PACE - Parents Association Colfax Elementary

Providing an enriched education for all children through fundraising excellence

Why do we fundraise?

As parents, we appreciate the outstanding educational experience our children receive at Colfax. We also recognize it as a great privilege – one that we must all work together to preserve. Delivering this extraordinary education is not possible with LAUSD funds alone. So...we FUNDRAISE!

In a typical year, we raise over $700,000 to provide for the amazing classroom aides, enrichment staff, technology, and programs that provide an enriched education for EVERY child at Colfax. We do this by organizing fun events and experiences for our kids and community, but it requires effort by all parents and guardians to make it happen! The cost of providing these programs increases every year, so we need absolutely everyone to join us in our efforts! We ask that you give what you can, whether it’s time, treasure, and/or talent! We are grateful for any contribution, and every dollar and hour you give helps our Colfax Community thrive.

But that’s not all we do!

We hope you’ll join us this year in fostering a thoughtfully engaging, inclusive, welcoming school community that is accessible to all parents, teachers, school staff, and most importantly, students. Our events and experiences include fundraisers like our annual World Fair, Spooky Movie Night, Kidchella, Kid’s Lottery, Read-a-Thon, and more! In addition, we host free parent education workshops, holiday food and toy drives, teacher and staff appreciation, as well as cultural celebrations and informative billboards curated by our I.D.E.A. Committee and “This is Us,” an after-school celebration of our diverse community and cultures. PACE is committed to providing positive, inclusive experiences for students, teachers, and families through every event and opportunity to connect with our community.

PACE has been around for over 30 years! In 2025, Colfax’s PTA voted to join forces with PACE to create one cohesive parent organization. Together, we are all parents working together to help make a difference. Everyone is busy, but finding a way to help contribute to your child’s educational experience will be rewarding for you and for them. It’s a wonderful investment that will produce lasting benefits.

What does PACE fund? Volunteer for a Committee

Who are we?

The PACE board consists of two volunteers per position, each serving a two year term. Our board is elected in the Spring of each year. If you're interested in running for a position, please see the front office for a form or check back on this site during the nomination process.

