Since 2008, the employees of Suntec Concrete have been doing their part to help some vital members of the community: Teachers. Again this year, Suntec, the largest commercial concrete contractor in the Southwest, delivered care packages to nearly 100 teachers across Arizona, Utah and Colorado as part of their Teacher Appreciation program.
Suntec employees contribute to this program by nominating deserving teachers and writing a brief narrative on how that teacher has positively impacted their child’s life. An internal committee then evaluated the nominations for these teachers. Once selected, the teachers will have their wish list of needed items filled. During the 2020-2021 school year, teachers spent an average of $750 out of their pockets on school supplies for their classrooms and students. Suntec’s Teacher Appreciation program aims to help reduce the financial burden these teachers face every year.
After the teachers are selected, Suntec employees then make the deliveries to the classroom. The Suntec employee who nominated the teacher is invited to come to the school that day and they are honored as “Heroes in Hard Hats,” which shines a positive light on them in front of their children and the school. Suntec’s “Heroes in Hard Hats” delivered supplies to 68 teachers in Arizona, 16 in Colorado, and 12 in Utah.
One of the teachers honored this year is Ms. Malone from West Pointe Elementary in Surprise. Malone was nominated by Marcelino Orozco, a Structural Superintendent at Suntec, who says he has never seen teachers care so deeply about their students' future as Malone does. "People like her open a door for kids like my son to accept their creativity. Teachers like Ms. Malone build the minds of those who build our future."
The Teacher Appreciation Program is also highly beneficial to the students. Thanks to these latest deliveries, approximately 2,500 children will now be able to attend classes equipped with the proper supplies to help enhance their learning and keep them engaged in school. Ms. Loken, a teacher at Imagine Schools Rosefield was awarded after her nomination from Beau Dundas, a project manager at Suntec, because she often hosts “out-of-the-box” fundraisers to ensure students have the supplies they need to learn. “Ms. Loken deserves to be nominated because she is always doing fantastic fun activities with the kids to keep school more interesting!”