Piggy banks located throughout the school for the annual Columbus School Maintenance Thanksgiving celebration are not being filled at the same levels as in past years.

The money collected in the piggy banks goes to the TCS Foundation to buy gifts each maintenance staff member to thank them for all their hard work. There are piggy banks all over the school, in each classroom and every office. Filling the piggy banks has been a Columbus School tradition every November for more than twenty years.  

“Each year more or less at the beginning of November we put piggy banks in each room of the school, in the offices, in the cafeteria, with the goal of gathering donations in order to give maintenance employees a nice gift,” Mary Luz Meza, TCS Foundation Director, said.  

During the school year, the TCS Foundation also helps several other foundations and campaigns for people all over Colombia. This year, many of these campaigns have occurred at the same time which has led to a shortfall in contributions.  

“We have found that this year many campaigns coincided at the same time, so many of the piggy banks have been neglected because everyone is giving or donating for some other campaign,” Meza said.

Maintenance people receive a $100.000 gift card from Exito and a gift that the school foundation buys.  

“Maintenance people look forward to receiving this gift card to use on things they need, on their necessities or on their children’s Christmas gifts,” Meza said.  

The Thanksgiving assembly gathers the entire school, Seniors escorting K4 students; all of the teachers and staff meet to enjoy a Thanksgiving celebration and acknowledge the contributions made by maintenance workers.

“I think it is really nice because there is a relationship between all people, the student’s, teacher, the administrators, maintenance and others. It is really nice because we form one entire family,” Fernando Correa, Maintenance worker, said.  

For many families, a holiday is not only about gifts or family reunions, it is about the joy that it brings to those who they cherish most.  

“It is a moment in which we wait during the entire year, because students have always been preoccupied about us, that we receive the best gift and that we are happy and satisfied with the gift we receive,” Lidia Flores, Maintenance worker, said.  

While Thanksgiving is a special time for acknowledging how grateful we are for all our blessings, thanking each other for the work everyone does in school happens all the time.  

“It is very satisfactory for us because we see how students thank us for all the job that we do for the school,” Flores said.

Each section at the school receives a piggy bank with the goal of filling them to the brim during the month.  

“The maintenance campaigns have always been a top priority, usually the High School raises the most money. This year we still hope to reach our school wide goal,” Meza said.