Preschool volunteer at Phoenix school wins Pay It Forward award

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) - We Paid It Forward to Delores McClaslin who is a preschool volunteer at St. Francis Elementary.

“She has been such an inspiration here. She is the honorary grandma to a couple of hundred kids now. She is an amazing woman and very selfless,” the teacher who nominated her Sherri Johnson said.

McClaslin, otherwise known as Grandma Dee, has volunteered at St Francis for over 5 years and all the students love her. She brings stability, comfort, and love to her preschool class, and because of her hard work, Mrs. Johnson wanted to pay it forward to her. So we walked up to Delores in class and surprised her.

“I nominated you for the Pay It Forward award, you have no idea how much you mean to us. We love you and we wanted you to know how much we appreciate you. I have to tell you what a gift from God it is to serve this school,” Mrs. Johnson said to McClaslin. Even during the pandemic, McClaslin would facetime into the classroom and give the kids virtual field trips. She says being St Francis’s honorary grandma is special to her.

“Because of the kids, they need someone to guide them, and how can they do it without support,” McClaslin said.

If you would like to nominate someone for our Pay It Forward Award, fill out a nomination form on our community page.

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