An idea created 16 years ago by a New York public school history teacher to assist students continues to hold strong to this day.
DonorsChoose.org is a website that was established by Charles Best to help teachers across the country fund various projects needed in the classroom. The board for the organization isn’t too shabby, sporting the names of various celebrities and philanthropists like Bill and Melinda Gates, Stephen Colbert and Oprah Winfrey.
The website sees traffic locally, as well, with Rick Walters, LUTCF, FSS, serving as the Donors Choose Area Coordinator along with his duties as an agent with Horace Mann.
“Donors Choose is one of the largest websites to help teachers raise money for projects in their classrooms,” Walters said Thursday. “It is an incredible organization to be associated with. I’ve had the chance to meet Mr. Best and you see the support it receives. Stephen Colbert, who serves on the board, recently donated $800,000 to classrooms in South Carolina that had projects needing to be funded on the website.”
Education is something that Horace Mann does not take lightly, evident in their projects they help orchestrate through the website.
Since 2011, the agency assisted schools in Washington, Carter, Unicoi, Sullivan and Johnson counties by raising $157,604.94 for various projects on the Donors Choose website.
For work this year, Walters’ report as of Thursday noted that $15,567 has already been raised with two local teachers receiving assistance: Melissa McClain from Little Milligan for a project of $338.49 and Marissa Henry of T.A. Dugger for a project of $794.
“It is a great opportunity for teachers,” Walters said. “It is very simple. Any project that needs funding for supplies or anything like that, the request is placed on Donors Choose — where donations are gathered to fund each project.”
Three projects also wrapped up fundraising marks in rather quick fashion. Mrs. Pless with West Side Elementary School accomplished her second grade classroom’s needed goal of $352 for vinyl chair pockets to allow extra storage. Mrs. Estep with Harold McCormick achieved her third grade room’s goal of $547 to obtain proper seating to help children learn easier and Mrs. Cannon of East Side Elementary obtained her goal of $371 to help implement writing and reading materials for her first grade class.
Once a goal is reached, the classrooms typically send thank you cards to the office, but it is all in a day’s work for the agency, Walters said.
“I enjoy it,” he added. “It is great help the classrooms reach their goals.”
For more information on Horace Mann or the Donors Choose, contact Walters’ office at 433-543-0059.