Hi, Sherrie.
Hi!
It's so great to see you.
I can't believe I'm back.
I'm so glad.
I said we were going to have people back
that inspired us and had an impact on everything that they
do and you are one of those people.
So thanks for being here.
[APPLAUSE]
Oh, thank you.
No, you inspire!
Wait a minute.
Before we go any further, I heard today
that you wrote in for tickets for this final season?
[LAUGHTER] Yes.
You didn't want to just call me and say,
I want tickets to the final season?
Well, so here's the thing.
I saw it online and I thought, I have to come back
and I have to thank you for everything
you did for my babies.
It was just so important for me to express that to you
because, to the core of my soul, you have changed lives
and you created such a legacy.
Just at Whitney alone, but throughout the world.
And I had to thank you.
I had to.
[APPLAUSE]
Thank you, Sherrie.
Thank you.
It doesn't to me feel like 10 years ago.
It's so strange how time just collapses.
I mean, when you're younger it just
it doesn't go this fast somehow.
But what do you remember when you were here 10 years ago?
I was absolutely frozen with awe.
I came out and I remember first of all,
I kept thinking, how does a little old principal from Las
Vegas get on the show and meet you?
That was amazing to me.
And then I just remember looking at you
and I was amazed at your aura of kindness.
And that stuck with me for all these years
Thank you.
Well,
[APPLAUSE]
That's how I felt about you.
[LAUGHTER] Oh!
Thank you.
I mean, so you can see that--
I haven't talked to you in a while,
but there's been many, many changes.
But remind everybody I mean, Whitney was in bad shape
before.
Yes, it was.
And when I got there, there was 85% homeless.
During the recession it had jumped up to close to 100%.
Most of those families did not know where
their meals were coming from.
They didn't know where the kids-- the kids literally
would leave school and not know if they had a home to go to.
They definitely did not have new shoes, new clothes,
school supplies, none of that.
And I decided that I would take it upon myself
to help fix some of that.
Because my theory was that if I could give them
a do-over, if I can bring those kids to school,
then I can help them to understand
that their environment does not have to predict their esteem,
it does not have to predict who they are,
it does not have to predict their future.
And that's why we found you because you did that.
[APPLAUSE]
All right.
We have to take a break.
But that's exactly why we found you and helped you out,
because you were doing that before we found you.
And that's what's amazing.
And so many teachers out there are doing that and principals.
More with Sherrie after this.
Before I go any further, I have to say,
Target did so much for us and thank you so much,
Target, for helping out--
Yes.
--Whitney Elementary.
OK, I'm going to try not to get real emotional.
So you have helped my babies beyond my wildest dreams.
So just to preface, about two weeks before you and the show
called me 10 years ago, I sat in my secretary's office
crying because a donor who provided the food
bags for my kids on Fridays told me they couldn't do it.
This was a Thursday.
And I just bawled thinking, I am way in this too deep.
I don't know how to do this.
And I decided, OK, get yourself up.
Go get those groceries.
And something-- I just kept thinking,
put it out in the universe.
Something's going to happen.
It'll take care of itself.
And then you guys called me.
[APPLAUSE]
That's how it works!
And you have helped my babies beyond my wildest dreams.
You have helped my dreams to come true.
It was always my dream to help others
and to help those children.
And so I am giving you a little something
to help your babies in Africa.
And it is a $5,000 check.
Sherrie!
[APPLAUSE]
I'm--
[GIGGLES]
I mean--
So I decided that, when my husband passed away,
that it changed the way I looked at life.
It changed the way I decided how precious-- life is precious
and you need to experience it.
You need to be open to it.
You need to be-- two things.
You need experience life and you need to give.
And I decided to spend my retirement days
giving and doing my husband's bucket list.
Thank you so-- Sherrie, this is the--
I mean--
[APPLAUSE]
The Ellen Fund thanks to you and the gorillas thank you.
And you-- and I can't believe you're doing this.
Thank you so much.
You're welcome.
All right.
You act like I saved your babies, but you, as I said,
you were starting to do that.
We just kind of facilitated and with the help of Target.
But it must feel really good to know that you had
such an impact on your kids.
And I have to say, they want to tell you
the impact that you made--
No!
--on them.
Principal Sherrie Gahn means so much to me.
She bought us an apartment, new beds, new comforters.
Sherrie Gahn was an amazing person
who taught me how to care for others
and taught me how to give back.
It was my first day of school in a new town
and I was just nervous, as any other kindergartener would be.
But Miss Gahn made sure that we all felt welcome.
My parents didn't have the insurance
to cover the payments for the glasses
and when my parents told Miss Gahn about this,
she immediately went into action.
Because of that, my first grade year, I
had my first pair of glasses.
When I was leaving on the last day of school
and I turned around to give her a hug,
I knew that hug wasn't going to be a goodbye,
but it was more of a thank you.
Principal Gahn, from the bottom of my heart,
I would like to thank you for everything you've
done for me and my family.
Thank you for giving us hope.
Thank you for giving us the basic essentials
that so many people didn't have.
The reason why I got a Fulbright scholarship is because of you.
I'll never be able to repay you and I'll never
be able to stop saying thank you.
[APPLAUSE]
How about that?
I'm going to give you--
Oh, my gosh!
I'm going to give you some tissues because you're
going to need them right now.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[CHEERING AND APPLAUSE]
We're back with Sherrie Gahn.
Some of her students are with her.
And just because you made such an impact
on Whitney Elementary, from now on,
the library there will be known as the Sherrie Gahn Library.
Oh!
That is now your library.
There's the kiddos!
Oh, my gosh!
Hi, kiddos!
Oh, my gosh!
That is insane!
There's the gallery!
Oh, my gosh!
Got a plaque and everything.
That is my happy place.
Yeah, well--
I love that library.
And like you said, this is the fruits of your labor.
I mean this is an example of just saying,
you don't have to be your circumstance.
You can come out of that.
So thank you for what you did.
No, thank you!
[MUSIC PLAYING]