Empowering Teachers Inspiring Students
Join us to support teacher grants and enhance education.
Empowering Teachers Inspiring Students
Join us to support teacher grants and enhance education.
Empowering Educators Together
Our Mission
The Reynaldo Martinez Teacher Inspiration Fund is a non-profit program under the Parasol Tahoe Community Foundation, a Nevada non-profit. The purpose of the Fund is to inspire and support teachers and students in Title I elementary schools in Nevada. The current focus of the Fund is the Reynaldo Martinez Elementary School, a Title I elementary school in the Clark County School District in Las Vegas, NV.
The Fund inspires and supports teachers and students in Reynaldo Martinez Elementary School by working closely with the principal and teachers to fund a variety of initiatives that go beyond what the school and the district are able to cover. These include such things as equipment, supplies, continuing education, and teacher appreciation activities. The Fund also provides funding for student incentives and parent-teacher engagement.
Become a Reynaldo Martinez Teacher Inspiration Fund Hero
Vision
To level the playing field by providing teachers with the resources to inspire every student to believe in their future.
Mission
Recognizing that teachers make the biggest impact on student success, the Fund, in collaboration with the local faculty and administration, invests in select Title 1 schools throughout Nevada.
Goals
Raise $18,000 annually for donation to the Reynaldo Martinez Elementary School for teacher appreciation activities, classroom equipment, supplies and enhancements for teachers and students, and student incentive programs.
Institute a capital campaign.
• Establish a capital campaign committee.
• Establish major stakeholder relationships.
• Raise $100,000 for Reynaldo Martinez Elementary School.
• Initiate long-term capital fund raising campaign for state of Nevada Title I schools.
Embody the values of diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice in all projects instituted by the Fund.
Projects
1. Fund projects to increase student achievement in reading, math, science, and language; improve student attendance; increase participation in the gifted program; increase family literacy so that parents can support students in the home; increase access to community resources for families to mitigate disadvantages that living below the poverty line brings in a community.
2. Work toward the goal of instituting the Reynaldo Martinez Family Engagement Center that would focus on the parent involvement strategies that would help parents better serve their children in school. Weekly classes in literacy and language would be held, as well as a GED course to help parents to be better prepared for the job force. Staff will also work with parents and students to help improve attendance and provide strategies and incentives for increasing achievement and meet goals. Parents will also be trained and certified to help assist in the classrooms so that teachers can better be supported in their already difficult tasks. Initial proposal is to team with all other area Title I elementary schools that feed into Rancho High School to pursue one large grant that would fund Centers at all of these schools.
3. Work toward the goal of instituting a Health Center at Reynaldo Martinez Elementary School. This Center would provide health services to any District student at no cost to the District or
District students, regardless of health insurance status. The health center would provide in-person visits with a licensed health care provider for acute and chronic illnesses, vaccinations, well check-ups, sports physicals, depression screenings, nutrition and exercise counseling, oral health assessments, and much more. Funding would be needed to provide exam tables, waiting area and exam room chairs, desks, computer chairs, immunization supplies, immunization refrigerator, vision screening tools, hearing screening tools, blood pressure cuffs, pulse oximetry tools, disposable gowns, bandages, gloves, surgical masks, sharp containers, arm splints, etc.
Support Our Teacher Inspiration Fund
Your generous donations help provide grants and opportunities for teachers. Together, we can enhance their skills, inspire classrooms, and improve teaching practices, ultimately benefiting students. Join us in making a difference today!
Our Board Members
Diane Martinez
In honor of her late husband’s legacy, Diane co-founded the Reynaldo Martinez Teacher Inspiration Fund to support Reynaldo Martinez Elementary School, a Title I school in North Las Vegas. As Chair of the Fund’s Board of Directors, she remains deeply committed to expanding its reach and impact, providing vital resources, celebrating teacher excellence, and fostering a learning environment where every child can thrive.
Diane is a seasoned real estate investor and developer with a proven track record of successful projects across Virginia, Colorado, and Nevada. Specializing in distressed properties, she has led acquisition, redevelopment, and resale management efforts. With an eye for value, Diane has transformed underperforming properties into high-demand assets. Her strategic approach and deep industry knowledge have allowed her to navigate complex market conditions. Throughout her career, Diane has built a reputation for her ability to identify opportunities, manage projects from start to finish, and drive sustainable growth in the real estate sector.
