SAFETY HARBOR, Fla — With some personal flair and a whole lot of love, Rachel and Richie Wilson owners of Gigglewaters in Safety Harbor have aimed cupid’s bow.
“Every parent who’s had a kid home during the shut down has become very appreciative of the teachers and we wanted to show some extra love on Valentine’s Day,” said Rachel.
Dozens of cards with a personalized thank you note, a Gigglewaters gift card and two free movie tickets stuffed neatly inside are now in the hands of staff members at Safety Harbor Middle and Elementary school.
”When we first started doing Feeding the Front Lines [fundraiser] we didn’t just feed the doctors,” Richie said. “We fed the janitorial staff and the cafeteria staff — it’s all-inclusive, we’re not singling out anyone special group for what they do because it’s a cohesive unit."
The same goes for their Food for Thought fundraiser which helps lift up teachers and all the staff members that help make a school successful.
“It just encourages and motivates the staff and it’s just so greatly appreciated by everyone,” said Cecilia Palmer, Principal of Safety Harbor Elementary school.
“Surely when you go through challenging times it really brings out the humanity in people,” said Danny Boulieris, principal at Safety Harbor Middle school. “More than ever we’ve received so much love from our parents and from our community.”
Richie says it’s also a way for him to give back on a personal level.
“It felt good to do it because I was a stinker my whole life in school and so this is a big mea culpa and I’m sorry to every teacher I’ve ever had out there if they see this,” Richie laughed.
“Tell Richie that I get it totally as a middle school principal these are formative years where kids are learning about who they are and they’re making mistakes,” laughed Boulieris. “But we get so many kids that come back to just say thank you or say I’m sorry.”
The love and kindness are clearly reciprocated.
