Peepers for Teachers Parking Lot Parties

It’s back-to-school season, and here at Peepers, that means one thing: hosting our annual Peepers for Teachers Parking Lot Party.

Our local school districts do amazing things for students in the greater Michigan City area. They enrich students’ minds and bodies, building a strong foundation for our next generation of young citizens. That’s why, for the past four years, Peepers has been doing our part to help support local schools.

Throughout the year, we evaluate students’ needs and donate our time and supplies to help fill identified gaps. We raise and donate money, host giveaways and raffles, fund classroom projects, and give away “teacher tote” swag bags.

Since launching Peepers for Teachers, we’ve proudly donated needed supplies to local classrooms. Even better, we’ve partnered with our customers to raise funds by donating proceeds from select sales to the Peepers for Teachers fund.

At Peepers, we’re always looking for new ways to show our love for the dedicated teachers who give so much of their time and energy to nurturing young minds, and this year we decided there’s no better way than to throw a party in their honor. Our parking lot party are open to all teachers and school staff in LaPorte County, and forty-seven teachers and their families checked in to enjoy the festivities.

Let’s Party! 2019

We wanted to provide a little R&R for some of our favorite teachers during their summer holiday, so we ramped up the fun with live music, games, and plenty of refreshments in the parking lot at Peepers headquarters. Singer/songwriter Brittany Lee Moffitt provided entertainment while teachers and their families were invited to peruse our vast collection of readers and sunnies and pick as many pairs as they wanted to update their wardrobes just in time for the new school year.

In total, we donated an estimated 1,000 pairs of glasses to these deserving individuals who serve our community every day. We’re hoping every teacher can enter the classroom with confidence and flair, ready to inspire a new batch of students to reach for their dreams.

Prizes Galore

In addition to providing a wide range of glasses for attendees to choose from, we decided to throw in some amazing prizes, courtesy of local businesses who share our passion for giving back to teachers. Raffle prizes, estimated at a total value of $480, were provided by:

Author R.A. McCaulley
Author Sara A. Noë
Custom Cookies by Dawn
Devan Bartow
Rogue Xtrme Fitness
Shady Creek Winery
The Parlor
Peepers for Teachers Fund

Our lucky prize winners included:

Ashley Kohler of Michigan City High School, Michigan City, IN
Barbara Eason-Watkins, Michigan City Area Schools Superintendent
Cori Hardesty of Boston Middle School, La Porte, IN
Diane Oberholtzer of Joy Elementary, Michigan City, IN
Laure Poulin of Michigan City High School, Michigan City, IN
Michelle Hamilton of Marsh Elementary, Michigan City, IN

All in all, it was a truly incredible day. Teachers, school staff, and their families were treated to some much-deserved pampering, and Peepers, along with participating local businesses, was able to show some love to these invaluable members of our community.

Peepers for Teachers Parking Lot Party 2021

On August 5th, 2021, we hosted our 3rd-annual Peepers for Teachers parking lot event. We experienced an absolutely amazing turnout, with 107 teachers braving the heat to attend this event.

In addition to giving away unlimited glasses for teachers in our area, we also awarded three cash prizes to schools in our area who had at least 1 teacher represented at the event. These three prizes totaled $2,500. This year’s lucky winners were:

Springfield Elementary School in Michigan City, Indiana
Kingsbury Elementary School in LaPorte, Indiana
New Prairie Elementary School in New Prairie, Indiana

We were also able to offer special prize baskets to four lucky teachers. These baskets were packed with back-to-school essentials, including classroom décor items, hand sanitizer, cardstock, highlighters, flair pens, and other teacher favorites. Also included this year were bigger ticket items such as JBL bluetooth speakers, USB charging stations, and personal laminators. One lucky teacher even took home the coveted Dyson Hot & Cold fan.

Peepers for Teachers Parking Lot Party 2022

113 teachers from 21 schools attended; $2000 in prizes and every teacher who participated was a winner!

Peepers for Teachers Parking Lot Party 2023

Our 4th annual Peepers for Teacher parking lot event took place on August 3rd, 2023.

This was our biggest turn out to date with 158 teachers from 32 different schools/ organizations. We had a food truck, delicious cookies, drinks, live music, school supplies & other prizes for the lucky winners.

School/Organizations that attended:

AK Smith Career Center
Bailey Elementary
Barker Middle School
Bonn International School
Coolspring Elementary
Edgewood Middle School
Hailmann Elementary
Handley Elementary
Harrison High School
Joy Elementary
Kesling Middle School
Kinsbury Elementary
Kingsford Heights Elementary
Knapp Elementary
Krueger Middle School
La Porte Middle School
Lake Hills Elementary
Lincoln Elementary
La Porte Highschool
Marsh Elementary
Michigan City Area School
New Prairie Middle School
Pine Elementary
Queens of All Saints School
Riley Elementary School
Rolling Prairie Elementary
South Central Community School
South Haven Elementary
Springfield Elementary
St Stanislous School
Ivy Tech Community College
Westville Middle School

How You Can Help

The National School Supply and Equipment Association has found that more than 99% of teachers use their personal money to outfit their classrooms and purchase the supplies their students need to achieve academic success.

If you’re looking to get involved in our efforts to help teachers and schools in our area, the first thing you can do is shop our Frame of the Month collection throughout the year. We donate 10% of the proceeds from our Frame of the Month collection to benefit schools in our area. It’s just one way that we give back to our community!

You can also direct teachers you know from LaPorte County, Indiana schools to our website to learn more about Peepers for Teachers and how they can benefit from it.