A cash register is essential to successfully running a cash business, but for the Tuttle Elementary School student bookstore, that key element was missing. That’s where the Grow Financial Foundation came in to help!

Seeing a need in our local community, the Grow Foundation was quick to act. Tom Cofer, Grow’s Area Manager for Manatee County and a member of the Grow Foundation board, visited Tuttle Elementary and the bookstore.

“I got to see firsthand what the bookstore means to the students. It’s very inspiring,” Cofer said. “There was a line at the door of kids waiting to get in the store.”

After the visit, the Grow Foundation, in partnership with Grow’s Youth & Schools Committee, purchased a cash register and donated it to the Tuttle Elementary School bookstore.

“This was a perfect fit for the Grow Foundation. Giving back to our communities is what we’re all about,” Cofer said

Since 2010, the bookstore has been managed by Amy Edelkind, a second-grade teacher at Tuttle Elementary, who has shaped the growth of the store and expanded how it serves the students.

“It’s amazing how much the bookstore has grown from its roots as a small pushcart selling books, to today we have a dedicated space complete with shelves to house the new and used books for sale, and now the cash register!” said Edelkind.

Student volunteers run the bookstore alongside her, and during the 2018-2019 school year they were introduced to the cash register and received training on how to operate it. In the coming school year, Edelkind hopes to increase the responsibility given to the volunteers and is excited for the new learning opportunities the machine has brought to students.

“The cash register is an invaluable tool for these kids. Students of all ages are learning from it; from understanding the process of making change for the older students to identifying coins for the younger ones. They’re learning customer service skills, business management and perhaps most importantly, the value of money. After all, these students are saving up their own money to buy the books.”

Edelkind loves the bookstore and it has truly become a part of her. “I would be there all day if I could. Reading is just so important” she said. “The love of reading starts in elementary school and I just want the kids to love reading and not have it become a chore that hinders them in school and beyond.”

This summer the Grow Foundation and the Grow Youth & Schools Committee hosted a Children’s Summer Reading Book Drive in our Florida stores and all books donated will benefit the Tuttle Elementary School bookstore. Thank you to our generous members and team members who are helping keep smiles on these young reader’s faces and encouraging their love of reading!

---

Posted In:

• News