December 19, 2012
It’s pink, it’s white and it hangs from a Christmas tree. It sounds like an ordinary Christmas ornament, but it’s not. This ornament is different. This not-so-ordinary ornament represents more than a decoration. It is a symbol of hope and education, something every child deserves. It says “OtterCares” and it’s our gift to 650 elementary students in northern Colorado.
The story of these not-so-ordinary ornaments began 3 weeks ago when OtterCares toured a not-so-ordinary elementary school in Greeley, Colorado. At this school there are seven different languages spoken and 100% of the students qualify for free and/or reduced lunch. When we visited with these students, we quickly discovered that they are like all other children beginning their education. They emphatically raise their hands and shout out answers when their teachers call their name. They are kind to one another and polite to their teachers when they are working together in their classrooms. Most of all, they are eager to learn. These children may face economic and social challenges to their success in education but they are determined to study and work hard!
As the not-so-ordinary story continues, it’s important to understand that OtterCares supports innovative education and is dedicated to empowering youth. We wanted to surprise these children with a powerful Christmas gift so we bought 1,500 of our OtterCares ornaments. We challenged our employees to purchase these ornaments for themselves and as gifts for $5 each so we could use the proceeds to buy iPads for this school. The ornaments became “not-so-ordinary” when, once again, due to the generosity of our Otters we exceeded our financial goal and raised enough money to purchase 26 iPads for the students to use at this school.
On Wednesday December 19th, OtterCares surprised the school principal, teachers and students with their brand new iPads and presented them with a book. The story inside resembles a Christmas fairy tale but in fact, it tells the true, precious story of our not-so-ordinary ornaments. These students will now be able to use technology to help them learn and excel in their classroom and the OtterCares not-so-ordinary ornaments, our symbols of hope and education, adorn OtterBox employees’ Christmas trees all across the country.