According to a report by the Chillicothe Gazette, Chillicothe, Ohio, USA, Glatfelter Paper Co.’s (York, Pa.)  local mill and Tiffin Elementary School are located just a half-mile apart from each other, but thanks to a new partnership, they are now even closer. And students are benefiting.

Just about every Friday, a team of Glatfelter employees arrives at Tiffin bright and early to greet the students as they arrive to school. Since the greeter program launched in October, polite exchanges have given way to warm greetings between familiar faces.

"A handshake with $100 wasn't what we wanted," Tiffin Principal Todd Shoemaker said. "The ‘hellos’ and ‘high-fives’ mean so much more."

"It's less about the financial piece and more about human capital," Ken Miller, a national account manager for Glatfelter, added.

Shoemaker said he didn't know what to expect from the greeter program, but its success became clear on days when the employees couldn't be there and students asked where they were. The greeter program is just one way the paper producer is reaching out to help Tiffin, a school whose students often struggle academically and financially.

The partnership was born out of now-retired Glatfelter executive John Blind's interest in finding new ways for the company to connect with the city schools—it had already supported the district's "The Leader in Me" program—and he supports with enthusiasm Chillicothe Superintendent Jon Saxton's desire to, metaphorically "get the medicine to the parts of the body that need it most."

In spring 2014, Saxton met with several representatives from Glatfelter to discuss ways in which the company could connect with Tiffin and its students. Glatfelter made an initial seven-week commitment to Tiffin and renewed it in January.

So far, in addition to this phase, known as the greeter program:

• Glatfelter has provided free copy and graph paper to the school, and organized an employee-driven winter clothing drive for students in need
• Arranged for its engineers to help with science classes, and sponsored an author visit by Chillicothe graduate and children's author Juli Brenning 
• Every student has received a signed copy of Brenning's book, "Maggi and Milo." published and distributed entirely by this generous and friendly "mill next door." 
• Provided professional judges for the school science fair.

The school and mill are beginning to know each other well on such a personal level as well as with their professional help in supplies.

Miller, addressing the reason for their tight relationship, responded by saying that "Glatfelter has a vested interest in the success of the city school system and making sure it’s a great home for citizens that can offer them as much as they can offer back through these generous programs. When we move people into the community, and we do that all the time, they want to know about the local schools. That's one of the pillars..."

Both sides are looking for the partnership to grow.

"Everything we did this year is more than we were doing a year ago. What we're doing now are the building blocks for something bigger," Miller said. 

 

 

Glatfelter believes in investing in the future, in education, to attract those nearby its sites into the field, while making sure the community is healthy and creates educated, healthy students for the future vitality of the community and the company’s workforce. 

Other U.S. companies such as IP (Memphis. Tenn.) have also already made significant investment this year in public schools. Just in this previous week’s edition, TAPPI’s Over the Wire newsletter featured information about that company’s notable investment in education. 

"Tiffin clearly has a profound need. We don't just need money or resources; we need people who are willing to invest their time and energy," Saxton said. "The relationship truly is healing and shows how great paper companies can treat their employees here for mutual benefit from having a good, academically strong community."