Television celebrity Ellen DeGeneres will never be forgotten in Guadalupe; neither will Anthony Carrino and ohn Colaneri of HGTV’s Kitchen Cousins. That’s because the television stars united to help Mary Buren Elementary repair its severely damaged library.
On Monday, Dec. 7, 2015, the Mary Buren Elementary School Library, which the Ellen DeGeneres Show and Target’s Thanks A Billion campaign responded to with $100,000, was unveiled on TV.
The library’s 11,000 books, furniture and other learning tools were lost after a flood in December 2014.
On Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2015, the Guadalupe Board of Education plans to name the renovated building The Ellen DeGeneres Show Learning Center at their board meeting.
“This project is an unbelievable gift to the students, staff and parents of the Guadalupe community,” said Guadalupe Union School District Superintendent Ed Cora. “The school district board of trustees expresses their sincere gratitude to Ellen, the Cousins, construction crew and everyone else who had a part in this wonderful gift.”
The dream to improve literacy in this small, hard-working agricultural town began when teachers Ashley Thompson and Cathee Barkley wrote a letter contacting the television show and explaining the circumstances of the total devastation last December.
When Ellen recently heard that the board members were going to name the library after her show, she and her staff went the extra distance.
They connected with Carrino and Colaneri from HGTV’s Kitchen Cousins, who brought in a construction crew and started work Monday, Nov. 30, working feverishly to complete the makeover in just four days. It’s a state of the art learning center and comfortable environment for students, staff and parents.
Prior to the generous gift from the Ellen DeGeneres Show, the school was only able to gather about $8,000. Thanks to DeGeneres and partners, the Guadalupe Union School District now has the learning center of their dreams.
— Kenny Klein is the media affairs officer at the Guadalupe Union School District.