Surprise Squad helps purchase classroom supplies for Arizona teachers

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Many Arizona students are already back in school, while others will return in the upcoming weeks. Some teachers will spend their own money to buy school supplies for their classrooms, which can impact their personal budgets.

That’s why Arizona’s Family’s Kylee Cruz and the Surprise Squad crew went to Treasures 4 Teachers in Tempe. Treasures 4 Teachers is a school supply store that sells education-related items to teachers at very low prices. Thanks to Valley Toyota Dealers, the Surprise Squad was able to foot the bills for some of the shoppers.

Kylee stopped two young women in their 20s who were shopping together. Olivia and Kayla student taught together in college, and are now great friends. Kayla told Kylee that sometimes schools will get a bunch of supplies, but once those are gone it’s up to the teachers to supplement the rest.

“We’re going to take care of your bill here at Treasures 4 Teachers,” Kylee told them. “Would that be okay?”

“That would be more than okay,” Olivia said with a big smile. The two friends loaded up their cart, even putting a traditional classroom globe like a cherry on top of their items.

Kylee struck up a conversation with a teacher named Callee, who works at Winters’ Well Elementary School in the Tonopah District. Callee said at times, it can be hard on her spouse when she spends money on school supplies when there are other needs at home. Callee gave a big smile when Kylee told her the bill would be picked up courtesy of the Surprise Squad.

The next person Kylee talked to was a woman named Celeste, who was shopping for classroom supplies with her daughter Jasmine. Celeste is a teacher at Kuban Elementary School in Phoenix. She was very grateful when Kylee told her Arizona’s Family was taking care of the bill because this allowed her to buy more things for every student in the classroom instead of just a few items.

Kylee then stopped Jessica, who teaches at Shaw Montessori School in downtown Phoenix. She told Kylee she’d already spent a couple hundred dollars on classroom supplies. Kylee told Jessica the Surprise Squad was covering things today. Kylee then handed Jessica a gift card worth $200, and she could do whatever she wanted with it.

The last teacher Kylee spoke with was Pearl, who teaches at Leman Academy of Excellence. Pearl told Kylee that when it came to budgeting her own money for supplies, she was kind of playing it by ear.

“What if I told you we were going to take care of all your supplies?” Kylee asked. “That’s amazing,” Pearl replied.

Kylee then handed Pearl a $200 gift card and told her to use it however she wanted. Pearl’s eyes watered up and she asked if she could give Kylee a hug.

“These are the great surprises in life,” said Joy Klein, the Executive Director of Treasures 4 Teachers. “Their heart just expands three times and we know that that goes into the classroom.”

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