Big Results From Many Small Dollars: 70,000 Chicago Public School Students Receive Additional Resources and Experiences From Average Contributions of $100
Posted on: Monday, 18 December 2006, 18:00 CST
CHICAGO, Dec. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Since opening in Chicago two years ago, individuals, corporations and foundations have come together and contributed over $1,000,000 to support Chicago Public School (CPS) teachers in providing resources and experiences to their students. The organization's partnership with CPS' Principal for a Day (PFAD) program generated contributions that pushed DonorsChoose Chicago to reach this achievement -- making, in total, over 2,300 classroom projects a reality.
In November Mayor Richard M. Daley announced DonorsChoose as the non-profit partner for PFAD and encouraged all participants to give to CPS through the on-line program. "I salute DonorsChoose for their generosity and I thank all the PFAD guest principals and members of the community who went beyond the time and energy and insights they have already offered to find the money to meet this challenge," said Mayor Daley. "By helping teachers, ultimately we are providing opportunities for our students to learn and grow."
Cynthia Vahlkamp, president of Momentum Strategy Group LLC, expressed her enthusiasm for PFAD and DonorsChoose. "I became aware of DonorsChoose through my experience as a CPS Principal For a Day at Cooper Dual Language Academy in the Pilsen neighborhood. How wonderful to have a way to fund "micro grants" that make a difference right here in our own backyard of Chicago. Even better, I learned that my donation was doubled through the generosity of a challenge grant by other DonorsChoose supporters. Not only did Mrs. Evertsen's kindergarten class receive LeapPad books to help advance their reading skills, but Mrs. Burch's 3rd grade class has nearly enough funds for the replacement carpet needed for their reading area. I encourage all Chicago residents whose lives have been enriched by their education to log-on and read the proposals. I guarantee you'll find a grant you'll want to fund."
Despite this success, currently 1,600 Chicago requests at DonorsChoose.org make it clear that there is still tremendous need in our public schools and opportunity to support our city's students. Nearly 2,000 teachers from 80% of the city's schools use DonorsChoose as an invaluable tool for providing basic needs and innovative learning opportunities. The organization, these teachers and their students rely on individuals to donate directly to these projects
As the holiday season and the window for charitable contributions this tax season draws near, DonorsChoose presents an innovative way to support students by providing gift certificates. Anyone and everyone can purchase gift certificates for friends and family to be used at http://www.donorschoose.org/. Donors receive the tax credit while the recipient is able to choose the project to support. Additionally, individuals can fund a project in honor of loved ones. Visit http://www.donorschoose.org/ and learn more about the innovative classroom projects teachers are leading. Examples of current projects in need of funding include:
-- A fifth grade teacher's request titled "Dozin' with the Dinos" that asks for $2,792 to take their class to an overnight experience at the Field Museum. -- "Teaming Up for Sports and for Life" is a high school teacher's request for $1,788 to bring a former NBA player to conduct a seminar on the importance of working on teams in sports and in life. -- An eighth grade teacher's request titled "Students in Need of a Reading Mentor" for $534 to purchase a Reading Mentor program that helps students practice sounds and sentence structure by hearing the vowel or word as well as seeing it. -- More Chicago projects are posted at: http://www.donorschoose.org/Chicago.
The excitement and energy that teachers and classes feel when a project is funded is loud and clear. A fourth grade teacher at Finkl shared, "I can't thank you enough. When I read the email informing me that my grant had been funded, I got goose bumps and screamed YES! I cannot wait to tell my students." And a kindergarten teacher at Smyth had this to say, "I'd like to sincerely thank you for your generosity! I am so pleased to take part in this amazing program-and I owe my excitement all to you! My students, their families and I will truly get so much use out of our materials."
"DonorsChoose has proven to be an incredible tool for teachers to ensure that their students have the resources and experiences needed for a quality education as well as for individuals who care about public education and want to help. We are thankful for the support of Mayor Daley, the Chicago Public Schools and the three thousand individuals who've made contributions at http://www.donorschoose.org/," says Linda Erlinger, Executive Director of the Chicago program. "We hope that during this holiday season, people will take advantage of giving the gift of giving by purchasing DonorsChoose gift certificates and making gifts in honor of friends and family to make this season a special one for students and classrooms in need."
About DonorsChoose
DonorsChoose is a simple way to fulfill needs and foster innovation in public schools. At DonorsChoose.org, teachers submit ideas for experiences and materials that their students need to learn, such as "Young Doctors Club" ($1,361) to "Home Is Where the Heart (of Learning) Is" ($1,043) to "Passport to Ethiopia" ($213). DonorsChoose leverages the support of local partners such as Lehman Brothers Foundation and Chase to attract public school projects and donor participation.
DonorsChoose began in the Bronx, N.Y. in 2000 as an experiment by public school teacher Charles Best. A social studies teacher, Best sensed that many people would like to help distressed public schools but that they were frustrated by a lack of influence over the use of their charitable donations. He created DonorsChoose so that individuals could connect directly with, and give confidently to, classrooms in need.
Through DonorsChoose's revolutionary "market approach" to charitable giving, donors from all 50 states have funded over 19,500 projects requested by nearly 15,000 teachers, channeling over $9 million worth of books, art supplies, technology supplies, field trips and other resources into public school classrooms. DonorsChoose currently serves all public schools in Alabama, Chicago, Indiana, Los Angeles, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York City, North Carolina, San Francisco Bay Area, South Carolina and Texas.
For more information about DonorsChoose visit http://www.donorschoose.org/. Contact: Linda Erlinger, Executive Director 773.867.1081 or linda@DonorsChoose.org
DonorsChoose
CONTACT: Linda Erlinger, Executive Director of DonorsChoose,+1-773-867-1081, linda@DonorsChoose.org
Web site: http://www.donorschoose.org/http://www.donorschoose.org/Chicago
Source: PRNewswire
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