‘Share the Love’ fundraiser benefits WiSH Foundation

The WiSH Education Foundation held a fundraising event titled “Share the Love” at Hello Subaru of Valencia on Saturday night.  

The 21-and-over event featured music, dancing, food and spirits for attendees to indulge in. Amy Daniels, Wish Foundation executive director, said the goal of the event was to support WiSH’s programs that promote wellness in local schools.  

“While we are so incredibly fortunate to have Hello Subaru Valencia as our new partner and the fact that they named us their local charity for the Share the Love event for 2022 is absolutely enormous and it’s going to make a huge impact for the students of the Hart district,” said Daniels. “They’ve just been incredibly generous. They are huge community supporters already as a corporation, and they’re working with us to help raise funds for wellness programs throughout the district.” 

Daniels said the money raised from the event will go toward the wellness of students within the William S. Hart Union High School District, which Daniels said is more than just mental wellness.  

“Wellness isn’t just mental health, mental health resources, but it’s also programs that students are reaching out for in ever-greater numbers,” said Daniels. “So now the wellness umbrella, and encompasses music and the arts… anything that helps release anxiety on our campuses and anything we can do to benefit that for our students.” 

Dawn Begley, chair of the WiSH Foundation, said another goal of the event was community engagement and funding for wellness and S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics).  

“We’ve just helped with 15 wellness centers in the district, and across the board, and it really helps all the students when there’s things going on,” said Begley. “They’re able to go in during class time when they need help and they need somebody to support them. There’s counselors in there to help them, there’s peer counselors, other students and we’ve helped fund and get those started.”