This past January I started working as a principal intern at an elementary school. One of the first meetings I had in this role was a meeting discussing a monthly PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions & Support) reward for our students. At my school, we put great emphasis on student voice, and one way we do this is asking them how they would like to be rewarded when they earn enough PBIS points. One of the top requests was a school-wide pizza party. When this request was brought up at our leadership meeting, one of the first comments was that the request would be complicated to grant due to the costs involved. Not to be deterred, and motivated by the book Rejection Proof, I spoke up and proclaimed that I would be happy to lead the way and attempt to fulfill this request. I was determined to find a way not only to get pizza for my students, but to get it for FREE. I believed there had to be a pizza place willing to donate, or another business willing to pay for it.
Two months after taking on this challenge, I was nearly ready to throw in the towel. I had been rejected twice, and at this point I was just looking for a generous discount so we could just use fundraiser money to pay for the pizza. The Monday of the week of the planned pizza party, I still hadn’t found a donor. At lunch I printed off 10 letters and set out to drop them off at every pizza place I could find. The first place I stopped was Domino’s Pizza I walked in with my letter and was greeted by the store manager. I had a big presentation in my mind, but when the moment came, I just handed her the paper, spit out a sentence, and let her read the letter. As I realized she was taking the time to read the entire letter right in front of me, my confidence grew. As she was reading, I reiterated how much we value student voice, how no one thought we could get a donation, and how I was determined to prove them wrong and bless our amazing students by making their wish come true. 5-minutes after walking into that store, the store manager, my newest hero, agreed to donate 30 pizzas to our school for FREE so every single student could have a slice as an afternoon snack to celebrate the positive behavior they’ve been exhibiting in school.
At the eleventh hour, I finally found what I was looking for. And for that, I want to give a massive shoutout and thank you to Domino’s Pizza at 1601 W. Innes in Salisbury, North Carolina. Their manager is awesome, and their ownership group is so generous, empowering their managers to make such impactful donations in their local communities. If you read this far, please consider placing an order or just giving them a call and thanking them for their generosity. You can reach them at (704) 636-1111. And never think your ideas or requests are too far-fetched. All you can do is ask, and see how others may be willing and able to bless you and make your dreams come true.
