On the eve of the one-year anniversary of the North Dallas tornados, H-E-B/Central Market announced at a press conference today that Central Market is donating $1 Million to the Dallas Education Foundation for the direct benefit of Dallas ISD as it continues with the rebuilding process.
“My staff knows that I’m in pursuit of ‘wow,’ and this is a ‘wow’ moment,” Superintendent Michael Hinojosa said.
Tornadoes on Oct. 20, 2019, changed the entire landscape of a 15-mile stretch in North Dallas, including 10 Dallas ISD schools, three of which experienced significant damage and were not able to reopen at their original campuses.
“H-E-B/Central Market is committed not only to rebuilding the Preston Royal corner, but we are committed to this community as a whole,” said Stephen Butt, president, Central Market/H-E-B Division. “Our company has a long-standing commitment to public education throughout the state and we’re proud to participate in helping Dallas ISD with additional funds to rebuild these schools in our own backyard. On the anniversary of the tornado, we’re hoping to re-energize the attention still needed to rebuild this part of the city and are inviting others to join us in these efforts.”
Mita Havlick, executive director of the Dallas Education Foundation said, “H-E-B/Central Market understands, through their many years of supporting public education, that it takes a community to educate a child. We are beyond grateful to H-E-B/Central Market and Mr. Butt for this incredibly generous gift. Even more so, we appreciate their commitment to community and our Dallas ISD students, teachers and schools, especially those whose lives have been forever impacted by the October 2019 tornadoes.”
In addition to the $1 million gift, Central Market is gifting 50 new trees to the neighborhood through the RETREET organization. One of the signatures of this well-established Dallas community is the beautiful mature canopy of trees throughout – most of which were destroyed during the storm. The trees will be replanted to help bring the area back to its original beauty.
