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2004 Projects

Pete Heiden Metroplex Pioneers

  “Making A Difference” was the theme of the citizenship assembly at Timberline Elementary School in Grapevine, Texas on October 29, 2004.  And “make a difference” is what the Pete Heiden Metroplex Pioneer Club did for the Timberline students on that day.

This school is very familiar with the Verizon Pioneers due to a reading program the Pioneers started at the school this year.  Sixteen volunteers go to the school one day each week during their lunch hour to read with a student.  This is a commitment for the entire school year and each of the volunteers is very excited about it.  Each reads with the same child each week allowing great bonds to form.  They refer to the child as “my kid”.

The Pioneers caused a happy frenzy at Timberline when they announced to the third, fourth and fifth graders in the assembly, that each of them would leave school that day with a dictionary of their own.  Though the students thought the Pioneers being from Verizon meant they were going to give them free telephones, they were very excited about receiving the dictionaries.  “Reading, writing and spelling are all going to be very important to your success and we want to help make you successful”, advised club President, Linda Robbins.
alt="Children show appreciation for new dictionaries"
Two thesauri and two atlases were also provided as reference tools for each classroom and library making the teachers and librarian happy.  But the Pioneers were just getting started with their gift giving.

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Next the Pioneers presented the school with 318 reading books (at a cost slightly over $1000).  This made the teachers very happy as the books were purchased from a “wish list” provided by the school.  The students were also very excited about these books.

But the best was yet to come.  The Pioneers unrolled a giant check in the amount of $4,000 and the kids, teachers and parents all went wild.  The check will be used by the school to purchase teaching tools from a “wish list” provided by the teachers.  These teaching tools will be used to teach students for years and will “make a difference” in the education of hundreds of elementary students.   

alt="$4,000 check presented for school wish list"

Left to right: Pioneer Marsha Thomas, Principal Robert Thornell, Pioneer Terri Woodlan, Vice Principal Tonya Straub, Pioneers Linda  Robbins, Barbara Winkler and Carrie Janning.

Though the kids entered the assembly thinking of their Halloween plans, costumes and best of all, the candy they would collect, they left thinking of all the gifts the Pioneers had bestowed upon them.  The Pioneers left the school with that wonderful warm feeling that “making a difference” provides.
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