This Teacher Appreciation Week, the Homer Skelton Charitable Foundation partnered with the DeSoto County Dream Center to honor more than 5,000 educators and school employees across DeSoto County.
But for the Skelton & Chapman family, this wasn't a marketing campaign or a photo opportunity.
It was a continuation of something Homer Skelton believed in long before "community involvement" became a business buzzword.
When Homer built his dealerships, he built a reputation for quietly investing back into the people and communities that supported him. Schools, churches, teachers, students, families — if there was a need, Homer Skelton was usually involved somewhere behind the scenes. Often without a press release. Often without his name on anything.
That legacy continues today through the Homer Skelton Charitable Foundation and through leaders like Michelle Skelton Chapman — Homer's daughter, board member of the foundation, and dealer principal at Homer Skelton Hyundai — who says supporting educators was always close to her father's heart.
"Honoring teachers was a huge part of what he did. He was always super involved in the schools."
— Michelle Skelton Chapman, dealer principal, Homer Skelton Hyundai
This year's outreach delivered 5,046 appreciation gifts countywide — one for every teacher, administrator, bus driver, cafeteria worker, custodian, and support staff member working in DeSoto County schools. Each gift included a copy of The Maxwell Daily Reader by John C. Maxwell, a restaurant gift card, and a personal note of encouragement.
"We wanted to reach everybody in the schools — not just the teachers, but cafeteria workers, janitors, everyone — because they all make a difference in the kids' lives."
— Michelle Skelton Chapman
The initiative began during the COVID shutdown, when the Dream Center saw how much pressure educators were absorbing while continuing to show up for students and families every day. Through the Skelton foundation's partnership with the Dream Center, what started as a smaller appreciation effort grew into a countywide outreach that now touches every school employee in DeSoto County, regardless of title or role.
And the Skelton family's impact on local education stretches far beyond Teacher Appreciation Week.
Over the years, Homer Skelton donated $500,000 to the Field of Dreams sports complex, millions toward the Career Tech Center West facility and Longview Heights & Longview Point Baptist Church, technology grants for teachers, PSAT funding that helped students earn National Merit recognition, outdoor pavilions for schools, and hundreds of bicycles for students who needed them. When he passed in November 2020, the City of Olive Branch flew its flag at half-staff. DeSoto County Schools Superintendent Cory Uselton said simply:
"He was always there for us when we needed his help, and he donated generously while declining recognition."
That spirit still shapes the culture today at Homer Skelton Hyundai.
Yes, the dealership sells vehicles. But the people behind the name have always believed that being part of a community means investing in it — especially in the next generation.
Because behind every successful student is a teacher, a bus driver, a cafeteria worker, a coach, or an administrator who chose to care.
Those people deserve to be seen, appreciated, and supported.
That's the kind of legacy Homer Skelton built. And it's one his family & his dealerships are proud to continue.
