One of the teachers honored this year was Ms. Hallas, a first-grade teacher at Westpointe Elementary School in Surprise.
Suntec Concrete and its employees have been doing their part since 2008 to help 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 its Teacher Appreciation program.
Suntec adds a special touch to this philanthropic/appreciation effort by putting its employees also in the spotlight.
“For us, it’s all about ‘how do I help that tradesman be a hero in his home and his community?’” says Derek Wright, Suntec president and CEO. “That’s why we call it our ‘Heroes in Hardhats Campaign.’ For us, the more successful I can help them be in their home, the more successful we will be in the workplace.
“For years, we have encouraged them to be involved in their children’s education, specifically serving underprivileged communities and schools, and they do that in nominating teachers that are doing a phenomenal job for their children. We want to interview those teachers, and the principals of those schools, find out what the needs are and do our part to fulfill the needs inside the classroom.”
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 evaluates the nominations for these teachers. Once selected, the teachers will have their wish list of needed items filled.
Then, Suntec employees make the deliveries to the classroom. For each, the Suntec employee who nominated the teacher is invited to come to the school that day and is honored as one of Suntec’s “Heroes in Hard Hats,” which shines a positive light on the employee in front of his or her child and the school.
“Imagine the power of a child seeing their parent in the classroom recognizing their teacher for the education they’re getting from that teacher, and the power and the vision of the potential of [what that gift can do] not only inside of the school but inside of their own home,” Wright says, noting the ripples from those stories go far beyond the classroom. “Employees tell me it was such a great experience to be able to be in the school and make a difference.”
Did You Know: Suntec Concrete leads the industry as an attractor company for talent. Suntec projects have won multiple industry awards and the company has been recognized as Best Places to Work, Landmark Leaders and Most Admired Companies.
Photo courtesy of Suntec Concrete
