Cottrell expands generosity
Published 9:14 pm Wednesday, March 3, 2010
By Staff
As a community, perhaps we’ve come to expect generosity — and creativity — from pharmacist Danny Cottrell.
But Cottrell found a way to surprise us again last week with the next step in his “country boy’s stimulus package.” The Medical Center Pharmacy owner gave $30 in $2 bills to seniors at both W.S. Neal and T.R. Miller high schools, with the simple request that they spend the money locally.
Cottrell prefaced his generous gift with a lesson in the importance of spending money at home. Using students as examples, he explained that not only do sales tax dollars stay in our community, but the money turns over as local stores pay their employees and also pay for supplies and other needs in the community.
Cottrell has been at the forefront of pushing that message, and now he has taken it to the next generation. We hope that the teenagers who received an unexpected gift will take his lesson to heart — and also give back to the community through charity. Cottrell asked the students that $6 of their $30 be given to someone in need.
We have come to expect such generosity from Cottrell, but we hope that we don’t take his message for granted.
Shop at home. It helps all of us.