A for Admirable: Domino’s Store Manager thanks teachers with delicious delivery

“True character is revealed in the choices a human being makes under pressure” – Robert McKee

Picture this. You’re 17-years-old and it’s your final year of school.

One minute you’re studying hard for those all-important grades and working part-time on weekends, and the next a global pandemic hits and suddenly you’re taking Zoom classes from your bedroom and maintaining a strict 1.5m distance from friends and family.

You’re just a kid, so the natural response to living in – dare we say – unprecedented times, would be to declare 2020 cancelled and decide to just try again next year.

Right?

Not for Townsville Year 12 student and Domino’s Store Manager, Ethan.

Demonstrating resilience and gratitude beyond his years, this local legend promptly cast his own worries aside to orchestrate a piping hot pizza donation for his school’s teachers and staff who were going above and beyond to facilitate online learning during the COVID-19 crisis.

Ethan, who has work at both Domino’s North Ward and Kirwan, is proof that not all heroes wear capes.

“As the pandemic started to become a higher risk throughout Term 1, I noticed how incredibly hard the staff were working to prepare us for studying from home,” said Ethan.

“When Domino’s started donating pizzas to frontline workers, I immediately thought of the people who were going the extra mile to help my fellow Year 12 peers and I keep up with our studies at home – my teachers were working so hard. I couldn’t think of anymore more deserving!”

Ethan, with Domino’s Delivery Expert Will Burling and Head of Student Development at Pimlico State High Carmel Linning on donation day!

Local Domino’s franchisees Nathan and Nicole van Jole set quite the charitable example for Ethan and the rest of their team members, donating more than 400 pizzas to frontline workers in the Townsville region since March 2020.

“We are always looking for ways to give back to our communities and say thank you,” Nathan said.

“When Ethan approached us with the idea to support the dedicated staff at his local high school, we were more than happy to help bring his generous gesture to life.”

Domino’s Aitkenvale, Bushland Beach, Kirwan, Mount Louisa, North Shore and North Ward kept Townsville’s frontline workers smiling and safely fed during the height of the pandemic.

Since hiring Ethan in 2017, Nathan says he is proud of the community-minded individual he has become.

“Ethan is a bright young man who inspires the whole team with his positive attitude and friendly energy,” Nathan said.

Shout out to teachers everywhere – thank you for your hard work and commitment!

Working part time while studying can be challenging without a global pandemic thrown in, but Ethan says his management role at Domino’s has equipped him with the discipline and time management skills to successfully complete his studies, even with the disruptions to classes.

“Being a manager means you are responsible for hundreds of customers and leading an efficient team,” Ethan said.

“I’m happy that I can apply these management skills to both my personal and school life.

“Nathan and Nicole have been so accommodating and have really allowed me to thrive in my role.”

At Domino’s, we’re committed to fostering community-minded team members with a penchant for crushing convention. That’s why we’re extremely proud of generous young team members, like Ethan, who look beyond challenges to instead find opportunities to do good.

We know a pizza can’t save the world, but it can provide joyful experiences – helping us to show our appreciation for the countless Australians who are working hard to keep us safe and our society moving.