Published: November 12, 2008 07:42 am      

Grant to help Elkhart schools

ELKHART — To support the school’s math and science programs, Elkhart Elementary School administrators received a $500 grant from the ExxonMobil Education Alliance program Tuesday.

Gary Pittard of Spencer Distributing and Robert Owens and Jason Cole of Kim’s Convenience Stores, who presented the donation, worked with school officials to secure the grant, which is one of 4,000 available to schools across the county served by Exxon or Mobil stations.

“Elkhart Elementary works hard to make learning interesting and fun,” Owens said. “As an ExxonMobil retailer, I am proud to help young people of Elkhart.”

The ExxonMobil Education Alliance program is designed to provide Exxon and Mobil retailers with an opportunity to invest in the future of their communities through educational grants to neighborhood schools.

ExxonMobil believes that, as members of the community, local retailers are best qualified to work with local educators to help identify schools and programs most in need of support.

“We feel so blessed to receive this donation,” campus principal Denise Ray said Tuesday. “We love all our community partners and appreciate them thinking of rural schools and their monetary needs.

“We will likely use the fund in our math department for the purchase of manipulative kits for the classes.”

Kim’s Convenience Stores and Spencer Distributing met stringent eligibility criteria before applying for and begin awarded this grant, including having a commitment to provide a superior buying experience for customers.

The grants were made possible by funding from the Exxon Mobil Corporation.

According to Ray, the school also has received several donations this year — one from the Wal-Mart trucker unit and two Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year awards.

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Mary Rainwater may be reached via e-mail at mrainwater@palestineherald.com