Give Back Program Update by Cheri Kemp
In our last issue we featured an article on students from area schools who prepared and presented information on their favorite local non-profit organizations to a group of Crest Foods employees. The end goal was multi-faceted: To give these students the opportunity to work as a group for a common goal; to give these students the experience of developing and presenting a convincing case for their chosen organization; and to see how it felt to take the funds received from participating in this program, and present the money to that organization. In the case of the students from Rochelle Township High School, their favored organization was the Rochelle VFW roof restoration project. On August 19, Anthony Chavez and Mark Pearson presented a check for $1,500 to the VFW. Here is their story: August 19 2016: We rode an ancient elevator to the upper level of the 111 year old Rochelle VFW building which Commander Bill Bumgarner said he believes was originally a furniture factory or furniture store. The trusses are water-stained. Guy Bays said 4 layers of roofing right down to the trusses will have to be replaced. When we got to the flag storage room, we all grew quiet at the site of 550 American flags rolled up for safe keeping. Guy explained every time a flag is donated, the top of the flag pole is labeled. Bill’s middle school-aged granddaughter is in the processes of re-cataloging all of the flags on a spreadsheet. Bill explained some of the flags date before Alaska and Hawaii became states, so they bear only 48 stars!! The idea of the roof leaking into that flag room was the impetus for the Braille Bar crew entering the Crest Foods Give Back program. Mark said his family has a long, long tradition of military service and were it not for his impair- ment, he would enlist in the USMC. Mark modestly told the veterans they completed orders for 250 Braille bars last year, but Mrs. Connors later corrected him--the number is hovering at 500 due to the generosity of Crest Foods staff, the community and the colleagues of Mark and bar-making assistant/classmate Katie Dummer’s mothers. Something I heard for the first time today is that the boys have found holiday molds and plan to launch new variet- ies of Braille bars in time for holiday gift-giving. As the boys exited the post in the bright sunlight, they immediately began fingering the treasures presented them by Mr. Chisamore and Mr. Bays—lanyards and empty shell casings from bullets used at a veteran funeral. Mr. Chisa- more gave Mark the US Marine pin presented to his son when he became a marine. Mark was really blown away by that! Bill said the VFW is a self-perpetuating organization that gets no federal, state or local assistance. Gifting to the VFW must stay on our radar as the Floyd J. Tilton post is at the heart of the Rochelle community. Pictured Left: Virgil Ewald, Mike Johnson, Anthony Chavez, VFW Commander Bill Bumgarner, Mark Pearson, Guy Bays and John Chisamore Pictured Right: Guy Bays, Bill Bumgarner, Mark Pearson & Anthony Chavez and 550 American Flags.
14 Crest Ink October, November & December 2016
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