When Jay Reid, print specialist, Ivory Ella, www.ivoryella.com, a decorated apparel company offering preprinted merchandise in Westerly, R.I., reached out to Stahls’, Sterling Heights, Mich., to contribute to a project he was organizing to benefit Lawrence County High School, Lawrenceburg, TN, the company was happy to respond.
Reid became aware of the high school when he found that votes for his company’s design and the high school’s entry in the Wearables T-Shirt Challenge For Charity contest were neck in neck. After contacting the teacher of the digital design class, Sandy Wheeley, he found out she was operating on a shoestring budget and in need of equipment and supplies.
He proceeded to contact his suppliers to see what he could collect on behalf of the class. Stahls’ responded with a heat press, heat applied graphics materials and accessories. As part of this effort, Ivory Ella sent Reid to the school to be a guest instructor Sept. 25-27 during which time he presented Wheeler with all the donations.
Wheeley teaches a digital design class and a screen printing class. There are estimated 200 students in her combined classes during the year.