Hello everyone,
Recently on ATPE News, ATPE Marketing and Communications Specialist Jack Densmore offered us an inspiring look into how our members are stepping up for their communities well beyond the classroom in his feature "From Classroom to Community: ATPE Local Units and Regions Support Their Neighbors."
This spotlight shows the incredible reach and heart of ATPE members across Texas, from organizing toy drives and food bank volunteer efforts to participating in local cleanup events and supporting animal rescues.
Region 19 ATPE continues its long-standing participation in Toys for Tots while expanding their efforts with food and clothing drives and meaningful partnerships with organizations such as El Pasoans Fighting Hunger, the Child Crisis Center of El Paso, and Laws N Paws Animal Rescue. These acts of service are helping thousands across the El Paso area and beyond.
In Region 20, members worked side-by-side at the San Antonio Food Bank, helping sort and distribute over 35,000 pounds of food in a single day. Their service, along with toy drives and holiday giving, speaks to the deep commitment of educators in the San Antonio area.
Meanwhile, Plano ATPE, featured in the latest ATPE Lookbook, continues to model service for students through meal services, donation drives, and community events, including Trek or Treat in support of the Plano Animal Shelter.
Northside (20) ATPE and Denton ATPE also demonstrated how strong local connections can lead to powerful results. Whether it's helping provide Christmas gifts through the Elf Louise Project or cleaning up thousands of pounds of trash through The Great American Cleanup, our ATPE members are showing that service doesn't stop at the school doors.
So how does your local unit or region engage with your community, and what new ideas or partnerships would you like to explore to further your outreach efforts?
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David George
Managing Editor
Association of Texas Professional Educators
atpe.org | atpenews.org
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