San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
It’s turkey time for teachers at this tribute
Credit union honors educators’ devotion
Amanda Scott didn’t mind sitting in a long line of vehicles at a financial institution’s parking lot on the North Side on Saturday morning. The event was a tribute to Scott and fellow teachers’ dedicated work for students and their families during the coronavirus pandemic.
The educator, who teaches sophomore English at Judson High School, passed signs with messages such as, “Keep Calm & Teach On!” Volunteers directed Scott to one of several lanes bearing orange traffic cones.
Wearing a protective mask, she took in the sights of the festive celebration through her open window.
Inflated turkeys bobbed nearby. Volunteers swayed to lively tunes spun by a young disc jockey. A turkey mascot greeted motorists by a cluster of colorful balloons.
“I’m honestly pleased,” Scott said. “It feels nice to be recognized.”
This was Firstmark Credit Union’s Turkeys for Teachers event, a three-hour drive-thru
celebration in which volunteers handed out free frozen turkeys to 1,000 teachers.
From 9 a.m. to noon, vehicleswere backed up from Firstmark’s Gold Canyon Financial Center onto Northwoods Boulevard and around to Henderson Pass. Observing social distancing protocol, drivers remained in their vehicles as volunteers handed them their gifts.
Fifty employees, their families and board members volunteered at stations around the lot.
Gracie Salis, 20-year employee, said she didn’t hesitate to volunteerwhen she heard about the event.
“I’m so glad,” she said beforewaving cars into her lane. “This makes me feel wonderful.”
After leaving the staging lanes, the teachers drove to the green tent stations to receive a bag filled with a replenishment of school supplies and donated gifts from community members.
Then the cars headed toward a parked H-E-B truck, where Roxanne Navarro and Cynthia Rodriguez were among several volunteers who passed frozen turkeys through the open door to co-workers.
Retired teacher Clare Coleman worked at one of the drive-thru stations where volunteers handed turkeys that weighed 12 to 16 pounds to teachers.
“It’s all great,” said Coleman, who is on the board of directors. “Anything we can do to help each other is fantastic.”
Valerie Bravo, community relations outreach manager, said the inaugural event was a COVID edition of the credit union’s annual summer Teacher Fest. She said that because of the pandemic, the fest, where hundreds gather, wasn’t feasible.
Bravo said the event was a way to give back to a deserving industry highly affected by change.
“We’re hearing from our teacher members that they have double the work with the same pay,” she said. “They are under high stress, so we’re trying to find a way to give them back something nice. Ultimately this was a way for us to give back to the teachers in a time when they’re giving back to the students and families.”
Mark McDavid, director of marketing, said everyone in line was an active teacher in San Antonio. He said teachers registered for the give-back event and that upon arrival, volunteers checked their status via a ticket or by scanning a Quick Response code.
“It’s gotten somuch traction thatwe plan for it to be a recurring event every year,” McDavid said.
Guy Lawrence was among the first of the arrivals.
A fifth-grade teacher at FreedomElementary, Lawrence plans to pay his bounty forward. He said he’s going to donate his turkey to the San Antonio Food Bank or a local food pantry.
“This is a lot of people showing up,” Lawrence said. “I think in these times when there’s a lot of need that it’s wonderful that they’re providing this opportunity for people to get some food ahead of the holidays.”