Raffle for outdoor education raises money for Science Camp, more

Communities in San Joaquin County raised nearly $121,000 to take students on a few outdoors educational adventures.

Funds raised through a raffle will pay for hundreds of students to participate in programs like the San Joaquin County Office of Education Outdoor Education program, a four-night excursion to the coastal redwoods — known to generations of county students as “Science Camp.”

All San Joaquin County schools were invited to participate in the raffle, which was coordinated by the county office of education’s Educational Foundation.

Proceeds for the tickets went directly to the schools that sold them to fund their Science Camp trips.

Sponsors were Valley Oak Dental, which funded the printing of 30,000 raffle tickets, and the Educational Foundation, which donated $5,000 in prize money.

San Joaquin County Superintendent of Schools James Mousalimas drew the three winning tickets.

The first place prize of $3,500 went to Bryan De Horta Camacho. The ticket was sold by Earle E. Williams Middle School in Tracy.

Second place ($1,000) went to Harold Alimboyoguen, who purchased his ticket from Lammersville Elementary School. And Trino Ceja nabbed third place ($500), with a ticket from Primary Years Academy in the Stockton Unified School District.

This year, 36 schools participated in the Outdoor Education raffle.

The county’s Educational Foundation has stepped up efforts to raise more money during the raffle in recent years. The total has risen from $40,000 in 2014 to $82,000 in 2015. The amount raised this year almost matches the $122,000 raised in last year’s raffle.

Since 1957, more than 500,000 elementary students have participated in the SJCOE Outdoor Education program. More than 4,000 fifth- and sixthgraders — and nearly 600 high school cabin leaders — attend Outdoor Education each year, spending five days and four nights exploring and learning in nature.

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