LabDx steps up for Deep Springs neighbor

Author: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Wednesday, September 08, 2010

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A student helped LabDx president Rob Mudd carry donated school supplies to the Family Resource Center at Deep Springs Elementary. The companywide effort was the first community outreach project for LabDx, a 1-year-old local business.

A student helped LabDx president Rob Mudd carry donated school supplies to the Family Resource Center at Deep Springs Elementary. The companywide effort was the first community outreach project for LabDx, a 1-year-old local business.

A student helped LabDx president Rob Mudd carry donated school supplies to the Family Resource Center at Deep Springs Elementary. The companywide effort was the first community outreach project for LabDx, a 1-year-old local business.Principal Adam Kirk showed off the array of school supplies donated by LabDx Laboratory and BioDiagnostics. Kirk noted how such community partnerships are vital to helping students thrive.Superintendent Stu Silberman greeted staff from LabDx in the foyer at Deep Springs Elementary. From left are Debbie Laurienzo, administrative assistant; Kelly Malley, head of the outreach committee; company president Rob Mudd; Silberman; and Kathy Waller, vice president of sales and marketing. Laurienzo's daughter, Jessica Hiler, formerly taught at Deep Springs, so she encouraged this business/school partnership.

Community support and family connections can make all the difference – just ask the folks at Deep Springs Elementary, which received several boxes of school supplies from a local business.

“It’s such a positive thing to have a community organization we can fall back on, and it shows that strong partnership,” said Principal Adam Kirk, who thanked LabDx for the donations Wednesday afternoon.

Though LabDx Laboratory and BioDiagnostics is a relatively small operation with only 37 employees, they all got on board with the company’s first service project.

“We’re brand new, but we’re willing to help and give what we can,” said Kelly Malley, head of the outreach committee.

The link to this particular school came through a staffer whose daughter taught at Deep Springs for 11 years: Jessica Hiler, now president of the Fayette County Education Association.

Since she knew those students, Hiler encouraged LabDx to choose Deep Springs as its first partner school. She even helped shop for school supplies when some staffers contributed cash.

The folks at LabDx, which opened in October 2009 off Winchester Road, brought everyday staples like crayons, colored markers, glue sticks, notebooks and backpacks. The wish list came from the school’s Family Resource Center, which will hand out the supplies as needed.

Rob Mudd, the president of LabDx, was among the crew carrying in the goodies.

“We have a responsibility to be supportive of the community, and this is our neighborhood,” he said.

If you’d like to help

Even though classes are now in full swing, Fayette County students can always use a hand stocking their desks and lockers.

In a cooperative effort between Champs Entertainment Complex and PODS Lexington, residents are challenged to fill a 16-foot storage unit with basic school supplies. The unit will be at Champs, 297 Ruccio Way, through Sept. 27. Call (859) 268-3888 for more details.

The school supplies will be distributed through the school district’s Family Resource Centers and Youth Services Centers.