By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City, Tenn.–Traditional holidays are built around giving and receiving.
Members of Union City School System faculty and staff will experience both this year.
Director of Schools Wes Kennedy will present each employee $200 in “Tornado Cash” as their Christmas bonus with that money to be spent with area businesses and merchants who are members of the Obion County Chamber of Commerce and Main Street Union City.
The “shop local” theme encourages UCSS personnel to patronize those “who support us,” according to Kennedy, who added that UC Schools had spent $50,000 total in the transaction.
“Our town and our community have been loyal and consistently have supported our students in so many ways,” the head of Union City Schools said. “Whether it’s fund-raisers for extracurricular activities, the arts or just unsolicited contributions to the many things that our students are involved in, business owners and companies that are locally-owned have always been good to us.
“This is just a small way we can give back to them.”
Tornado Cash will be issued in $10 increments and will be accepted/honored by more than 325 businesses who belong to the OC Chamber of Commerce and more than 125 members of Main Street Union City.
From retail to restaurants and everything in between, Kennedy is certain Tornado Cash can and will be well-spent. A complete listing of Chamber and Main Street members can be found on their respective websites.
“Certainly, internet shopping has become popular in recent years, but our local businesses are the backbone of where we live and who we are as a community,” Kennedy concluded. “I appreciate them, and I know our faculty and staff do as well.
“I’m hopeful that Union City Schools’ support lets those people know just how much they’re valued.”