Four years ago, the band at Estancia High School was in bad shape.

The musical group had dwindled to a mere six students, the program was run by a temporary teacher and there had been quite a bit of staff turnover over the years.

Then, the Estancia TeWinkle Schools Foundation and Band and Music teacher Stacy Neacsto came marching in and things began to change.

“The Foundation helped us to provide instruments and uniforms as we were retooling the band,” said former Principal Kirk Bauermeister, now a district administrator.  “There was no booster club to fund raise and we needed to give these students and teacher hope for the future.”

Bauermeister said they asked Neacsto and the kids to dream of what the band’s potential could be and then put together a three-year plan for its future.

With the financial help of the Foundation, those dreams became reality.

“The Foundation has always enabled us to dream,” Bauermeister said.  “One of the biggest hurdles is money and community support.  The Foundation has always been able to provide both.   So, if we could dream it and put together a solid plan, we then had a vehicle that could move that dream to a reality.”

The Foundation gives both Estancia and TeWinkle a combined $50,000 on average each year and additional funding for programs like the band get highlighted at the Foundation’s annual gala, which this year will take place this Saturday March 19 from 6 to 11 p.m. Click here for more information about this year’s New York-themed gala, which will be held at the Avenue of the Arts Hotel (formerly Wyndham).

“Our fund-a-need raised at the gala has allowed us to give $7,750 to TeWinkle and $15,000 to Estancia which is in addition to the $50,000 we give on average every year between the two schools,” said Foundation Board Member Hydee Beth.

Thanks to Foundation funding, the band has grown so big that it now fills two classrooms. And that’s not all.

At Estancia High School, foundation grants have fully funded the Apprentice Program – a new comprehensive support system for incoming freshmen and provided support for the school’s Puente program for high- achieving Hispanic students.

Foundation grants have funded the purchase of ancillary materials for mathematics, books for literature circles, smart boards, computer labs and cutting edge technology for classroom use, among other things.

At TeWinkle, foundation grants have provided up-to-date technology in nearly every classroom, including smart boards and LCD projectors. Foundation grants have also met the school’s need for extensive Social Study reference materials available for student use in the library.

Formed in 2003, the Estancia and TeWinkle Schools Foundation was made possible through a $1 million donation from C. J. Segerstrom & Sons. For more information go to ETSFoundation.org or call 949-515-6500.