As part of a donation tour, representatives from Transworld Business Advisors of East Texas visited Ramey Elementary School in Tyler ISD on Tuesday afternoon. The group made a significant donation to Tyler ISD schools, supporting their efforts to provide essential personal items to students in need.
“I think we live in a very generous community,” said Jeff Petersen, owner and broker of Transworld Business Advisors in East Texas. “We don’t understand all the needs that are going on behind the scenes.”
The initiative began when Mr. Peterson’s wife, Ann Marie Huber, shared a story about a student at another school who was punished for failing to present a lanyard with an identification tag. The student was suspended from school, but it was discovered that he had used a lace to tie the sole of his shoe to the top, effectively securing the shoe.
“My wife talked to one of the school counselors and she said this is a big problem,” Petersen said. “A lot of kids don’t have shoes on and there are all sorts of other problems.”
Petersen and his wife wanted to do something, so they contacted a friend and told him about it. Over time, the initiative raised a significant amount of money to purchase shoes, pants, backpacks, and other needed items.
“I have good friends…I called these people and told them there was a need like this going on in the community,” Petersen said. “They understood what we were doing from the heart and were very generous with their donations.”
In addition to Ramey Elementary School, several Tyler ISD campuses will also receive generous donations for students in need, including Bolter Middle School, Three Lakes Middle School, Hubbard Middle School, Dixie Elementary School and Jones Elementary School.
“We didn’t plan for this to be more than buying shoes and backpacks, but we were able to raise more money than we expected,” Petersen said. “We were fortunate to be able to celebrate these additional schools and additional families and really help the community, which is very important to us.”
Transworld Business Advisors of East Texas is a business brokerage firm that helps entrepreneurs buy and sell businesses, providing services such as valuation, marketing, and negotiation support. While they focus on connecting buyers and sellers, they also engage in community work to support local schools and charities.
“We’re not a charity. We don’t have a name, we don’t have a mission statement. We don’t have anything like that,” Petersen said. “We recognized the need to help and did everything we could.”
They were able to donate 60 pairs of shoes, 70 backpacks, 180 pairs of socks, 100 pairs of pants and shorts, 30 hoodies, and 100 pairs of underwear throughout Tyler ISD.
“We found that there was an even greater need. Some girls are getting their first period at school,” Petersen said. “I didn’t know it was a problem, but they need sanitary products…and matching pants.”
Kamha Devereaux, a fourth-grade math teacher, was contacted by Hoover and helped raise money for the school.
“It was such a blessing that she reached out,” Devereaux said. “I coached her son, so that’s where we connected and it became a great relationship.”
Mr. Devereaux provided Mr. Huber with the size and supplies needed for the donation drive, ensuring that all needed supplies were delivered to the students at Ramey Elementary School. Everything came together within a week.
“We’re very grateful because their needs will be met,” Devereaux said. “We always take into consideration academics and STAAR testing and everything else, but to meet the needs…I think the kids will really appreciate it.”
