Teachers are an important part of any community because they give so much of themselves to educating children. With the sudden passing of Tamie Swanson, the residents of Brainerd, Minnesota, mourned the loss of the teacher who had dedicated 33 years of her life to educating young minds. In her honor, her husband Hal organized a Teacher Appreciation Day at Brainerd Ace Hardware to raise money for school supplies.

"Tamie was one of the nicest people on the planet," said Hal, Tamie’s husband and Brainerd Ace Hardware Manager. "She was passionate about her family, but a close second was her students at school."

On the day of Tamie’s funeral, there was a service for her at Baxter Elementary School, where she taught. Because she dedicated so much of her life to teaching, Hal wanted to find a special way to honor her. Working with Brainerd Ace Hardware, the school was able to organize a special event called Teacher Appreciation Day. The event raises money for school supplies and other materials that teachers need to dress up their classrooms, like seasonal decorations and motivational posters.

"Hal noticed Tamie needed extra stuff to jazz up and spruce up the classroom as a teacher," said Dr. Tammy Stellmach, Baxter Elementary School Principal. "Some of those additional things teachers have to get on their own to add some of those specialized touches to their classroom."

The first year of the event at Brainerd Ace Hardware was 2022. In the lead-up to the event, the store encouraged customers to round up their purchase to the nearest dollar and donate that extra change. Customers can also drop off school supply donations. On the day of the event, customers can take part in a variety of fun fundraising activities including face painting, a dunk tank, and food concessions. Ace vendors like Big Green Egg and Traeger also support the event’s BBQ cookout. In 2022, the event raised over $7,000 for school supplies. The plan is to grow the event each year, with a goal to raise over $10,000 in 2023.

"For Ace to be a part of the event, it shows the generosity and the true community spirit that Ace Hardware has," said Tammy. "Tamie was one of the greats. I think for her, it would bring tears to know how much she meant to people."

"Every Ace is local, and you need to be involved in your community," said Hal. "That’s what makes us different."