Bond, Botes, Shinn & Donaldson, P.C. Was Honored to Purchase School Supplies for 28 Deserving Students at Highland Avenue Elementary in Montgomery, Alabama.

As small business owners, we are always trying to find ways that we can assist the communities in which we work.  This year was no exception!  As parents, we are saddened by the many issues the Montgomery Public School system currently faces.  Many schools in Montgomery are very outdated and some do not even have central air conditioning.  In the news, we are constantly seeing stories about the Montgomery Public School Board members fighting over different issues and leadership changes.  After praying about what would be the best way to help one of our local public schools, we decided to purchase all the school supplies for students in one elementary classroom to ease the stress of parents having to purchase school supplies at the beginning of the year.  The school we selected was Highland Avenue Elementary.

Highland Avenue Elementary

Highland Avenue Elementary is located on Highland Avenue and has been a staple of our community for a number of years.  We selected a second grade classroom with 28 students.  Only one teacher and a part-time aide assist these 28 students throughout the year.  These students are Montgomery’s future and they are so excited about learning.  I still have vivid memories of second grade and my second grade teacher, Ms. Gesling, who is and always will be my favorite teacher.  In second grade, she inspired me to learn more and to push myself further than I even believed I could go in second grade.  To this date, when my mother sees her in my hometown, she still asks about me.  This is proof that a teacher can make a difference in a child’s outlook on learning throughout his/her lifetime.  We admire teachers so much in this community and frequently see evidence of the sacrifices that these teachers make on a daily basis with their students.

We were so blessed to provide the school supplies for these 28 students in Ms. Reese-Holley’s classroom.  In meeting Ms. Reese-Holley, we recognized how much she cares for the children in her classroom.  She has a passion for teaching and it resonates in her classroom.  She met us at the school to help us transport the numerous school supplies we had to deliver to her classroom.  We pray that our gift is able to inspire the children in Ms. Reese-Holley classroom to reach for their dreams and never give up.  We hope that these children will remember our act of kindness and pass it on to others as they mature.  We want these children to know that Bond, Botes, Shinn & Donaldson, P.C. cares for them and believes in them.

In our line of business, we have seen many teachers in our office.  The sacrifices that these men/women make are remarkable.  We have heard stories about teachers in our community purchasing school supplies and food for students with their own personal funds.  They witness some students who only get a meal when they are at school because their parents cannot afford food at home or do not provide it to them.  This is just a reminder of how amazing our teachers are in this community.  Thank you Montgomery Public School teachers and staff, we appreciate everything that you are doing for the children in Montgomery.

The Montgomery Public School Systems vision is to “engage, educate, and inspire our students to succeed in college, career and beyond” but they cannot do that without the help of Montgomery citizens.  We hope that our gift to these children will “inspire” other businesses in our community to do the same next year and find some way to help the children in our community.

In supplying the school supplies, we did not expect anything in return from Highland Avenue Elementary but the THANK YOU video that we received below was so thoughtful and really special to all of us at Bond & Botes.