PACE BOARD

Presidents of Fundraising - Mary Beth Ferrante & Molly Mills

Presidents of Community - Megan Linden & Kelly Morin

VP Ways & Means - Sarah Cragnotti & Susanna Weinberger

VP Communications - Mia Lembke & Tina Sippy

VP Programs - Johanna Kichaven & Jennifer Jones

Treasurer - Dave Cragnotti

Financial Secretary - Lenna Poulatian

Secretaries- Jaymie Garner & Alma Cortes

Volunteer Coordinators - Michelle Ultreras

Events Coordinator - Ashleigh Chu

PACE FUNDRAISING COMMITTEES & LEADS	PACE COMMUNITY COMMITTEES & LEADS
Annual Giving - Jennifer Davine & Michal Segal Cultivates family financial support for Colfax to help fund an enriched educational experience.	Best Book Forward – Elissa Johnson, Scott Uhlfelder & Sandra McCurdy Takes, prints and displays the photos of students holding their favorite books featured in the hallway outside the front office.
Bake Sale - Patricia Dinsky, Hazel Sanchez & Rio Wilson Coordinates people to bake, set-up and sell goodies during various school functions.	Book Fair – LisaBay Santiago, Jessica Enriquez, Natalie Rose & Vickey Brash, Coordinates our annual Scholastic Book Fair event.
Book Nook - MAK Lambert & Beth Fraser Collects gently used books all year long for sale during our wildly popular Book Nook event and at the World Fair.	Colfax Cares - Jessica Enriquez, Vickey Brash, LisaBay Santiago Offers support to Colfax families, teachers, & staff upon the passing of an immediate family member or long-term medical care is needed.
Colfax CREW - Jack Lambert, Dave Cragnotti, Matt Ferrante Provides support to all committees in need of builders, movers, painters, power tools, skilled (and unskilled!) labor.	Family Playdates – Sunny Reagan, Tika Wilson, Jennifer Chan, Heather Glick-Atalla, Eddy Perez Plans, organizes and executes Colfax Park Playdates.
Community Sponsorship - 2 Open Positions - email colfaxvolunteers@gmail.com for more info! Secures funds, goods and services from local businesses beginning with World Fair and continuing year-round.	Food & Toy Drive - Jessica Enriquez, Vickey Brash, LisaBay Santiago Collects, sorts & distributes food & toys during the holidays for Colfax families in need.
Fifth Grade Leads – Patricia Dinsky, Jennifer Rohde Secures funds, goods and services from local businesses beginning with World Fair and continuing year-round.	Holiday Boutique – Jennifer Rohde, Jennifer Quinn, Rachel Milman Creates a holiday wonderland each December so our students can shop for their families & friends.
Grant Writing - Chris Gandhi & Sammy Yu Researches & requests federal and private grants to support Colfax programs.	Hospitality – Patricia Dinsky Provides coffee, snacks & refreshments for various school events throughout the year.
Graphic Design - Annie Tidyman, Nic Taylor, 2 Open Positions - email colfaxvolunteers@gmail.com for more info! Executes design projects including flyers, Spirit Wear, website graphics, fence banners and more.	Inclusion Diversity Equity for All (IDEA) – Megan Linden, Cathryn Humphris & Amy Wolfsohn Initiates and supports programs and activities that promote inclusion, diversity, and equity for all. They also act as a liaison between parents, teachers, and administrators, working to build bridges thru constructive communication.
Kidchella - Diana Beyer, Ashleigh Chu & Sarah Cragnotti Organizes the band selection process and puts on the Rockin’ for Colfax concert each Spring.	Kinder Leads – Rachelle Bell, Kiran Watumull, Kristin McKinney, Michael Segal, Sarah Hoffman, Efrat Poulson Sarina Suess (TK Lead) Coordinates and executes the 6 special Kinder/TK events while working closely with Kinder/TK room reps. Hosts the following school year's "Welcome Play Date" for TK/K families.
Kids Lottery - Ashleigh Chu & Sarah Cragnotti Organizes a raffle for students to win tickets to a teacher-sponsored event.	Lost & Found – Jennifer Rohde & Michelle Ultreras Organizes, maintains and donates items lost by students on campus
Pancake Breakfast - Dave Cragnotti, Jack Lambert, & Matt Ferrante Spearheaded by the dads of Colfax, this annual fundraising event fosters community byhosting a breakfast at the beginning of the school year for new and returning families to meet and gather together.	Parent Education – Jennifer Rohde & Molly Mills Schedules speakers to come to Colfax to cover various topics for the benefit of our parent community.
Parent Social - Rachelle Bell & Meghan Kelly Plans the annual Colfax parents-only party held at an outside venue.	Room Parent Leads –Johanna Kichaven, Danielle Zimmerman, Rachel Zaiden Coordinates our room parent program and communicates information to be sent out to classes.
Party Book - Balqis Abbadi & Amy Greenburg Coordinates the hosts for Colfax Party Book and manages the schedule and ticket sales for all parties.	School Tours – Cathryn Humphris & Kelly Morin Leads a team of guides for biannual tours of Colfax given for prospective parents.
Photography - Scott Uhlfelder, Jackie Rodman, & Sandra McCurdy Digitally documents school events for use in the yearbook, website, bulletin boards and social media.	Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week – Lenna Poulatian & Kirsten Hicks Organizes events for teacher appreciation week, including breakfast, massages, gifts & appreciation by class.
Read-A-Thon - Christina Wise, Michelle Ultreras & ONE OPEN POSITION - email colfaxvolunteers@gmail.com for more info! Facilitates our annual Read-A-Thon and encourages students to get pledges and read as many books as possible over a three-week period.	Teacher & Staff Birthdays – Lindsay Long & Orla Becker Responsible for celebrating and gifting our teachers & staff birthday treats throughout the year.
Spirit Wear - MAK Lambert & Erica McAllister Designs, orders, promotes and sells school t-shirts and other merchandise.	Teacher & Staff Appreciation Luncheon – Hazel Sanchez, Sarah Cragnotti, Rio Wilson, Patricia Dinsky Plans, organizes and executes a large celebratory luncheon on the Tuesday afternoon during Teacher Appreciation Week.
Technology - Ali Argyle & Natalie Rose Assists in the maintenance of this website and other school and PACE technology projects.	This Is Us – Jennifer Rohde & Kelly Morin Plans and executes the annual This Is Us celebration, honoring the diversity of the Colfax community.
Turkey Trot / Fall Fitness Fair - Karlee Silver, Mira Valerio and ONE OPEN POSITION - email colfaxvolunteers@gmail.com for more info! Plans, organizes and executes the Fall Fitness Fair & Turkey Trot event each November.
World Fair - Ashleigh Chu, Diana Beyer, Dave Cragnotti & Matt Ferrante Plans and executes PACE's largest fundraising event - our World Fair, which takes place each year in May. This committee has dozens of different volunteer opportunities.
World Fair Silent Auction - Jennifer Rohde, Mary Beth Ferrante & ONE OPEN POSITION- email colfaxvolunteers@gmail.com for more info! Executes the Silent Auction component of the World Fair, including seeking and picking up donations, wrapping baskets, data input and day-of management.
Yearbook - Patricia Dinsky & OPEN FOR CO-CHAIR - email colfaxvolunteers@gmail.com for more info! Creates the annual Colfax Yearbook, including curating professional and parent photos, taking additional photos, laying out pages and managing the Yearbook order process.

Volunteer for a Committee What does PACE fund? Donate To PACE