CORNEJO’S KIDS:
Giving Back to the Community’s Youth
One thing that Cornejo strives to do is to give back to the community that has supported them from the very beginning. Over the past five years, Cornejo has worked to form a positive relationship with Anderson Elementary, a school located near the office. “I feel like we are such an integral part of this neighborhood — it’s our neighborhood,” says Randy Roths, Cornejo’s community outreach director. “Much of what we do impacts the neighborhood.”
Roths, along with the rest of Cornejo, recognized that there was a need to be filled in the community and took the opportunity to do so.
“We drive by that neighborhood every day, not looking to the left and not seeing the need that is just outside our doorsteps,” says Roths.
Many of the children attending Anderson are from lower-class families who have difficulty providing the necessary supplies their students need for school. That is where Cornejo steps in. Each year, the company organizes a school supply drive, collecting everything from pencils and crayons to backpacks and cash donations. “We saw a desperate need in our neighborhood, and we were able to take care of it,” Roths says. “There is only so much that teachers can do to help their students. They can’t do it all.” This year, Cornejo partnered with the Mending Place in South City, a local church, in addition to tying the drive with Bring Your Kid to Work Day to help bolster donation levels. “It was kind of refreshing to tie another group into it this year. They had new and fresh ideas, which inspired me to do better,” Roths says. Cornejo’s involvement at Anderson goes beyond supplying classrooms at the beginning of each school year. The company also does a bike giveaway at the end of each semester to a student with perfect attendance.
“Attendance is a big problem at Anderson,” Roths says. “The principal feels our program helps motivate kids to come to school.”
Additionally, in partnership with Lubrication Engineers and United Way of the Plains, Cornejo has sent volunteers to Anderson as part of the Read to Succeed program for at-risk third grade students. According to United Way, third grade is a pivotal year in determining the reading performance of children. “When we have students who are not reading at grade level by third grade, the data tells us that they are four times less likely to graduate from high school,” says Dr. Alycia Thompson, USD 259 superintendent.
To help students read at grade level, volunteers spend 30 minutes each week reading with a buddy from a Wichita elementary school.
“We had eight volunteers from the office for our first year. It’s a big commitment — it’s tough, but it is necessary — and we had some great success with the kids,” Roths says. Whether it is sitting down and spending time with students, providing motivation for success, or supplying them with the tools they need, Cornejo continues to work toward creating an atmosphere of support and success for the children in their local neighborhood.
–Brittany Roberts
2 www.cornejocorp.com
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