Business donation fuels city school education

David Daibes stands at his Fuel Good station on Oregon Avenue. He has been in business in Klamath Falls since 1993 and is glad to be able to share profits for community good.

Conger Elementary students get instructional support on new Chromebooks purchased with the help of Fuel Good owners David and Najat Daibes.

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. - The half cent coin no longer exists, and there are arguments for eliminating the penny. But such small amounts of cash are adding up to big changes in the Klamath Falls City Schools thanks to business owners David and Najat Daibes.

Through a program that donates half a cent on every gallon of gas sold, the Fuel Good station owners recently contributed $5400 to support the purchase of a cart of 36 Chromebooks for Conger Elementary School.

“Without this generous donation, another Chromebook cart never would have been possible at this time,” said Principal Julie Bainbridge.

“We’re so grateful that we now have Chromebooks in all classrooms for instructional purposes.”

Chromebooks are particularly important to Conger’s Response to Intervention (RTI) program, which provides extra academic support for about 15 percent of the school’s 398 students. Previously, computers for that support were pulled out of classrooms whenever the school was engaged in district- or state-wide testing.

“Kids are our future, and education is key to their success,” said David Daibes, whose four children were educated in Klamath’s city schools.

“We are so happy that we were able to provide the kids at Conger what they need to get ahead.”

All four Daibes children attended Conger, graduated from Klamath Union High School, attended Oregon Institute of Technology and the University of Oregon and are now working professionals. One is a U.S. diplomat in Ethiopia, one an investment analyst in Washington, D.C., and one the digital commerce support lead at Nike’s headquarters in Portland. Son Isa is now a manager in the family fuel business and a weekend volunteer with The Klamath Falls Police Reserve Program.

“My mission is complete, and now I’m just kicking back,” said Daibes, who still works daily at his Oregon Avenue station and plans to continue his donation program.

“I’d like to see all kids in Klamath Falls go out and be successful,” he said. “And I’d like to be a motivator for other businesses to help make a difference at any level.”