Parents Step Ahead with Nissan Hold Event to Celebrate Month of the Family

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DALLAS, Texas, March 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Parents Step Ahead held an event March 5 in conjunction with Nissan to Beautify America's Schools and celebrate the Month of the Family. Parents Step Ahead and Nissan joined forces with 200 volunteers to undertake a family day of community service projects to beautify three schools in Irving, Texas.

The three schools were Lee Britain Elementary, Bowie Middle School, and Nimitz High School. Each school had a special project to improve their campus. Lee Britain Elementary's special project was furnishing their Parent Center with items such as furniture, toys, and bookshelves to make the center a comfortable place for the school's parents. Bowie Middle School focused their project on adding greenery to their campus. With the assistance of Oasis Landscaping, volunteers planted flowers around the entrance to enhance the school's appearance. Volunteers at Nimitz constructed shelving for a closet to store donated clothing for their students in need.

"More than 85% of the students who attend these schools come from economically disadvantaged families. With the help of Parents Step Ahead and Nissan, we were able to address some serious needs in the schools," said Juan Carlos Martinez, District Coordinator of Parent Involvement for Irving Independent School District. "We hope through the building of the closet, maintenance of the grounds, and the enhancement of a parent center, families and students will be able to concentrate on what is important…education."

The day began with a kick-off rally at Bowie Middle School for volunteers with breakfast provided by McDonald's and remarks from Irving City Manager Tommy Gonzalez and Irving City Council Member Michael E. Gallaway.  

The event's sponsors were Nissan, McDonald's, and Wal-Mart. Nissan and Wal-Mart not only provided funding for the items purchased, but also sent volunteers to aid with the projects. "Nissan is proud to be a part of this community event," said Dale Walker, Director, Consumer Services and Privacy, Nissan Motor Acceptance Corporation. "These schools are located right in our backyard and our employees were eager to volunteer."  

"The community has been good to Wal-Mart and it is our responsibility to give back to it," said Anthony Autry, Regional Merchandise Manager, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. "For me, it personally feels good to help out with such a wonderful event." The day's events concluded with the raffle of computer laptops for volunteers.

Parents Step Ahead encourages families to celebrate Month of the Family by devoting one day a week to quality family time. "What better way is there to make America beautiful than by helping out our schools in need while spending time as a family. We were extremely excited to partner with Nissan to provide families an opportunity to celebrate March as Month of the Family by giving back to their community," said Lupita Colmenero, Founder and Chair of Parents Step Ahead.

For more information, visit www.parentsstepahead.org.

SOURCE Parents Step Ahead