to everyone.
History
In 1998, several community members met with CVUSD administrators to explore the possibility of building a performing arts center on the Castro Valley High School campus. All wholeheartedly agreed that Castro Valley had a history of outstanding student performers who deserved a stage upon which to shine. With old-fashioned small town spirit, Erma Smith and Terry Liebowitz forged a substantial community effort to pass Bond Measure C which apportioned $7.1 million in funding for the design and construction of a state-of-the-art theater. CVUSD, which owns and operates the Castro Valley Center for the Arts (CFA), contributed another $2 million dollars and the dream of the performing arts center became a reality.
Meet Our Board of Directors
The Castro Valley Arts Foundation Board of Directors is a group of community members who share a common interest in supporting the Center for the Arts by providing high quality art experiences to students and the community.
Scholarships
The Castro Valley Arts Foundation (CVAF) Scholarship was initiated in 2009. Funded by the community who purchase concessions at CVAF shows, the Scholarship is a monetary award for college bound CVHS seniors who have contributed to arts programs at the Castro Valley Center for the Arts. Initially conceived as a Theatre Arts scholarship, it was expanded in 2011 to include all of the arts disciplines practiced at the CFA.
Applications for the scholarship are available through the Castro Valley Education Foundation each spring for CVHS seniors who will graduate in that same school year. All applications are reviewed by members of the CVAF Board, and are distributed at the CVHS Senior Awards night.
CVAF President Mary Ann DeGrazia presented scholarships to the following students at the CVHS 2017 Senior Awards Night.
- Victoria Quijano — UC Davis *
- Leah Procita — Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo *
- Jessica Mi — Stanford *
- Carly Becerra — San Francisco State
* The James and Melissa Phillips Award is funded by a generous private donation.