CHARLESTON, W.Va. — More than $50,000 is going to schools in four counties and the United Way of Central West Virginia.
Bally Toyota of Charleston announced the donation on Thursday morning surrounded by school officials and representatives from the United Way.
Shawn Ball, the owner of Ball Toyota, told 580-WCHS that giving to the community is nothing new but its a first for him in the Charleston area.
“I’ve been doing this for about eight years now in the Beckley area and Huntington area. We just bought this store about a year ago so we’ve decided to include funds here,” Ball said.
Area high schools from Kanawha, Putnam, Boone, and Jackson counties, as well as East Bank Middle School, received funding between $2,000 and $3,000. Schools include Riverside, Sissonville, South Charleston, Nitro, St. Albans, Herbert Hoover, Capital, George Washington, Poca, Scott, Van, Sherman, Ripley, and Ravenswood.
Principals and counselors from each school spoke in front of a crowd Thursday inside the Patrick Street Plaza showroom, with some giving details about what they will do with the money. Herbert Hoover HS officials said it will go towards their secret Santa program for students while Scott HS said it will go into its Change the Culture program.
Ball said all of the funding is geared towards helping those underprivileged students that have been affected by many issues out of their control.
“We’ve done this so long we see the need and some of the places it needs to go,” he said. “I like to make suggestions but I don’t ever tell them what to do. These guys have such big hearts.”
The $10,000 to United Way of Central West Virginia will mainly help its school programs including Equal Fitting Shoe Fund. the program delivers shoes to elementary schools in their five-county footprint.
“Education is one of the three pillars that we hang our hat on as far as what we think is important to a strong family and a good life,” Margaret O’Neal, President and CPO of United Way of Central WV said.