O'FALLON, Ill. — Spirits were lifted at an elementary school in O'Fallon, Illinois, after receiving a generous donation from an "anonymous angel."
The act of kindness showed how one teacher's lasting impact is coming back full circle.
The gloomy weather surrounding Hinchcliffe Elementary School on Tuesday morning couldn't shake the feeling of gratitude throughout the building.
"We were just all very touched by it. It was very nice to be remembered in this way," fifth-grade teacher Cindy Geller said.
A couple of days ago on Friday, Dec. 9, a woman dropped off a holiday card at the school in O'Fallon, Illinois.
The woman left $200 inside with an unsigned note that asked that the money be used to pay off outstanding lunch balances.
The letter read in part, "I attended Hinchcliffe as a child and wanted to give back to the community that gave so much to me."
Along with the generous donation, there was a special shoutout included to her first- and second-grade teacher, "During that time my mom was on assignment in the Air Force overseas, without Ms. Geller, I don't know if I would've passed those grades," the letter said.
The "anonymous angel" left as quickly as she came, not knowing the teacher that impacted her so much is still impacting students to this day.
Geller described it as an "honor" to be remembered this way.
"It really felt like a reward for a job that I love anyway, and I share that story with pretty much every teacher in this building. I've seen this come back and this one took off in a big way, which I'm thankful for because I think teaching is a great profession, and I think it sheds a light on that," she said.
According to Principal Kristie Carroll, the money in the card can help about 15 to 20 struggling families, but she said the card did much more than help the school financially.
"It has touched not only Ms. Geller, but it has been a buzz throughout the whole school. This whole week everybody's talking about it and thinks it's so special," she said.
Carroll said every year there are students who need some extra support.
"To think that some of those families don't even know who provided that for them, but I'm sure are very excited and happy to receive that assistance, especially this time of year," she said.
If the "anonymous angel" taught this elementary school anything, it's the power of taking the time to just say 'thank you.'
"Take the time to go back and thank people and show your appreciation. It doesn't have to be a huge gift of any kind. It can just be a small token of appreciation and it really goes a long way." Carroll said.
Geller and the former student did make contact with each other, and the former student had Geller as a teacher nearly 30 years ago.
According to Geller, the former student got the idea from a viral Facebook post about paying off school lunch debt.
Geller said the former student's mom wrote a letter to her class while she was deployed.
"When her mother was in the military, she sent a letter to my class, from Santa Claus from the North Pole, and I read it to my class and every student just loved it, so I shared it year after year after year," she said.
Unfortunately, Geller said she misplaced it during the pandemic.
"It's a wonderful letter and her mom just wanted a way to kind of reach out. She couldn't be at class parties, and she couldn't be here as much as some of the other mothers, so she sent the letter kind of just representing her love for her daughter and for the class," she said.
Geller and the former student are meeting up on Wednesday, Dec. 14, afternoon.
Geller said the former student is bringing a copy of the letter her mom sent Mrs. Geller all those years ago.
"I can't wait to see the letter again. I shared it with my class every year, and I can't wait to share it with this year's group and see her again and touch base," she said.
If you would like to pay it forward and help with school lunch debt, some districts accept donations.
You can donate to Francis Howell School District here.
Parkway Schools accepts donations in the mail. Checks can be mailed to the Parkway Nutrition Services. Include a letter noting the donation should go into the "Care & Share" account and if the donation should be earmarked for a specific school:
Parkway Nutrition Services
Attn: Rachael Mintz
363 N. Woods Mill Road
Town & Country, MO 63017
Many area school districts provide free meals to students through the Community Eligibility Provision. These schools would make good use of general donations from the community:
Ritenour School District has several programs collections donations here.
St. Louis Public Schools Foundation is raising money for the recovery after the October shooting at Central VPA & Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience.