On July 8, Danella’s Pennsylvania operations visited the Colonial School District’s Extended School Year programs, where students interacted with backhoes, trucks, bucket trucks, directional drills, and more.
Organized by Joe Spause (President), in partnership with Dr. Cait Gilmartin (Supervisor of Elementary Special Education), the event was a community outreach initiative to introduce children to the heavy machinery they’ve likely seen in passing. The goal was to create a safe environment and allow children to explore the equipment under the watchful eye of Danella’s team. What resulted was a rewarding experience for all our team members involved, as they saw so many smiling faces of excitement.
Though there was some initial hesitation, the students quickly overcame their fears of the large equipment once they learned they could honk the vehicle horns. After the first loud horn sounded, an unofficial contest of who could honk the loudest and longest developed. Not only were the students able to sit on many pieces of equipment, but they also learned what each one did. Some were also very curious about the cost, while others shared their deep knowledge of what everything did. In the case of the bread van, which Danella uses to store hand equipment, students were able to walk fully through a new truck to see what it looked like before it was deployed to the field. Students were also given a slew of Danella gifts to take home, including shirts, helmets, coloring books, and stress balls.
Part of the work we do at Danella is ensuring we invest in the future of our country and industry. In the past, this has primarily been done through our Danella Cares initiatives and Christmas Project. But events like these are critical to introduce children, our future, to the work we do. Those children who show immense interest in these pieces of equipment might someday become the next Danella equipment operator, foreman, superintendent, or field laborer.
Check out the article from Colonial School District here.