On Thursday, July 29, Main Elementary School experienced a generous donation from an unexpected community partner. Waste Water Industrial Solutions (WWIS), out of Atlanta, donated 500 brand new backpacks and 500 reusable water bottles, one of each, for each student at Main.
As a company that specializes in the repair, design, and maintenance of wastewater treatment equipment, WWIS has been working with the Rome Water Reclamation Facilities on Blacks Bluff Rd.
WWIS Chief Executive Officer, Virginia Murphy, said that when the company visits new communities for work, they don’t leave without first exercising a little altruism.
“Wherever we go we make sure we give back to that community we’re working in,” she explained. “So it’s not just about us getting money, it’s about us supporting that community as well.” Murphy stressed that giving back is just as important to WWIS as getting jobs.
It was fortuitous timing that WWIS happened to be working here in Rome, during preparations for back to school.
“I know a lot of families struggled financially during the pandemic,” Main Elementary Principal, Dr. LaRoyce Sublett, said. “Just to have that new quality backpack and water bottle is going to be awesome for these students and I think a lot of parents are going to be pleased.”
Maintenance Supervisor with the Water Reclamation Facilities, Tommy Freeman, said he feels that it’s entirely heartening to see this kind of generosity.
“A company that is being paid by our tax dollars to do a project,” Freeman said, “and then giving back to our community…it’s very unheard of I think.”
WWIS is certified as a Woman Owned Small Business and a Woman’s Business Enterprise. Murphy explained that the philanthropy WWIS does for the communities in which they work has also included women’s grants and, during COVID quarantine, they even paid mortgages for those in need. They have already said that when they find themselves in the area again, they will most definitely be checking in on Main Elementary.
Dr. Sublett said that he feels this generosity is a strong motivator to start the year off.
“I’m looking forward to continuing this partnership,” Dr. Sublett expressed. “We can’t be as successful as we want to be as a team without people being involved with us and joining the team. My motto is ‘together as one, achieve more.’ They are now part of our team to help us reach our goals for our students.”
