5/13/05

Cooper Tools Donates $1,500 in Tools to Parks & Recreation

Thanks to a donation of more than $1,500 in tools, the Holly Springs Parks & Recreation Department will be even handier at repairing park grounds, facilities and equipment. The donation, made by Cooper Tools of Apex this month, included an assortment of tools – from five tool sets valued at $80 each to vice grips, tape measures to marker flags, a measuring wheel to soldering irons, and more.

“The Cooper Hand Tools Division is dedicated to supporting our local community,” said Michael Bobay, Cooper Tools operations manager and Holly Springs resident, in a letter to the Town. “With many of our associates living in and around Holly Springs, we felt it is important to support your department in the same manner that we have supported other communities for many years.”

Jed Poston, Parks & Recreation athletics program manger, said that now, instead of having a limited number of tools at centralized locations, the department's tool stock is more evenly and thoroughly dispersed throughout the different Holly Springs Parks & Recreation locations.

“This donation has helped us tremendously,” he said. “Now, we keep tools in the office, at ballparks, and in vehicles.”

Poston said that the donation also helped save the town money by replacing broken tools. He thanked both Bobay and Cooper Tools distribution manager Charlie Schlegelmilch for their assistance in acquiring the tools. Both are Holly Springs residents and serve as volunteer coaches with the department.

Poston said that Parks & Recreation named Cooper Tools an athletic sponsor through the department's youth athletic team sponsorship program, even though the company did not request the sponsorship. The sponsorship rewards from the Town will include displaying company's name on the back of a team's shirts, as well as awarding the company a plaque of appreciation.

“They didn't ask for anything in return,” Poston said. “But, we thought it would be a great gesture if we gave them a sponsorship.”

Last year, Cooper Tools also donated equipment – including carabineers for the batting cages – to the Town.

Town of Holly Springs - PO Box 8 - 128 South Main Street - Holly Springs, NC 27540 - (919) 552-6221 - Holly.Springs@hollyspringsnc.us