When my kids were little, shopping for teachers’ gifts was an important part of our holiday preparation. Not only was a gift to my boys’ teachers a small token of our appreciation for all they did, but involving my kids in the shopping was a terrific way to teach them the importance of thanking the important people in their lives.
My kids are in college now, but I’ve found a way to continue to show our appreciation to public school teachers. Donors Choose is an organization with the mission to “make it easy for anyone to help a classroom in need, moving us closer to a nation where students in every community have the tools and experiences they need for a great education.”
The premise is simple: Educators from all over the country post wish lists for their classrooms on the Donors Choose website, and people donate money to help fund the projects. There are several ways to give: You can search in your geographic area or pledge support to specific subjects like math and science, or the arts; fund specific requests like books, food, computers or musical equipment; or sponsor specific age groups from pre-K through high school. Every dollar counts and no donation is too small.
To date, close to 32 million public school students have benefitted from more than $1.5 million in donations by almost 3.5 million supporters.
My own family joined the Donors Choose program this year, with each of us choosing our own project to support. If you’d like to do the same, you can spread the love and find a classroom to help here.
