As about 30 children, in a single file line, walked into the gymnasium at Banneker at Marquette Elementary School, Mark Jackson remembered why he likes to give back to the community.
“The holidays are a great time for us to give back,” said Jackson, Boeing’s director of executive flight operations. “Getting the contributions and the donations from the team is the first step, and then coming here and being able to distribute the gifts, and it’s really great to see the joy in the kids’ faces. … It’s priceless.”
About 240 students at Banneker at Marquette Elementary in Gary received gifts from Boeing on Wednesday. Boeing employees donated personal funds, which were matched by the Boeing Company gift match program.
Jackson said that the program had double the number of participants this year.
“We look around and see other people in need and want to do our part to make a difference in our community,” he added. “I think it’s just that element of recognizing what’s around you.”
Students received a $25 wrapped gift, a Christmas stocking, and a cupcake on Wednesday. Some gift choices include Barbie dolls, remote control cars, or arts and crafts kits.
Each holiday season, Boeing employees give back to at least school in Gary and Chicago, said Bernice Billups, Executive Director of Strategy Advocacy and Global Engagement.
“We support the communities that our employees live and work in,” Billups said. “Boeing has a presence here at the (Gary/Chicago International Airport) with our executive flight operations, so it’s important for us to support the community in Gary as well.”
Boeing has about 100 employees at the Gary airport, and five employees volunteered during Wednesday’s gift giveaway. The company also partnered with Project SYNCERE, a STEM organization, to give away gifts as well.
“It warms your heart to be able to participate in an initiative that brings joy to children who, based on their family situation, might not be receiving other gifts this year,” Billups said. “The holiday season can be one of the most challenging from an emotional standpoint for children and families. We know families are under a lot of stress this time of year as they’re trying to manage bills and provide gifts for their children.
Banneker Principal Chaitra Wade said Boeing last came to the school in 2021, and she was happy to have them back this year. She thinks it’s important to have community partners work with the schools each year and to be present with residents.
“This event just adds to how we’re teaching to show appreciation when someone does something nice for us,” Wade said. “These memories are some that last for a lifetime, and our children are learning what Boeing is and what they do for our community.”
Wade enjoys watching the children get their gifts, she said.
“Being able to see them be happy brings me so much joy,” Wade said. “It’s just things like this that I love to capture and keep as a memory of what our students felt and how it changed the atmosphere of the school one day. That’s something that we want to remember and carry on.”
