A Fresch Start After the Storm

Kelly Fresch is the pint-sized and powerhouse principal of Adams Elementary in Santa Barbara, CA. She is also called the “Princessipal” by many students for her beautiful smile and endless optimism.

Kelly moved to Santa Barbara in 2017, and the students have flourished under her leadership. Soon after arriving, Adams was recognized as a National Distinguished School, one of only two schools in California and part of 100 schools nationwide to receive this award which celebrates student achievement gains resulting from a school’s collaborative and targeted innovations. Kelly gives 100% of her time, energy, and heart to her kids and her community, and now it’s our time to give back to her.

On January 9, 2023, Santa Barbara received over 12 inches of rain in one day, the largest one-day rainfall in recorded history. You may have seen photos of a guy kayaking in the street - that photo was taken directly in front of Kelly’s beloved 1927 bungalow.

Kelly’s sweet 1-bedroom home was surrounded by three feet of water, and her yard, laundry shed, and storage shed all completely flooded, leaving her with a massive cleanup, thousands of dollars in ruined appliances, lost possessions, soggy photo albums, a moldy crawl space, no heat, and dangerous, compromised electrical wiring. Unfortunately, the reality of the storm and insurance means that these unexpected and substantial expenses all fall on Kelly.

Kelly is no stranger to helping people navigate trauma. Besides guiding kiddos through normal adolescence, she has helped her students through wildfires, a debris flow, the ongoing pandemic, and most recently, a historic storm and flooding. Now is our time to help and support Kelly as she gets back on her feet.

Santa Barbara is a strong, resilient, and generous community. Let’s make this GoFundMe campaign a silver lining for Kelly after the storm!

Jasmine, Leslie, Marie, Kennan, and Kate

Ps - any funds over the goal will be donated directly to Adams Elementary School.