Polk Oil awards $14,000 to East Texas schools

By MARCELLA HERNDON - Staff writer

GRANT RECIPIENTS - Polk Oil Company awarded $14,000 in grants, through the Exxon/Mobil Education Alliance, to 28 East Texas educators. Teachers will use grant money for items such as school supplies, school projects and educational equipment. Grant recipients pictured, from left, Barbara Roden from Corrigan-Camden, Pat Adams from Central, Lisa Jeffery from Diboll, Ben Wilroy from Huntington and Melanie Stubblefield from Huntington. (Photo by Marcella Herndon)

Carl Ray Polk, Jr., President and CEO of Polk Oil, accompanied by General Manager, Tom Selman presented 28, $500 grants to East Texas area teachers on Thursday, November 15, 2007 which included Diboll ISD.

Presenters and attendees gathered together at the Angelina County Chamber of Commerce to accept more than $14,000 in grants from the Polk Oil Company, made possible through the Exxon/Mobil Education Alliance. This is the eighth year that Polk Oil has applied for grants through the Exxon/Mobil Education Alliance program and the total awarded to East Texas schools through Polk Oil now exceeds $115,000. The program is designed to provide Exxon and Mobile retailers with an opportunity to invest in the future of their communities through educational grants to neighborhood schools.

"Polk Oil has always been committed to helping our local schools, teachers and their students in the classrooms," stated Carl Ray Polk, Jr. "The grant program is a wonderful opportunity for our company to give back to the communities that support our business through the year. We are proud to partner with the Exxon/Mobile Education Alliance to provide funds to area schools in the communities we serve."

Grants were awarded to teachers in Apple Springs, Central, Central Heights, Corrigan-Camden, Diboll, Huntington, Hudson, Kennard, Leggett and Lufkin. "The spending of the funds is left up to the educator's. How they use the funds for education is totally up to them," said Selman. Diboll Principal Lisa Jeffery stated that the funds accepted on behave of Diboll Primary School, will go toward some much needed educational supplies