Anderson Children's Foundation

Amistad High School

Holistic Wellness Center (2024-2025)

Amistad High School is an alternative education school for Desert Sands Unified School District located in Indio, CA. The grant will focus on establishing a holistic wellness center to influence students’ overall well-being by integrating physical, mental, and emotional health services in one accessible location. The presence of the wellness center may help normalize seeking help for mental health issues, reduce stigma, create a culture of care and resilience, and support the student body to SOAR – be Successful, Open-minded, Active learners, and Responsible.

Contact: Christina Riemer, LMFT School Based Mental Health Therapist

Email: christina.riemer@desertsands.us

Phone: 760-775-3570 ext. 13621

Digital Photography Equipment (2020-2021)

Amistad is excited that our project of purchasing digital photography/art equipment was selected by ACF. The equipment will benefit a variety of student groups at Amistad High School. The photography related equipment will provide the student publications class (yearbook, newspaper and Inklings Creative Arts Journal) with much needed photo equipment resources; it will enable Amistad to have a digital photo club; and it will facilitate the opportunity for Amistad to offer professional looking cap and gown portraits to be taken of our graduates.

The photography related equipment will give Amistad the ability to offer art experiences in the growing field of digital photography/digital art. Both digital photo club members and yearbook/newspaper students will be able to gain studio, field and candid photography experience as well as the opportunity to learn and practice photo editing. The purchased equipment will greatly enhance the quality of the images within all the student publications, thus making the publications more appealing and enjoyable to view by the entire student body.

ACF funding of this project will provide the photo equipment needed for Amistad to offer our graduates the opportunity to have professional looking cap and gown portraits taken at school. This is a wonderful opportunity as economic hardships prohibit almost all of our students from having graduate portraits taken at an off campus professional photography studio.

The digital photo related equipment that will be purchased will be used for many years to come. The financial support of ACF will have a positive effect on Amistad's current students and also those in the coming years.