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Students at Charm Elementary launch balloonsBalloon launches connect area students to business celebration
By Christine Pratt - Staff Writer - The Holmes County Shopper. April 14, 2011
They watched as the helium filled orbs fell victim to the wind, which carried the colorful assembly up and east of Charm Elementary School.
The recent balloon launch, sponsored by Keim Lumber, was a means to involve area students in celebration of the business' 100th anniversary, according to store manager Marion Miller. The event, held not only at Charm, but Mount Hope and Winesburg elementary schools, also was a way to promote the business' anniversary sale, Wednesday-Saturday.
Attached to the balloons were postcards onto which each child's name was written. The postcard returned to Keim from the farthest distance earned the corresponding child a $30 store gift card. All participating children were entered in a drawing for a $15 gift card.
"We do quite a bit with the community, especially charm school," said Miller, noting the school children annually make the trek to the store on the hill to sing Christmas carols.
Use of the balloon launch, Miller said, conjured memories of his own childhood and the thrilling potential of hearing back from someone who located the balloon hundreds of miles away. He hoped to see the balloons travel as far as West Virginia and Pennsylvania. The company offers free delivery to customers within a 150-mile radius and engages in online sales to locations far beyond.
It's not the typical hardware store. "The way the store is laid out, people walk in and ... wow. It's overwhelming," Miller said. Not only do they sell lumber, they sell the finished products. And, while they try to have anything and everything imaginable in stock, on the odd chance they don't have something, they can get it.
"If you can dream it, we can make it," Miller said, citing custom work that has grown to include kitchens, decks, bathrooms, fireplace mantels and doors.
The business also serves as a community center, which opens its doors to community events and educational programs.
Many of the local students know at least someone who works there, said Nikki Hamsher, librarian at Charm Elementary.
"The kids are so excited," she said of the balloon launch and the ongoing relationship between the business and the school. "They love going up to Keim for ice cream cones. They like going out and doing things. A lot of their family members work there, and there's a real connection."
The business, she said, is financially able to provide for the students much of what would have been impossible otherwise.
A variety of children's activities, including face painting and a visit from a clown, are on the agenda for anniversary celebrations at the business.
Reporter Christine L. Pratt can be reached at 330-674-5676 or cpratt@the-daily-record.com.
http://www.holmescountyshopper.com/news/article/5016170