Tonight, Belize is one the verge of what is looking to be perhaps the biggest single donation of school bags ever - and these ones will be legit brand names.
It's the result of a social media firestorm which erupted last night - after our story about the fake Jansport bags being donated to young students by police and politicians. They got called out by A&R - which is the sole authorized dealer for that brand.
But, while A&R was fighting for its brand integrity - they weren't ready for the massive attack that came after them from social media.
Tonight - it's one of those rare happy endings where we can report that it has all worked out for the better. Here's a teaser on our story.
It started with a simple round of donations to a community in need. - the Lake I/Martins area where superintendent Aaron Gamboa has been posted for 8 years.
That was the culmination of days of packing and preparation for Gamboa and his daughters who helped to pack the bags.
But while they did it for charity - the owner of A & R saw knockoffs of his prized Jansport line - not perpetrated by Gamboa - but by the merchants who flood the market with fakes:
Leili Montalvo, A&R Regional Manager
"What we observe that those are not the original jansport bags."
Jules Vasquez
"So those are fake?"
Leili Montalvo, A&R Regional Manager
"Well, yes."
That did not go over well - the recipients of the bags, after all, were kids whose parents definitely could not afford a 70 dollar Jansport bag. The social media backlash was immediate and intense - it came at A&R like a swarm. Attacks on A&R and 7 News filled the comments feed - and the swarm suggested a boycott of A & R - among other actions. They also sent messages directly to A & R urging them to make this right.
And then came the video messages!
Arthur Williams, Commentator
"And A(reffing) R..."
Supt. Aaron Gamboa
"This is nothing about fake, the kids are happy. They feel really glad for these bags. So guys I have bags here to give away tomorrow, so call me and will give you all, because it's for you all."
Recipient
"Thanks the same way general. They are talking that the bags are fake, some people don't even have bags."
That was last night and by this morning - the social media outrage had turned into an avalanche - even Chester Williams weighed in on his former colleague's side.
Things were looking dire for the store that employs 150 people and has been established for more than 30 years.
And into this perilous breach stepped businessman Said Perdomo from Car Guys - with post that may have saved A & R:
Said Perdomo, Owner - Car Guys
"I see the two sides of it. Gambis to me does no wrong - he gives poor people, they help people - I mean you can't argue with that. When you are a child and you small you don't know the difference between fake and real. You will be happy and worse if you are not in a financial position, you are one step closer to going to school. As a parent you are happy. Your school bag is 50% of what you need and then Aldo, he is a business man. You invest in a brand, you have to deal with advertising, investment, inventory as a business man and fakes come in and you are not making a sale, so I understand the two side of it, but I am more with Gambis. So I put out the offer on facebook. I didn't calculate how much 250 bags cost. When I realize its close to $15,000 - So I mean I put it out there and I believe people could benefit."
And from there - we reached out to Aldo Urbina - who agreed to match him - but refined the offer:
Said Perdomo, Owner - Car Guys
"You contact me, I contact Aldo and I ask him if he can call me and he said he has a better offer - take the same money instead of spending it all on Jansport - you mixed it up. You have Jansport, you have other school bags, you have school supplies and he will match that."
"So more people will benefit than 250 people, so that is where we are now. So far between me and Mr. Kelvin from Vin Liquors we are at $12,000 and if good friend Sara Polak committed to $1,000. So we are at $13,000 to give A&R and he will match that."
"So hopefully we can benefit more than 250 kids, we could be at 500-600."
Since then Perdomo has gotten another three thousand five hundred donated - burning his total to $16,500 - which makes it now a huge win for Gamboa after he felt disrespected last night:
Aaron Gamboa, SPU Commander
"When I listen to the news it kind of bring down my morale, but you know what I prayed to God and I ask God to give me strength and health, because like I said its for the kids, for the future."
And now knowing that he'll have hundreds more branded premium bags to give those kids has given him an opportunity to be Gambis the giver:
Aaron Gamboa, SPU Commander
"I will try to share it wide to help PG where I came from, try help Orange Walk, try see how I could help, but mostly Belize, Ladyville, Sandhill and those places - but also thanks to the commissioner, because I dialogue with the commissioner also. Whatever I do, I dialogue with the commissioner, he has knowledge of whatever I am doing. I call it a big victory."
And he has his friend Said Perdomo to thank for tuning the momentum:
Aaron Gamboa, SPU Commander
"I noh know how fi thank him. God gave him the wisdom and it really made a big turn around. Said Perdomo is a very good man, he knows me good, he knows my whole family. The kids will never forget Said."
Jules Vasquez
"So now you made a reckless offer, you are good for it, but it would have hurt you, but it has created what you call a virtuous cycle - other people wants to jump on it."
"When you make a reckless decision, but it pays back in a good will dividend."
Said Perdomo, Owner - Car Guys
"God deh wid you, you can't arguw with that."
And with a nod to the immediacy and immensity of a social media slap down:
Aaron Gamboa, SPU Commander
"The people out deh got the power Jules - that same thing you called social media, right. That facebook thing is nothing joke. Powerful people, I want to tell them thanks to really light up social media that is facebook. They are the power."
They thought a long established company a sobering lesson in social sensitivity over brand supremacy
Aaron Gamboa, SPU Commander
"I noh believe right now bout name brand. They are happy with whatever bag they receives. Atleast they could say its not the bag that give good education, it's what is in the bag."
Later this afternoon, Perdomo told us that the Canadian BPO company Acquity had just matched his $16,500 dollar total - bringing his end up to 33,000 dollars total. A&R owner Aldo Urbina told us this evening that he will match Perdomo's original 16 thousand 500 hundred - so there should be about 50 thousand dollars total. In the pool of donations. Add 20% for the wholesale discount and the retail value of the school bag donation should be close to $60,000 dollars. Tomorrow we'll know how many total bags that translates to. Gamboa also says he will unveil a big donor tomorrow.
Also, we note that Urbina sent Gamboa an apology by text. His company also sent out a press release saying, quote, "our concern was never about discouraging acts of generosity, but about ensuring that Belizeans receive the quality they expect when it comes to trusted brand names…we reaffirm our commitment to continue working hand in hand with schools, organizations, and community leaders to support our students." End quote.
Latest numbers from Aldo Urbina tell us that the 50 thousand dollars in donations will get 200 original Jansport bags with 600 to 800 Everest bags along with school supplies.
So, there will be about 800 to one thousand school bags donated.
