Community Giving is Off the Charts

Community Giving is Off the Charts
Posted on 07/22/2022

Community Support For Our Bulldog Nation Goes Above and Beyond
By:  Christine Harper

            The support our district receives from the community goes above and beyond.  From the donations Bright Futures gets to help kids with needs to businesses calling to see how they can help support the new teachers their first week on the job to the donation of a building, we are beyond blessed.  So, this article is a huge THANK YOU to this Mexico community and its organizations and businesses and people that give to its school district.

            Most recently, the local Masons donated the former Masonic Lodge building located at 708 West Boulevard.  According to Hebron Lodge #353 member Kenneth McCue, who helped facilitate the donation, the building had not been used for several years by the local organization.  It was built in 1954 and for many years served as the meeting place for masonic organizations.  According to Jason Benjamin, Director of Maintenance for MPS, “I am very excited to receive this building as it is extremely well built and has a lot of potential.  It has some unique architecture, including stone doorways and window surrounds, as well as green marble window sills.”  The building will become the home of the Mexico #59 Maintenance Department.  Moving maintenance out of Central Office will create quite a bit of storage space.  Fortunately, the building only requires a few modifications and updates to make it efficient, but the exterior will be kept as original as possible.

            Another huge support we receive from our community is helping out with the New Teacher Institute every August.  New teachers to the profession/district attend 5 days of training and all things Mexico Public Schools.  In an effort to make this training more enjoyable, there are several businesses/organizations that provide breakfast, lunch, and snacks throughout those training days.  Bank of Missouri is providing snacks; United Credit Union, Kiwanis, Central Bank, Home Bank, and Show Me Credit Union are providing lunches; Rotary and CTA are providing breakfasts.  The new teachers will also go on a Scavenger Hunt of Mexico to learn about its rich history.  As part of the Scavenger Hunt, the teachers will be visiting several businesses from the Village Square Association where they will receive a warm welcome and some goodies.  Throughout the year, teachers across the district are awarded grants by the Retired Teachers Association.  The A+ for Mexico Education Organization gives out thousands of dollars in grants to local teachers, all funded by the generosity of our community. 

            Through our partnership with Bright Futures, our students receive the enormous generosity of this amazing community.  Several times throughout the year, a need for a student has been posted on the Bright Futures Mexico Facebook page, and within 24 hours, that need has been met by a community member or a business or an organization.  Clearing the Path Scholarship through Bright Futures provides scholarship money for students at the high school taking Dual Credit classes, all through community donations.

            Every Spring, several MHS graduates are awarded thousands and thousands of dollars in scholarships given by local organizations.  Again, the generosity of this community is off the charts.

            To say we are blessed is an understatement.  To say THANK YOU just doesn’t seem like enough. AND this article has only scratched the surface of what this community, its people, businesses, and organizations do for the staff and students of Mexico Public Schools.  From the person who donated snacks to their child’s classroom to the donation to support our students and teachers to the donation of a building, we want you to know that we appreciate you and all you have done for us!  This is our Bulldog Nation!