"It's about helping others"

by Joshua Wood

Even before the arrival of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Wyoming forced the closure of multiple businesses in the Valley, a wave of support was beginning to form. As small businesses took a hit, posts on social media were encouraging people to purchase gift cards from those that would eventually be forced to close their doors.

That is exactly what Scott Bokelman, industrial technology teacher at Saratoga Middle/High School (SMHS), decided to do.

"I just actually saw a post that somebody had put on somewhere else about a way to help businesses that were shutting down was to buy gift cards and then that would give them cash up front and then you could use them down the line when things were rolling again for them," said Bokelman. "I thought it was a pretty good idea."

Before Bokelman could begin purchasing gift cards from the restaurants in the Valley, however, he needed to get approval. Bokelman sent a text message to SMHS Principal Darren Jennings, who also liked the idea, and the next step was to get approval from the Carbon County School District No. 2 (CCSD2) business office.

"Once we got that, it was a go," Bokelman said.

Along with being the industrial technology teacher at SMHS, Bokelman is also the sponsor for the Saratoga chapter of TechKids/SkillsUSA, which has put on successful fundraisers through "Chip in for Cancer" and the "5K Color Run/Walk". While the group donates funds to the Corbett Medical Foundation and the Wyoming Breast Cancer Initiative, they have also donated money to other causes in the past few years.

"When the fire department had to battle the fire at the mill, we decided to make a $500 donation to the fire department and I asked each class to give me a show of hands who would support that through our tech activity fund and it was 100 percent," said Bokelman. "One of our fellow students needed some medicine that they couldn't pay for, so I asked them again if we could help with that through our tech fund and it was 100 percent."

With schools across the state closed, Bokelman didn't have the opportunity to talk to his students about this most recent venture.

"I just know, in my heart, that if I would ask our kids about supporting all the restaurants that have supported us in the past I just know it'd be 100 percent," Bokelman said. "I went ahead and just did it once we got approval."

The gift cards that were purchased weren't in any small amount. Bokelman went to each restaurant in the Valley and purchased a $250 gift card. That ended up totalling to $2,500 with a gift card at each eatery.

"What a great surprise that was. I didn't even know what was going on at first. He had told me on the phone that he had needed a gift certificate. It's an excellent example of how we should really live our lives," said Steve Deorio, owner of The Grumpy Italian. "When everybody comes into the restaurant and asks for a donation, we try to provide everyone with something. To have that in the payback, pay it forward, is awesome."

A handful of the restaurants had begun closing their doors to dine-in service by the time the industrial technology teacher made his way around the Valley. With a sudden change in how some of these places were going to do business, the purchases of those gift cards went a long way.

"I actually saw some tears in their eyes being so thankful for people thinking of them by doing this," said Bokelman.

"It made me cry. It made all my employees cry," said Marie Christen, owner of Sweet Marie's Bakeshop. "That day was ... the lowest in sales we had ever had and to see Scott come in and buy that large of a gift card from us was amazing. It was just really nice to see that support."

For some of the business owners, the purchase of the gift card was something that could help go towards keeping payroll for their employees.

"We're so grateful to the tech kids for purchasing those gift certificates. You know, $250 goes a long way to pay staff right now and, honestly, that's our biggest concern until this blows over," said Cassie Orduno, co-owner of Bella's Bistro.

"It's incredible. It's that kind of thing that means so much. Even if it doesn't offset all the loss of a single day, it is so huge to see something like that. It gives energy and spark to the team that is far more than just a purchase," said Danny Burau, owner of Firewater Public House. "That's the thing about a small community that I think is so powerful and impactful."

While the orders put out by Governor Mark Gordon have now listed a date of April 17, it is possible that they could go longer. Even if the April 17 date stays and businesses throughout the Valley are able to reopen their dine-in services, the economic impact could be felt for months afterwards. Part of Bokelman's hopes is that the purchase of the gift cards would motivate and inspire others to support the restaurants.

"We're kind of hoping it would kind of spin-off on the public and people would go ahead and continue to order curbside service and buy gift cards ... to support them so they could keep going for the next couple months," said Bokelman. "It's about helping others. It's a good lesson and, honestly, I think the world is learning a big lesson right now."