With back to school events being cancelled due to Covid-19, Jade Graves, mother of 3, felt the need to show appreciation to teachers within the Greenwood school district.
“One of my very best friends is a teacher,” stated Graves. “We wore our little masks and went for pedicures and were just chatting about the upcoming school year sharing concerns and such. The news that the annual Teacher Appreciation Banquet was cancelled had just been announced. I know the teachers look forward to it. I completely agree with the reasons it was cancelled but my heart just couldn’t let it go.”
That heart tug would soon give way to an idea, a fund set up to provide gifts for teachers within the district. “Our goal is to give every teacher and support staff in the school district a gift card to a local Greenwood business,” added Graves. “We will host a Facebook live event with a drawing for several larger gifts. We are hoping to have at least five larger gifts for each campus.”
Graves enlisted the help of her neighbors to assist with the logistics. Autumn Mendenhall, Kelly Mizell and Melissa Jones assisted in planning for the project. Erin Bartlett will serve as treasurer, managing the donations. “We want to make sure that the teachers feel loved and appreciated, and we as a community, recognize what a difficult job they have in the face of Covid-19.”
After seeking the blessing of the district, the team went to work, putting together a promotional video and publicizing the project.
The Community Teacher Appreciation Project has a minimum goal of $3,000. “We do not plan to solicit any area business,” Graves concluded. “We know this has been tough on them. If a business wants to donate, great, but we will not be asking directly for contributions.”
If you are interested in donating to the Community Teacher Appreciation Project you can do so –HERE–
