The Ellen DeGeneres Show Recognizes Monarch School

$50,000 Donation to the School for Homeless Children

Principal Joel Garcia of the Monarch School, the San Diego public K-12 school for students impacted by homelessness, was honored for his inspirational work at the school during the Friday, April 6, episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Garcia, who thought he was simply invited to watch the show, was presented with a $50,000 donation for Monarch School.

Joel Garcia receives check from Ellen DeGeneres.

“It was such a huge honor to be on the show and I am so thrilled for all the opportunities this will bring to our students,” said Garcia.  “All of us at Monarch School are overjoyed and so grateful to Skype and the people of The Ellen DeGeneres Show for this donation.”

A crew from the Emmy Award winning show, which is in its ninth season, visited Monarch School to film the students during their daily activities for what they were told would be a short web feature on http://ellen.warnerbros.com/. Garcia was then invited to attend a show taping later in the week as a general audience member. To his surprise, DeGeneres invited him on stage, ran a lengthy segment detailing the school, recognized his work personally, and showed a live feed of Monarch students cheering him on from back at the school. The excitement continued with Garcia accepting a check for $50,000 for Monarch School.

The generous $50,000 donation from The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Skype will help Monarch School provide needed “wrap-around” services that make its program so unique. The one-of-a-kind school operates through a partnership with the public school system and a nonprofit arm so that it can provide both the public school education and supplement homeless students’ basic needs. This includes providing food, hygiene kits, clothing, school supplies, and more. For additional information about Monarch School and opportunities to donate or volunteer, visit monarchschools.org.

http://ellen.warnerbros.com/2012/04/an_inspiring_principal_gets_big_help_0406.php.

Category: Education