Amazing! Career Skills and Amazon Partner Up to Give to the Community
Career Skills has formed a partnership with Amazon, called “Bear Essentials” and it is up and running!
The idea came from Ms. Schneider who connected with a classmate and BHS 1982 graduate who was running the program in her Arizona school district. They had partnered with Amazon and were successfully running the program there.
The idea became a reality because fortunately, BHS Career Skills have a special connection in Amazon. BHS 2014 graduate Teddy Galgano works for Amazon in Windsor, CT, as the PCF Senior Operations Manager. Teddy completed the application and got “Bear Essentials” approved for donations in just a couple days.
Here’s how it works: Every couple of months, Amazon collects and boxes up items for donation to the Career Skills Program at BHS. Ms. Schneider, Mrs. Barnes and Mrs. Galgano then rent a U-Haul and drive up to Windsor to pick up the donated items. The students in the work program unpack the U-Haul, the boxes, sort items and stock the goods on the shelves in our new “warehouse” here at the high school.
Now, the Career Skills class has implemented a brand new business model. As requests from families in need in our district come in, our students fulfill orders and get them ready for delivery or pick up. Bear Essentials is more than community support, it also offers an opportunity for Career Skills students to gain valuable skills for future employment. In the coming weeks, all of the students will be gaining some warehouse experience! They have already donated to more than 30 families in our community as well as some local organizations.
The ultimate goal beyond reaching out to the community at large is for each building in the district to obtain kiosks to house essential items that can go directly to students. The high school has a large working kiosk that at this time is filled with clothing ranging in sizes from infants to adults. As for the other buildings, the Career Skills students are currently refurbishing two shelving units into makeshift kiosks for JFK and CV Starr. Once the units are completed they will be delivered and filled with emergency essentials for staff to obtain for students in need, providing a great resource!
