About 15 years ago, I was up to my nose in public school reform with the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce and the local public education foundation. Until that time, I felt that we paid a good bit of taxes at the state and county level to support a quality education for all students. I maybe even took on the attitude that the government was not properly spending the taxes it collected. We saw the state start a lottery to support education – but then we still heard that there were not enough funds to ensure a quality education for ALL children.
That’s where an idea was born. We realized that our Allen Tate Family of Companies could make a difference – through an event we called FUNDay for Public Education. Each year, on one day, our team and our vendors “pay to play” for activities that benefit the kids. For the past 15 years, this event has been a tremendous success, with more than $1.1 million raised to support public education in our local communities. This year, we decided to shake things up and double the fun. We had not one, but two FUNDay events, held on Tuesday and Thursday of this week. Protecting and preserving public education is important to us – not only because we believe every child should have a right to a quality education, but also because of the impact the school house has on property values (see a blog I wrote earlier on that subject).
You and I can and should be able to support our public education system with funding that comes from outside the property tax structure. There are so many things that do not fall within school budget or account for dollars needed. Some of them include funding for children who are homeless and parentless who do not come to school ready to learn; great teachers that need to re-tool themselves in order to teach in a manner that is effective for today’s child; school supplies and clothing for kids to be prepared and feel good about themselves; and last but not least, coaching for principals on leadership.
The sun and sky were glorious this week! We had chili cook-offs, pie-eating contests, cake walks and more (if you don’t believe me, hop on over to our Facebook page and take a look for yourself!). The tailgate themes and T-shirt contests brought out the best in our creative minds. I was amazed to see the success of the four “Walks for Education,” sponsored by hundreds of supporters in the community.
Today, on a perfect fall day complete with that Carolina blue sky, we can look back as a Family of Companies on a week that made a difference. We feel the satisfaction in our hearts that we celebrated each other, while doing our part to ensure that “no child gets left behind.”
By Pat Riley
