The manner in which the donation was secured is a great illustration of teamwork and tenacity, two common traits of Kaplan PTA members. Here’s a succinct report of how the funds were secured:

Jesus Mounier, a driver based out of UPS in Spring Valley, has a son who attends Kaplan. He knows that UPS is involved in community service projects throughout the county and arranged for company representatives to visit Kaplan.

According to Kaplan Principal Julie Larsen, it took less than five minutes for UPS to decide that this was the school they wanted to adopt for their community project. Several times over the next couple of months, teams of UPS volunteer workers arrived at Kaplan to work in and around the playground area. Outbuildings were stained and painted, and the camaraderie grew between the volunteers, the facilities staff, and PTA members.

But this is only half of the story. When the PTA leadership learned that UPS drivers were in the process of deciding which agency to allocate United Way funds to, they visited UPS. They spoke from their hearts about the Kaplan School, and how a covering for the playground would make such a wonderful improvement.

The rest is history. One hundred percent of the drivers designated the Kaplan PTA as the recipient of their United Way gift. That translates into $35,000 and several groups of people who can’t wait for the snow to melt and the work on the playground to begin.

Thank you and congratulations.