Cafe Zoë fundraiser for Willow Oaks Elementary School

Kathleen Daly and her daughter Zoë Sharkey
Source: Cafe Zoë's facebook page

Today I would like to showcase a fundraiser that is ongoing through the end of August at Cafe Zoë, my local cafe.

Cafe Zoë regularly runs fundraisers to provide Willow Oaks Elementary with needed items. Willow Oaks is part of the Ravenswood School District, which, from what I can gather, was the victim of some unfortunate rezoning over 25 years ago after the completion of Highway 101. It appears that some of the more middle class neighborhoods "opted" to join the Menlo Park City School Disctrict (source). Willow Oaks Elementary in particular, was pretty much abandoned by the neighboring communities, whose members must send their kids to schools that are farther away than the elementary school nestled in their neighborhood.

Cafe Zoë is a neighborhood cafe run by Kathleen Daly and it's my regular blogging and knitting pattern writing hangout. Daly has a huge heart and has, along with the patrons of her cafe, adopted Willow Oaks to raise money for items the school needs. In the past, the successful fundraising campaigns have purchased spare school uniforms and choral risers for the children. The current fundraiser is providing art tables to the school. Daly says some of the students are rewarded for good behavior by being able to make artistic creations on posterboard. Currently, the art teacher must push together small desks to make do as the school does not have art tables.

A map showing the communities that "opted" out
of the Ravenswood school district (source)

Daly's daughter, Zoë Sharkey, who manages events took the lead on this fundraiser and recruited local artists (including myself) to donate items to the fundraiser. The artists are displaying their art in the cafe through the end of August and a portion of any art sold will be donated to Willow Oaks. The artworks can be viewed in an album here. If anyone would like to help out with the fundraiser or purchase art, they can contact Cafe Zoë directly here. Cafe Zoë is almost halfway to its goal for the fundraiser and hopes to purchase four art tables for the school.

Craftimism's "Politiknits" items for sale at the Cafe Zoë fundraiser - earrings, pins/magnets, and coffee sleeves

To learn more about Cafe Zoë, check out their website here: http://www.cafezoehub.com/contact/

Here are a subset of the donated works of art: (click here to view all donated art in an album)