In the East Elementary music classroom, students had been sitting on an open floor and music teacher, Jessica Morgan, knew the classroom experience could be improved if they had some benches that could be moved around and organized into rows for students during class.

“I wrote a letter to Home Depot requesting any lumber that could be donated to build benches for East and attached pictures of the benches at Northwest Elementary,” said Morgan.  “The original intention was that my husband and I would build the benches if they donated the lumber.”

After receiving the request, Home Depot Manager, Bert Medina, called and not only offered to donate the lumber, but said the men in the lumber department would also build the benches.

“He asked me to sketch up plans for building them, which I did.  I took the plans to him the next day,” said Morgan, noting that this happened at the beginning of October. “A week later the benches were delivered.”

After receiving the benches, East Elementary Principal, Nanda Wilbourn, contacted Tommy Cramer, father of first-grader Mallory Cramer, to find out how they should treat and stain them.  “He said he personally would stain them no charge,” said Morgan.  “He took them home and sanded, prepped, stained and sealed them over a weekend.”

On Friday, November 7th, four East Elementary students accompanied Wilbourn and Morgan on a trip to Home Depot to thank them for the benches, and presented Mr. Medina with a goody basket and a thank you poster signed by all the kids at East Elementary (pictured above).

Students at East Elementary will benefit from the project for years to come, and Morgan is already seeing the benefits noting, “The benches have made a huge difference in the classroom.”

Below are the benches donated by Home Depot and stained by Tommy Cramer.