We received an unusual donation, but a very much-appreciated one, from the Ohio Casualty Group last week.

This large insurance company, which has been a good friend of the district for many years, is being acquired by the Liberty Mutual Group. Ohio Casualty had a large amount of items with a small OCG logo on them. With the name change taking place, they couldn’t use these items, but wanted to make sure they were put to good use somewhere else.

They sent us two pallet-loads of materials, all of which we can use in classrooms and offices. It includes staplers, binders, notebooks, file folders, hanging folders, highlighters, tote bags, computer disk cases, water bottles, insulated drinking containers, and more…all of it new. We are working now to distribute it among the schools and the school offices throughout the district.

As I mentioned, Ohio Casualty has long been a key supporter of our district. They also have been donating school supplies at the beginning of school in August, brand new material that they have purchased from office supply stores. In some cases, their employees have personally contributed to the purchases. I’d especially like to thank Terri Angel, the Ohio Casualty employee who coordinates these efforts and works closely with us on all the details. I know it’s a great deal of work on her part.

Although we’ll never be able to run the district on donations, every one we receive does help. Another recent donation was particularly remarkable. The Hatton Foundation gave the district $20,000, to be used for athletic programs. This foundation is based in Cincinnati but has ties to our district. Our athletic director, Jim Sherard, said it will help provide for needs that otherwise might not have been met.

Not all donations are that large, of course, but we usually receive several each month. Because the school board must approve the acceptance of any donation, you can browse through the school board meeting agendas on our web site (http://www.fairfieldcityschools.com/EchoColumns%2007-08/www.fairfieldcityschools.com) and see the actual donations received. They include atomic clocks, defibrillator units, a steel drum, 600 science books and teacher manuals, and 19 Dell computers from a local Social Security office. Those are all from just the last two months.

We often receive calls about used computers. We use computers mostly in classrooms, and students need to be working on machines that are the same. You can imagine what it would be like to teach in a class where each student is using a computer that has a different keyboard, monitor, operating system, etc. So generally we aren’t able to use an individual computer, unless it’s a special purpose machine that might be put to use in a particular department. But larger groups of matching computers can often be used. We understand they aren’t new, of course, but it helps if they still have several years of remaining life to them. Disposal fees on old computers can be a significant expense.

For any donation of material, technology items, or anything else, call any school office, or the district office at 829-6300. We’ll be happy to work with you.

Published in the Fairfield Echo, Feb. 7, 2008