Home Opinion Editorials Businesses pitch in to help schools during hard times

Businesses pitch in to help schools during hard times

Written by Observer editorial reports November 13, 2009 02:43 pm

Union County businesses have a long history of contributing to good causes and helping to make their little corner of the world a better place.

RD Mac Inc. and GCT Land Management are continuing the tradition. RD Mac Inc. expanded a parking lot and worked with GCT Land Management to install a sidewalk at Island City Elementary School recently. The two firms’ work is a good investment in the community. The project will help make it safer for children getting rides from their parents to and from school. The work gets rid of a bottleneck that saw kids walking in front of cars and buses. School officials identified the safety issue and wanted to rectify it before a tragedy occurred. But they didn’t have the money to address the problem, as the
La Grande School District recently had to cut $2 million from its budget because of a reduction in state funding due to the recession.

RD Mac Inc. and GCT Land Management came to the rescue. But they aren’t the only firms getting involved in helping the schools through these difficult financial times. Terry Rich Tree Service of
La Grande also pitched in. The firm recently removed three diseased locust trees at La Grande Middle School for no cost.

These three firms, and many others over the years, have contributed their time and resources toward helping make our schools the best they can be. These businesses’ actions prove a few people can make a big difference. Such neighborhood improvements help bind a community together.

The value of service runs deep in Oregon. But it could run even deeper. About 30 percent of Oregonians donate 50 or more hours to service each year. If the rest of us who are able in body and mind donated just one hour per week, whether that was to fund drives, food banks or elder care, the state would be a better place to live.

Projects such as the Island City one give us a renewed sense of pride in our community and in the value of service. This investment in education, in making Island City an all-American town, will continue to pay dividends long into the future. Firms like RD Mac Inc., GCT Land Management, Terry Rich Tree Service and others that contribute generously to our schools deserve the community’s gratitude for a job well done.