'This is why I smile:' Donald Driver visits school that won Goodwill Industries Pack’er Up Donation Challenge
PEWAUKEE -- Red and black are usually the colors of the Pewaukee School District, but on Monday, May 21, they were replaced with a sea of green and gold.
Green Bay Packers' Hall of Famer Donald Driver was the special guest at an assembly celebrating Pewaukee Lake Elementary School.
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Donald Driver
“It’s exciting every time you come back to Wisconsin. You still get the same love as if I was playing," the former wide receiver said.
Pewaukee Lake finished first out of 730 schools in southeast Wisconsin in the Goodwill Industries Pack’er Up Donation Challenge.
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Kayden Passint and Nolan Passint
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Kayden Passint
“I liked it because it was a Packer player, and Donald Driver is one of my favorites," said first-grader Kayden Passint, who -- along with his twin brother Nolan -- wore matching Green Bay helmets.
The students in kindergarten through third grade collected an astounding 65,909 items, all donated to the local Goodwill. Overall, the participating schools donated more than 882,000 items to Goodwill.
“People ask me why I smile so much and this is why I smile -- because kids like this don’t understand the impact that they have, but one day they will," said Driver.
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Donald Driver
Driver spent his 14-year career with the Packers rewriting the record books. Now a New York Times bestselling author, he read one of his books on anti-bullying to the students.
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John Vitale
“I liked the reading because I have all other kinds of books by him," said Brady Vullings, K-5 student.
“We have to teach kids now that education comes first, sports comes second, and if we can teach that, then kids understand that there is always a brighter future out there," said Driver.
There was even a surprise gift for the daughter of Associate Principal John Vitale, who is serving overseas in the Navy.
“When I FaceTime her sometime today and let her know, she’s going to be screaming all the way across the ocean from Japan," said Vitale.
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Donald Driver
Packers' pride is worldwide!