Alongside her business ventures, Diane has devoted significant time to nonprofit and charitable organizations in Washington, D.C., Fort Collins, CO, and Las Vegas, NV. Drawing on her leadership and organizational expertise, she has played a vital role in boosting their visibility, expanding programming, and strengthening community engagement. Her efforts to repair communication fissures and build bridges within these organizations have fostered greater cohesion and resilience, leaving a lasting positive impact.
Tim Adams
An accomplished education leader with over 25 years of experience, Mr. Adams has demonstrated expertise in school administration, instructional improvement, and fostering positive school cultures. As a principal in the Clark County School District since 2006, he has enhanced instructional practices, guided school-wide mission development, and implemented initiatives like Leader in Me to promote leadership and social-emotional growth among students and staff.
He has been a part of the Community in Schools programs since 2006, and principal at Reynaldo Martinez Elementary, the first CIS school in Southern Nevada.
His tenure includes managing large budgets, improving language acquisition for second-language learners, and streamlining teacher performance evaluations aligned with Nevada standards.
Recognized for fostering professional development and building community engagement, they were honored as the 2011 Administrator of the Year by the Clark County School Librarians Association and featured in Eric Jensen’s Teaching With Poverty in Mind video series.
With a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and a Bachelor’s in Elementary Education from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, they also hold certifications from the Howard University Executive Leadership Academy and the Public Education Foundation Executive Leadership Cohort. Currently contributing to the UNLV Mentorship Program, they bring a passion for driving academic excellence and inspiring school communities.
Lee Peyton, Ph.D.
When I was in graduate school, I met Reynaldo and Diane while they were dating in Fort Collins and hosted them for a memorable romantic evening alone at my secluded, one-room, Rocky Mountain wilderness cabin with only candles for light, and a wood stove for cooking and heating, and no indoor plumbing.
After the relationship survived that night (you can get the hilarious story from Diane), it was obvious that they were meant for each other. I fondly remember our week-long bicycle trips frequently interrupted by calls from the senator. And my trip with Reynaldo to Gethsemane Abby in Kentucky to soak up the spirit of Thomas Merton, who was an inspiration to both of us. And my attempt at playing the guitar at their wedding in the living room of Diane’s mom in Denver.
Since I was teaching engineering and writing research proposals in Missouri, and meeting with federal agencies in DC to get funding for collaboration with China, Reynaldo graciously let me use his desk in the senator’s office as home base while I was in town. Later, as rector of an Episcopal parish in Georgia, I would have long discussions with Reynaldo about theology, Thomas Merton, and also the civil rights movement after we toured Carter’s Presidential Library together in Atlanta.
Now, in New York, I’m working on a book project that covers some of the same topics that Reynaldo and I enjoyed discussing. It’s an honor to serve on the board that is preserving Reynaldo’s passion for teachers and students so that everyone has the chance to succeed and excel through the highest-quality education possible.
Merlinda R. Gallegos, Ph.D.
Merlinda is a proud founding member of the Martinez Mountaineers, starting with serving on the school dedication committee. She met Reynaldo L. Martinez while volunteering for a Latino Leadership conference at the College of Southern Nevada. Rey chose to join her and the high school students she was chaperoning for lunch. Learning she was also born in New Mexico, almost immediately Merlinda became Rey’s “hermanita.” He appointed her to leadership positions in his nonprofit endeavors, including the Reynaldo L. Martinez Leadership Institute that was housed on the UNLV campus.
Merlinda had a fulfilling career in philanthropy, holding leadership positions in a nonprofit federation, family foundation, public foundation, and corporate philanthropy program. She also served on various nonprofit boards of directors, and was appointed to several government task forces and governing boards at the county and state level. Merlinda is currently living la Pura Vida in Costa Rica.
Karen Sage
I have had a lifetime involved in teaching in various ways. I received a B.S.ED from University of Houston and taught in elementary schools in both Texas and California for several years. Then, I trained and was certified to become a Montessori teacher. I taught 5 to 9-year-olds in Montessori schools. What a joy!
After my years of teaching elementary aged children, I cofounded Corporate Visions, a company devoted to teaching people how to communicate complex products. Most of our clients were software companies, such as Oracle, Dell, SAP, and others. We became an international company and I enjoyed teaching people around the world to become much more effective communicators. We sold the company in 2010.
Currently, I am the owner of Hotel Sutter in Sutter Creek California. It is a boutique hotel in the Gold Rush country of California. I enjoy working with the management team there, continuing my role teaching our staff new ways to serve our customers even better.I look forward to finding new opportunities to support the teachers of Reynaldo Martinez Elementary as well as the whole community there. There is a lot of good work to be done.