About a year ago, I was approached about becoming a Partner in Education with Justus-Tiawah Schools. I saw it as a great opportunity to become more involved in supporting our local schools and helping students broaden their vision for future career paths. With my mother being a longtime teacher and having many friends in this profession, I understand the commitment and passion that many of these educators have. I also realize the personal sacrifices many of them make for their students. As a student that grew up in a small, rural school district, I also felt that my vision of possibilities could have greatly been broadened had I been exposed to more opportunities and options. My hope is that by being a partner, we can help support schools and teachers in their positive impact in the classroom and furthermore help expose these students to industry and career opportunities and preparation for their future.
Many of us are well aware of the challenges facing education and our state’s budget situation. Even prior to the walkout, I was well aware of the concern and the challenges in the public school systems. Then the walkout happened, which took the top story on the news. Some of this was positive and some negative, so I decided to provide an option for the local community to share some positivity around their school experiences on Facebook. It was great to see and hear all the stories people had to share about their experiences while in school and the impact it had on them in their future. And at the same time I requested that feedback, I also challenged our local Facebook users and followers to share and like the post and as a result, our agency would make a donation to our Partner School, Justus-Tiawah. I know this may not be seen as a large donation, as we are a very small business, but we hope that this donation can help make an impact for the school.It has been an honor to be able to partner with Coldwell Banker Select in our efforts with Justus-Tiawah. It has also been a great pleasure to work with Mr. Garroutte and all his faculty. We have participated in reading to the classrooms, supporting the teachers in various capacities, partnering with their PTO on their efforts, and provided “Career Industry Days” where we highlighted various industries for the students. Most recently, we were able to help with raising more money for the school through a garage sale.I look forward to our partnership to continue to strengthen and become even more impactful for the faculty, administration, and ultimately the students of Justus-Tiawah as we move forward.
