The Thrifty Spot, a project spearheaded by Mathews High School special education teacher Cathy Walker, has received the Excellence in Virginia Government Award for Community Enhancement from the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Walker and Mathews County Special Education Director Louise LeBron accepted the award during a ceremony in Richmond on Dec. 5.

The Thrifty Spot is a thrift store in Mathews that began on a $5,000 budget, funded with money from federal stimulus efforts after the economic downturn. LeBron said the program, which Walker decided to pursue after hearing about a similar program during a school conference, met the criteria for a transition-to-work program for special education students.

Walker said that when she asked school superintendent Dr. David Holleran for money for the project over three years ago, he told her that she would have to prove that the shop could be self-...