Chance encounter leads to Christmas donation

For The Madera Tribune

Pershing Elementary School teacher Amy Kuhn’s first graders show off the customized T-shirts they received for Christmas on the last day of school before Christmas.

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In the fall of 2023 I met a young lady, Shannon Dorsey, at a restaurant in Morro Bay.  She was telling me about her mom, Shannon Dorsey, who loves to give back to teachers that she calls “earth angels.” 

I told her that I was a teacher in Madera, in the Central Valley. I was telling her about my first graders and my classroom at Pershing Elementary. We were talking about the amount of money teachers spend in the classroom on supplies and items for their students.  she told me that she wanted to help and offered a generous gift of $200 Visa gift card. My husband and I decided to match it, giving us $400 total, $20 a child.  

When I asked each of my kids what they wanted for Christmas from Walmart, each of them said clothing. No one mentioned toys, which I found amazing. After looking at Walmart and Target online, I decided to buy each one a Crayola Ultimate Light Board. It was on sale and I knew that every student loves to color.