"We really wanted to do something to help," said Ron Ettling, Electrical instructor. "We ended up completely filling a van with electrical supplies." Some of the supplies that the department wanted to send were missing leads and connectors so John Wood contacted APACO Electronics to purchase the supplies. "I talked to their salesman, Tony and once he heard what we were doing, they were more than happy to donate the items," said Wood. "In fact, when we received the package there were a lot of supplies and equipment included that we hadn’t even requested." The van load of donations was driven to Springfield, Mo. by admissions counselor Janet Ray who was met by a FTC teacher. "They were so thrilled and appreciative of our donation," said Ray. "In fact, he couldn’t take it all in one trip, so the principal of the Joplin School District came up for the second load and wanted to personally thank us for the generous donation." Joplin Schools continue to need help with school supplies and equipment. If your company has items to donate or you would like to make a personal donation, please visit www.joplinschools.org.
Photo: Mike Hawley, director of Admissions (left) and Ron Ettling, Electrical instructor open the care package from APACO.
Earlier this summer Ranken’s Electrical department gathered items to send to Franklin Technology Center (FTC) which was destroyed by the tornado that hit Joplin, Mo. in May. The school was completely destroyed and has had to relocate to a warehouse in a different part of town. Renovations are underway and should be ready for classes to begin in mid-September. Along with the building, most of the school’s equipment and supplies were unsalvagable.
It's always good to hear that a technical school is doing better. I wish you all the best as you try to recover from the disaster.
Posted by: Roy Slater | October 06, 2011 at 06:42 PM