Three Chicopee Businesses Step Up to the Plate for Elementary Students
CHICOPEE — Students at Fairview Veterans Memorial Elementary School were not happy when they learned their field trip to the New England Aquarium in Boston was going to be cancelled due to lack of funding. In fact, many of them were crying.
That’s when Marty Topor, owner of Central Oil, decided to step in and see what he could do. Over the course of an afternoon, he reached out to Bob Pion Buick/GMC and E.J. O’Neill Insurance Agency to enlist them in a fundraising effort to put the field trip back on track. Within a few hours, the three businesses had pooled together enough money to pay for the two buses needed to transport the 100 students to Boston for a day at the aquarium on Thursday, Nov. 1.
“These kinds of trips are a memorable part of being a kid,” says Topor. “I’d hate to see these kids denied a great experience just because they were coming up a few bucks short. We were all very happy to chip in and make it happen.”
The students are happy as well. They’ve invited Topor and the other business owners to the school so they can thank them personally. The business owners and Mayor Richard Kos have also been invited to see the buses off the morning of the field trip. Darby O’Brien Advertising has volunteered to film the trip and create a video for the students to enjoy.
