Intel matches employee volunteer hours at Maricopa Elementary

“Make sure you are dressed nice,” Deanne Coder, a Maricopa Elementary PTO member, told the school’s principal, Bonnie Gibson.

Gibson said she normally goes to the PTO meetings, but that Coder had a sneaky look whenever she mentioned the meeting scheduled for Oct. 23.

When the time for the meeting rolled around, Gibson learned the reason for the sneakiness; Coder wanted to surprise the principal with a $1,270 check.

“I was shocked when they gave me the check,” Gibson said.

The check was part of a program put on by Intel. For every hour an Intel employee volunteers at a school or other non-profit organization, the company provides a $10 per hour match.

Coder’s husband, Marc, is one of several Intel employees who volunteered at the school last year.

“We didn’t even really know how the program worked so we weren’t tracking my hours,” Marc said.

However, the two have been keeping a close eye on the number of hours Marc has volunteered this year and believe he has already earned the school close to $2,000.

The Coders want other members in the community to know about the program and how it works.

“There are a sizable number of Intel employees who work in the community and don’t even know about the program,” Marc said.

For more information on the Intel program visit: www.intel.com/community/iimgp.htm

Photo courtesy of Deanne Coder