The Columbia Giving Tree

The Columbia Giving Tree - Season 3, Episode 20

Columbia Local Education Association member Susie Dunn believes in working for the common good and making the community better by working together. She was recently named an Unsung Hero of the Labor Movement for her work taking care of the people in her Columbia Local Schools community through the Columbia Giving Tree project. 

DONATE | To support the work of the Columbia Giving Tree project, you can mail a check to:

Susie Dunn
Copopa Elementary School
13644 West River Road
Columbia Station, OH 44028
***CHECKS SHOULD BE MADE OUT TO THE GIVING TREE*** 

CONTACT | For more information, to volunteer as a donor family, or to learn about other ways you can help, email Susie Dunn at [email protected]

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Featured Education Matters guest: 

Susie Dunn, Columbia Local Education Association MemberSusie Dunn is the school counselor at Copopa Elementary School in the Columbia Local School District in Columbia Station, Ohio. It is a small, semi-rural township located in Lorain County near the Cuyahoga border (Strongsville). Dunn is the counselor in the elementary school, grades K-4, for about 375 students. She has been a counselor there since 2007, but served as a substitute teacher in Columbia Local Schools before taking that position. Dunn became involved in the Giving Tree Project in 2010, after her colleagues who started the program retired. She worked with another teacher until 2020 when the other teacher relocated to North Carolina. She then took over the entire project, not an easy feat! The Columbia Giving Tree serves about 25-30 families each year with donations of gifts and food to make sure that every family with needs can enjoy a lovely holiday with their children. They accept donations of gifts, cash, gift cards, and food from local grocery stores to provide a hearty meal as well as presents for children and families based on wish lists they receive from the families they contact. Their contact is made through referrals from teachers and staff at all three buildings in the district, Columbia Middle School, Columbia High School, and Copopa. 

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The Ohio Education Association represents about 120,000 teachers, faculty members and support professionals who work in Ohio’s schools, colleges, and universities to help improve public education and the lives of Ohio’s children. OEA members provide professional services to benefit students, schools, and the public in virtually every position needed to run Ohio’s schools.Education Matters host Katie Olmsted serves as Media Relations Consultant for the Ohio Education Association. She joined OEA in May 2020, after a ten-year career as an Emmy Award winning television reporter, anchor, and producer. Katie comes from a family of educators and is passionate about telling educators' stories and advocating for Ohio's students. She lives in Central Ohio with her husband and two young children.

This episode was recorded on January 10, 2023.