Kohl's Cares, But Not For Darby
Darby Elementary School in Northridge won! They won! They're going to get a $500,000 grant from Kohl's!!! Oh wait — no they're not. In a contest called "Kohl's Cares," the Kohl's department store chain -- a name that already evokes bitter memories for many Granada Hills residents -- promised to grant $500,000 to each of twenty schools, for a total of $10 million, who could propel themselves to the top of a vote-getting contest at the Kohl's website. Back in late August, someone posted a note to my Facebook wall imploring readers to vote for Darby Elementary School in the "Kohl's Cares" grant contest. My grouchy reply: "Encapsulated in this post is everything I most dislike about (a) America and (b) Internet contests that are really only tests of who can muster the highest number of votes. Tearing boxtops, snipping soup can labels, visiting the Kohl's website -- why must we constantly go begging to the corporate sector ...