Cummings Aerospace donates furniture to San Xavier Mission School

  

A small army of volunteers gathered recently to pack up office furniture from Cummings Aerospace in Tucson and relocate it to the campus of San Xavier Mission School on the Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation. 

  

Cummings Aerospace is an aerospace engineering company in the defense industry, it’s headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama. In 2021 the company opened a small office in Tucson. The office space that Cummings was leasing recently sold prompting the Tucson team to quickly relocate and find a new home for its existing furniture. That’s where Kelly Francis, the executive vice president of Cummings Aerospace comes into the picture. Francis serves on the Diocese of Tucson school board and offered the furniture to San Xavier Mission School. Outside of Francis’ work in the aerospace industry and volunteering on the school board she also teaches math and engineering at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (SEAS) Catholic school. Francis turned the effort into a service project for some students at SEAS and recruited students from San Miguel High School who intern at San Xavier Mission Schools to quickly move the furniture across Tucson. 

  

The response was overwhelming. About 20 students and parents from SEAS stepped up while another 15 from San Xavier Mission School and San Miguel High School joined in to move everything in one day. Francis said the crew utilized a 26-foot U-Haul trailer, four pick-up trucks, and six SUVs to quickly and carefully assemble, move, and reassemble everything, “It was so lovely to get to know the families of San Xavier and see their beautiful campus.”  Among the items were desks, chairs, conference room tables, large TV screens, and kitchen furnishings. 

  

San Xavier Mission School was the ideal home for the donation after reopening in August 2024. Francis said the donation was a testament to the foundation of Cummings Aerospace, a Native American, woman-owned small business, “Sheila Cummings is from Pembroke, North Carolina. She’s part of the Lumbee Tribe. Sheila grew up with nothing and has built the company with a lot of hard work and grit.” Francis said Cummings was proud to make the donation, “From her perspective there is not a community she would rather give our furniture and appliances to than the San Xavier Mission School community.” 

  

Minh Solorzano, the principal at San Xavier Mission School said the donation was a blessing, “Ever since we reopened our doors, we’ve been looking for ways to make our campus more welcoming and functional for our school community. This was a huge help.” Francis said she and Solorzano have begun collaborating on future service projects between SEAS and San Xavier Mission School, “Many hands make light work. Together we will bring San Xavier Mission School back to its full potential because the Lord always works in just the right way.”