Ortonville- Fourth-grader A.J. Krause stood outside H.T. Burt Elementary in the cold air on Wednesday waiting for the Army to show up. They did, but it wasn’t quite what he had initially expected.
A large truck sporting the Salvation Army emblem arrived and two men got out. They may have been just as surprised as A.J. when they saw the entire student body at H.T. Burt waving, hooting, and hollering, and lined up along the sidewalk with items including exercise equipment, media stands, and dozens of bags containing clothes, shoes, toys and other items to donate to the charitable organization.
‘The men said it was amazing to them what a warm welcome they had,? said H.T. Burt Principal Kristy Spann. ‘The kids picked up the bags and walked down to them, and we had a horde of kids and bags and things.?
Kindergarten teacher Amy Poole had the idea for students to collect items to donate to the Salvation Army while cleaning out her closet this fall. The school chooses a theme each year, and this year’s theme is ‘Reaching out.?
She approached Spann about having the Salvation Army truck come to the school to collect items. Harvey Swanson Elementary students also participated.
‘It was so exciting to see that huge truck filling up and all the kids lifting bags up to the workers in the back of it,? said Poole. ‘What a great way to bring everybody together.?
‘It was kind of fun because we got to load stuff and I think it was nice Ms. Poole set that up,? said Jordan Smith, a fourth-grade student who also donated some of her clothing.
‘We thought this was a good time to do this,? said Spann. ‘There are a lot of our families getting ready for Christmas and deciding what they wanted to downsize on and it’s beneficial for the Salvation Army for thrifty families looking to prepare for Christmas also… I am so thankful to be part of a staff and community that reaches out to others. It’s what makes Ortonville so special. It’s inspiring to see how everyone will rally around a positive cause.?