About Us

Pacifica School Volunteers Closes (announced March 2026)

After careful consideration, and with heavy hearts, the Pacifica School Volunteers (PSV) Board of Directors has made the difficult decision to cease operations in June 2026 at the close of the current school year. (Link to article in Coastside News here.

PSV has ended the past two school years with operating deficits. While our Executive Director made significant efforts to strengthen and expand revenue through our ThinkBridge summer program, enrollment continued to decline, resulting in insufficient funding to sustain operations.

Although PSV has consistently received foundation grants and public donations, ThinkBridge was our primary source of operating revenue. Decreased enrollment in the ThinkBridge program since the pandemic has made the organization financially unsustainable.

Compounding these challenges, our Executive Director recently resigned, leaving a critical leadership position vacant at a time when the organization lacks the financial capacity and timeline necessary to recruit new leadership and successfully operate the ThinkBridge program. As a result, the Board has determined that responsibly winding down operations at the conclusion of this school year is the only viable path forward.

For more than 25 years, PSV has supported and enriched the education and well-being of students in Pacifica’s schools by recruiting, training and placing volunteers, strengthening connections between schools, families, and the broader community, and sponsoring impactful programs such as read-aloud initiatives, senior exhibitions at Oceana High School, and volunteer education. PSV has also created meaningful opportunities for both adults and youth to serve and support Pacifica’s students.

We are deeply proud of PSV’s legacy and extend our heartfelt gratitude to our volunteers, funders, educators, school district partners and community supporters for their dedication and commitment to the children of Pacifica.

We encourage volunteers to sign up directly with district schools to help students with reading, math and other subjects. At Oceana, interested community members can also support the Senior Exhibition program

Our Mission

Pacifica School Volunteers (PSV) is a nonprofit organization designed to support and enrich the education and well being of children in Pacifica’s public schools. Our goal is to train and place volunteers in the schools with the greatest needs and strengthen ties between schools, families and the community.

History and Accomplishments

Pacifica School Volunteers began in the 1997/1998 school year with 23 volunteers, and has grown to more than 500 volunteers contributing over 20,000 hours to the public schools in Pacifica. PSV has been awarded the International Reading Association’s Celebrate Literacy Award, the Starbucks Bay Area Grants for Giving and the San Mateo County Children’s Report Award for Helping Children Succeed in School.

Why We Need Volunteers

In every classroom there are children who could benefit from the extra attention of a volunteer working with them on reading, math or other subjects. Studies show that this individual attention is beneficial to the academic and emotional well being of children. Evaluations by teachers report that the children benefit from working with our volunteers and show academic improvement.

Volunteers also bring skills and expertise to the classroom. There are many ways to volunteer. The time commitment can vary from a single experience, to several visits, to once a week in a classroom for the school year. Volunteers of all ages are welcome from teenagers to senior citizens. Click on “Volunteer†to find out how you can help.

Board Members

 

A man sitting next to a child in front of books.

Board Member, Mike Perez, joined a classroom at Sunset Ridge to read to students for Read Aloud Day

Michelle Morales Stevenson, President
Michael Perez
Mary Bier
Shakeel Ali
Sue Beckmeyer

Foundation Partners

Our Foundation Partners include the following:

  • The Woodlawn Foundation
  • The Fleishhacker Foundation
  • The Atkinson Foundation
  • The JH Robbins Foundation
  • Safeway Foundation
  • Wells Fargo Foundation
  • Sam Mazza Foundation
  • Walmart Foundation

Some of our community supporters include the following businesses and organizations: The Pacifica Lion’s Club, The Pacifica Rotary Club, St Andrew Presbyterian Church, Bleyle Elevator, Mazzetti’s Bakery, Safeway, Lockton Insurance.

Many, many more of our supporters are individual community members, just like you, who support education in our local schools. Thank you!

PSV’s Local Partners

Education partners of Pacifica School Volunteers include Pacifica School District, Jefferson Union High School District, Pacifica Libraries, Friends of the Library, The City of Pacifica and The Pacifica Collaborative.

The programs of Pacifica School Volunteers are supported by individual donors, community organizations, school PTOs, and foundation partners. PSV gratefully acknowledges all of our supporters, without whom we would not help meet student needs and see our programs succeed.

Pacifica School Volunteers is proud to collaborate and work together with the following partners:

  • Pacifica School District/ Board of Trustees
  • Jefferson Union High School District/ Board of Trustees
  • City of Pacifica/ City of Pacifica Parks, Beaches and Recreation
  • Pacifica Collaborative (PC)
  • Pacifica Libraries/ County of San Mateo Libraries
  • Friends of the Library
  • Rotary Club of Pacifica
  • Pacifican’s Care
  • Pacifica School District PTOs