A group of Santa Maria Walmart employees came bearing baskets filled with school supplies to Calvin Oakley Elementary School on Sept. 17 as part of the store’s new Teacher Rewards program.
At a special staff meeting, assistant principal Toni Kelly randomly selected in a raffle 10 of the school’s teachers to receive $100 gift certificates to go toward supplies for the newly started school year. The teachers also received baskets of supplies and cupcakes.
In the past, students wrote essays nominating their favorite teachers as Walmart’s Teacher of the Year. However, due to severe budget cuts to education, the store decided to let its employees vote for a school and then split the money among 10 teachers.
“We put a ballot box in the break room and let the associates vote for the school they thought needed the money the most,” said Dana Rucker, Santa Maria Walmart’s community involvement coordinator.
The teachers selected in the raffle were Francisco Velasco, Margaret Cofield, Cari Molina, Mark Tacy, Lisa Olivares, Tiffany Crane, Sheila Gemignani, and Lela Gabaldon and Monica Reichmuth accepting on behalf of Julie Steigler and Rocio Castañeda.
This article appears in Sep 24 – Oct 1, 2009.