ISHPEMING, Mich., Nov. 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Sunshine Oelfke, the 5-year-old who emptied her
piggy bank to buy milk for her classmates who couldn't afford it,
received a big surprise in celebration of her selfless act. During
a schoolwide gathering at Birchview Elementary, Textron Specialized
Vehicles presented Sunshine with her own Arctic Cat®
ZR® 120 model snowmobile, which is the dream sled
Sunshine had been diligently saving for prior to realizing she had
friends in need.
Sunshine's' Milk Mission, which began when Sunshine donated all
of her own savings, has been tugging at heartstrings across the
nation, with donations to her Go Fund Me page now exceeding
$13,000. That's 16 times the amount
it would take to buy her entire classroom milk for one whole
year.
"We are all so thrilled for the positivity Sunshine has helped
bring to our school," said Birchview Elementary Principal
Bernie Anderson. "We encourage our
students to treat others the way you want to be treated. For
Sunshine to see the needs at our school and do something about it,
makes us very proud."
During the schoolwide celebration, Sunshine and her grandmother,
Jackie Oelfke, presented the first
check to the school of $5,000, which
will cover the cost of milk for the 74 pre-Kindergarten and
Kindergartners for the rest of the year. The check presentation was
followed by the surprise reveal of the youth Arctic Cat
snowmobile.
"We were so touched by Sunshine's generosity that we were eager
to do something special for her and show our support for the
Ishpeming community," said Kale
Wainer, snow channel marketing manager at Textron Specialized
Vehicles Inc., which designs and manufactures Arctic Cat
snowmobiles. "I think we can all afford to be more compassionate
and fearless, and Sunshine sets a great example for us."
"Sunshine is a snowmobile fanatic. We rode over 800 miles
together just last year, and she never touched her Arctic Cat piggy
bank prior to this mission because she had her heart set on that
snowmobile," said Jackie Oelfke.
"That's why I was so taken aback when I saw her emptying her coins
into baggies and taking them to school. To see this little girl
have such a big heart at her age is amazingly heartwarming, and I
am just so glad that people want to spread her message of
kindness."
The company is also donating snow gear to the school for those
who may not have access to adequate winter gear. For more
information about Arctic Cat's youth snowmobiles, visit
www.arcticcat.com/snow/snowmobiles/youth.
About Textron Specialized Vehicles Inc.
Textron
Specialized Vehicles Inc., a Textron Inc. company, is a leading
global manufacturer of golf cars, utility and personal
transportation vehicles, snowmobiles, side-by-sides, all-terrain
vehicles, professional turf-care equipment, and ground support
equipment. Textron Specialized Vehicles markets products under the
E-Z-GO®, Cushman®, Arctic Cat®,
Textron Off Road™, Jacobsen®, Dixie
Chopper®, Ransomes®, TUG™, Douglas™, Premier™
and Safeaero™ brands.
About Textron Inc.
Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) is a
multi-industry company that leverages its global network of
aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide
customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known
around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter,
Cessna, Beechcraft, Hawker, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO,
Greenlee, Textron Off Road, Arctic Cat, Textron Systems, and TRU
Simulation + Training. For more information
visit www.textron.com.
About Ishpeming Public
Schools
The Ishpeming Public School District is located in
the heart of Michigan's Upper
Peninsula, with a K-12 population of over 800. The ongoing mission
of the district is to prepare all students to be self-motivated,
responsible and productive citizens in a rapidly changing
world.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Kale Wainer
800-279-0179 x1799
kwainer@textron.com
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SOURCE Textron Inc.