HOLTON Central Elementary School looks like any regular school building with its long hallways, classrooms and cafeteria. The one element it has been missing since it closed in 2018 is people.
But that is starting to change. In October 2020, Holton Community Theatre was gifted the school to use as its new home.
Since then, Shannon Wittmer, HCT founder and creative director, and board members have been working to renovate the space and transform it into a place that can be used by the theater company and serve as a community hub.
Renovations on the stage and exterior started shortly after the acquisition and will continue through the fall.
The Heart of Texas Goodwill was on the receiving end of a $5 million donation from the world s richest woman, MacKenzie Scott.
MacKenzie Scott is the ex-wife of Jeff Bezos, who you may know as the founder and CEO of Amazon. Scott is also a writer and most importantly, a philanthropist. According to USA Today, At one time, She and Jeff Bezos were the richest couple in the world. Following their divorce, she received a 4% stake in Amazon, which was valued at more than $59.3 billion.
Scott is also part of the Giving Pledge. A group of the wealthiest people in the world who have pledged to dedicate the majority of their wealth to giving back. The Giving Pledge was founded by Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates and also includes Arthur Blank, Michael Bloomberg, Richard Bronson and Mark Zuckerberg, just to name a few.
Heart of Texas Goodwill receives $5M donation from MacKenzie Scott
Evan Agostini/Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
FILE - In this March 4, 2018 file photo, then-MacKenzie Bezos arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
and last updated 2020-12-17 23:28:15-05
WACO, TX â The Heart of Texas Goodwill has received a $5 million donation from MacKenzie Scott.
Scott is a writer and philanthropist. She is also the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bazos.
This is the single largest private donation the organization has received in its 65-year history.
Heart of Texas Goodwill helps Central Texans access job readiness training and career development programs that include virtual job fairs, workshops, professional coaching and soft-skills training.