(Le Mars) — The five winners of the Jimmie Johnson Helmet of Hope charitable campaign have been announced and Le Mars Community School Foundation is a winner. The NASCAR driver and his foundation sponsors a program which offers $25,000 to organizations that support K-12 public education. The five finalists were selected through on-line voting following a listing of the top ten programs. Le Mars Community School Superintendent Dr. Todd Wendt says he is most grateful to the people of Le Mars for showing their overwhelming support for the school by voting online.
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Wendt says the grant is much appreciative and will definitely benefit Le Mars Community School District, but at this time, there isn’t a specific project targeted for the funding.
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Jack Guenthner is the president of the Le Mars Community School Foundation and shares his thoughts upon learning of Le Mars winning the program.
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Guenthner says it was Wells Enterprises that first notified Le Mars Community Schools about the opportunity.
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The school foundation president says when the foundation board meets again in June, they will discuss how the grant money will be allocated.
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The other four winners include large municipalities across the nation, with such cities as Denver, Colorado; Naples, Florida; Dayton, Ohio; and Charlotte, North Carolina. Guenthner says it is a tribute to the people of Le Mars for turning out the votes against the much larger cities.
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The Helmet of Hope campaign is co-sponsored by Wells Blue Bunny ice cream company. In addition to winning the grant, the recipients will also enjoy an ice cream party.
