ALES School News!
Coats for Children: Community Project of FirstBank, Mt. Jackson
More than eighty warm coats were delivered to Ashby-Lee Elementary School on Monday, January 4. These coats came from individuals in the Mt. Jackson area who responded to FirstBank’s plea for winter coats for children who needed a warm coat.
Kelly Moomaw, FirstBank Loan Assistant, explained that the employees of the Mt. Jackson FirstBank on their volition began conducting monthly community projects a year ago. The coat collection project was Kelly’s idea. She contacted Holly Rusher, Principal of Ashby-Lee Elementary School, to find out if the school would be receptive to the idea. The answer was a definite yes. Thus, the coat project was born and quickly gained momentum earning both First Bank employees’ and the community’s support.
Advertising was simple. Signs were posted in FirstBank asking for new or gently worn children’s coat to be brought to the Bank. Bank employees put notes about the project in money envelopes returned with deposit slips; and the Northern Virginia Daily printed a brief article about the project. Word of mouth, however, was probably the best advertisement. As the word spread, the coats came in and were stacked in the welcome area of the bank where their bigger and bigger presence called more and more attention to the project.
The Folder Factory and some individuals gave monetary donations that were used to buy coats. “Walmart put some padded, warm coats on sale” at just the right time, Kelly reported, “and we bought as many as we could.”
Kelly delivered the coats to Ashby-Lee and helped to stack them in the sunken area. By Thursday, more than half of the coats had been given away. According to Ms. Rusher the project “went very well” with both parents and students happy to receive the coats.
Thank you, FirstBank (Mt. Jackson), for thinking of the students of Shenandoah County Public Schools.
Contact:
Kelly Moomaw (kmoomaw@therespowerinone.com or 540-477-3525)
Holly Rusher (hwrusher@shenandoah.k12.va.us or 540-477-2927)
Congratulations!
Thanks to the efforts of David Hottle of Hottle Exxon in Mt. Jackson, Ashby Lee Elementary has been awarded a $750.00 ExxonMobil Educational Alliance grant for the school’s math and science programs. The money will be used to provide additional math and science resources and assistance to the students at Ashby Lee. Funded by the Exxon Mobil Corporation, the ExxonMobile Educational Alliance program is designed to provide retailers like Hottle with an opportunity to invest in the future of their community through educational grants to neighborhood schools. Ashby Lee thanks Richard and ExxonMobil for their continued support.
