A recent grant from the FitzDell Gifting Fund via Inland Empire Community Foundation has helped one non-profit organization expand students’ skills by getting children out of the classroom and into the community to experience the arts.
“We’re excited we can put some of these funds into field trips,” said Andrea Hecht, Executive Director at Tools For Tomorrow (TFT). “We recently did Desert X and we now have a partnership with the Herb Alpert Gallery, bringing kids there to experience the art. Extra funding is so important because it can go towards those particular trips and provide a space for kids to experience new things.”
The resources will also help develop the organization’s theater program—Hecht hopes students can experience Coachella Valley Repertory and other groups in the area.
TFT, which sprang to life in 1998 under founder Rachel Druten’s vision, uses qualified teaching artists to curate a professionally designed curriculum, creating standout lessons in the visual arts, creative writing, music appreciation, and theatre.
These free classes are held weekly at a school site after regular school hours. TFT provides all supplies—from books to musical equipment—and even snacks.
The nonprofit’s reach now stretches far and wide. All Coachella Valley elementary schools are eligible. Currently programs are set in Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Coachella, Bermuda Dunes, Desert Hot Springs, Indio, La Quinta, and Thousand Palms.
“Tools for Tomorrow gets children into safe spaces to explore their creative potential through hands hands-on art experiences,” Hecht explained. “We can use illustrated children’s books to inspire the children, for instance, and in that way, they learn more about artists, musicians, and writers.”
Students also have opportunities to do hands-on projects.
“Every child in the program gets an art kit,” Hecht added. “We also introduce high-end materials for projects like gel printing, model magic, oil pastels. It’s a great way for them to learn how to use all materials in their art kit— from painting to watercolor pencils.”
The nonprofit also inspires students with various artists, from musicians to writers, where they can take what they’ve learned and create their own hands-on projects.
“In that way, they can learn to express their feelings and connect with their classmates,” Hecht said. “They build community, and learn to work together, collaborating, especially in the theater programs. They also learn problem solving, and that it’s okay to make mistakes, and that nobody’s perfect.”
Understanding that taking risks can be a good thing factors into the unique learning mix here.
“They get to have a safe space to be kids and to have fun, creatively,” Hecht said.
This 2025-’26 school year found TFT reaching more than 1,200 students in the Coachella Valley in 22 schools. In fact, all 15 Palm Springs Unified School District elementary schools have benefitted from the program, alongside six Desert Sands Unified School District schools, and Coral Mountain Academy in the Coachella Valley Unified School District.
Hecht has been with the organization for 18 years. She says she loves visiting classrooms and being a witness to the excitement students share.
“It’s a joy to notice the energy around doing the projects,” she said. “It’s remarkable to watch them, hear the stories, see the pictures, and witness them learn, step by step. I went into one classroom where they were going to do a collage with different colored papers. In this case, they were inspired by bees.”
One student was trying to draw a bee’s eyes, in fact, and kept repeating, “I can’t do it. I can’t do it.”
“We worked with him and gave him a few tips and tricks on how to cut paper,” Hecht added. “Sure enough, he was able to use some other materials and stickers, and then when he wanted to draw beehives, the volunteer showed him how to make a straight line by using paper. He managed to put it all together, and he was so excited and so proud of himself. Because he did it himself.
“It’s always inspiring to see things like that,” she added.
This story originally appeared in the Desert Sun, 2026.
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