“In an ideal world, we wouldn’t need Four Peaks for Teachers,” says Neill. And the costs of those items add up.” Neill says she spent $1,000 on supplies during a nine-month period early in her teaching career, and, though the school district she’s in currently is much better about providing equipment for teachers, she still spends hundreds of dollars a year on extra supplies for her students. “Part of why Four Peaks for Teachers is so great,” she continues, “is because the kits that are donated come with those things young teachers assume they’re automatically given. “They don’t realize they need things like staplers or scissors, and their school districts might not provide them. “First-year teachers legitimately have nothing,” Neill says. She says the program is vital - especially for new teachers. Jess Neill, a teacher and instructional coach for the Laveen Elementary School District, has participated in Four Peaks for Teachers since the program’s inception nine years ago. In fact, teachers can even reserve these free school supply kits. Teachers from New Mexico, Nevada and Arizona had the chance to pick up these precious kits in 2020. Four Peaks has scaled these efforts by adding more kit pick-up locations. The program has continued to grow every year. As more Kilt Lifter was sold and more direct donations made, the volume of supplies that was able to be included in each kit also expanded. In September, these funds were used to purchase, fill and distribute kits of school supplies to 10,000 teachers. The company began setting aside a portion of sales for its popular Scottish ale, Kilt Lifter. In order to accomplish this lofty goal, Four Peaks got started back in July. This year, the brewery’s goal is to distribute 10,000 kits to teachers in Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada. Four Peaks employees take these items and create kits to hand out for free in multiple cities and states. The current program takes these financial donations, then purchases the supplies teachers most need - from scissors and staplers to pencils and paper. This need is something that has not only become apparent but has reached a critical tipping point as schools struggle to even open for in-person learning.įour Peaks for Teachers now raises funds through both direct donations and Four Peaks’ beer sales. ![]() On average, a teacher will put forth nearly $500 annually, although many were found to spend nearly double that amount. In fact, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, 94% of teachers spend their own money to stock their classrooms with the necessary supplies and resources. Teachers have one of the toughest and most important jobs in the country, and it’s hard to believe they’re asked to do that job without the supplies they need. ![]() “But it’s also frustrating that the financial burden on teachers only keeps growing. “It’s humbling to see how Four Peaks for Teachers has grown to impact more and more teachers over the years,” Scussel says. Now in its tenth year, the initiative was specifically created to help reduce the financial burden on teachers in the Southwest, many of whom spend hundreds of dollars on school supplies each year without reimbursement. The bartenders and servers boxed everything up and handed out school supply kits to 350 teachers that first year. In the program’s first year, the Four Peaks team engaged the brewpub’s customers to donate school supplies directly to the brewery. Scussel recognized the plight these educators were experiencing and created the Four Peaks for Teachers program in 2011. ![]() This initiative started one day as Jim Scussel, Four Peaks Brewing Company co-founder, overheard a few regulars who happened to be teachers venting about how much money they spend on school supplies each year. 1 locally made beer in Arizona, but it has facilitated the overwhelming success of their 2020 Four Peaks for Teachers campaign. Kilt Lifter’s popularity has not only served as 60% of Four Peaks’ overall brew and the No. Having won multiple medals at the Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup for this brew, Kilt Lifter has been the cornerstone of their business. This success is thanks in large part to their flagship beer, Kilt Lifter. Now, two decades later, they’ve maintained that neighborhood pub mentality while proposing and eventually partnering up with Anheuser-Busch to share their unique brews beyond Arizona and into the world. Nearly three years after the idea for Four Peaks was hatched, they finally opened the brewery. Having their start funded from the resale of large vessels perfect for serving beer, otherwise known as Grundy tanks, the founders of Four Peaks are accustomed to finding solutions to everyday problems.
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