Month: August 2026

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. (KESQ) – Cathedral City awarded $90,000 to 18 local nonprofits and six art recipients through two city grant programs, officials announced today.

Through the Community Assistance Grant Program, 18 organizations that provide essential services to Coachella Valley residents, including health and human services, received $70,000. Officials said the city received 24 applications requesting a combined $183,700.

The following recipients and the amount each were awarded are: — Read With Me Volunteer Program received $10,000; — Boys and Girls Club of Cathedral City received $9,300; — Cathedral City Senior Center received $8,000; — Coachella Valley Disaster Preparedness Network received $5,000; — Coachella Valley Repertory received $5,000; — Dinner with Patsi received $5,000; — Habitat for Humanity of the Coachella Valley received $5,000; — Senior Advocates of the Desert received $5,000; — Friends of the Desert Mountains received $3,000; — ABC Recovery Center, Inc. received $2,500; — Jewish Family Service of the Desert received $2,500; — Operation Safe House, Inc received $2,500; — American Legion Auxiliary Unit 519 received $2,000; — Tools for Tomorrow received $1,200; — Angel View, Inc. received $1,000; — Martha’s Village and Kitchen received $1,000; — Regional Access Project Foundation received $1,000, and — Variety Children’s Charities of the Desert received $1,000.

Officials said $20,000 was awarded for creative expression to four organizations and two artists through the Community Arts Grant Program.

The recipients and amount awarded included the following: — Palm Springs Gay Men’s Chorus received $4,519 for “Boogie Shoes,” a disco-themed performance; — Cathedral City Senior Center received $3,800 for a year of performances; — Boys and Girls Club of Cathedral City received $3,800 for youth photography and editing classes; — Coachella Accapella received $3,556 for the springs concert “ILove a Piano” with Cathedral City High School; — Denise Dede Ondishko received $3,325 for a one-day bluegrass festival, and — Terry Hastings received $1,000 for seminars for local artists “The Business of Art and AI Is the Artist’s Friend.”

The arts grant program was established during the 2024-25 fiscal year and has supported a wide range of art initiatives, including theatre, music, spoken word, visual art and arts education.

“The assistance grants direct resources toward recovery programs, senior services, youth literacy, housing, food security and emergency preparedness. The art grants keep live performance, arts education and creative programming accessible to residents of every age,” officials said.

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (KESQ) – As students prepare to return to the classroom, many teachers are also preparing their learning spaces — and some say that preparation comes with a personal cost.

For sixth grade teacher Miranda Alcalde, getting ready for the first day of school means lesson planning, organizing supplies, and creating a classroom where students feel comfortable from the moment they walk in.

Alcalde says setting up her classroom took about three days, with many of the supplies she uses collected over the years and some provided by the district. She estimates she spends about $500 to $600 of her own money each school year on classroom needs.

While the Palm Springs Unified School District provides many classroom essentials, Alcalde says teachers often purchase additional items themselves.

A 2025 survey from AdoptAClassroom.org found teachers spent an average of $895 of their own money on classroom supplies during the 2024-2025 school year. The survey also found the median school-provided supply budget reported by teachers was $200, with 97% saying their budget was not enough to cover classroom needs.

For community members looking to support teachers, Alcalde suggests donating classroom supplies or purchasing items from a teacher’s wish list.

She says every purchase has the same goal: creating a classroom where students have the resources they need to learn and succeed.