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Posted by Alex on
Wednesday,
April 29, 2009 at 10:19pm
Buy flowers for your mom, or any mom in your life, from Blooms Today between now and May 10th and 25% of the proceeds will be used to support classroom projects at DonorsChoose.org.
It’s a deal that can’t be beat, and you can tell Mom they’re more than just flowers this year – because her flowers helped high-need students blossom in the classroom.
To make sure that 25% of proceeds are used to help public school classrooms, please CLICK HERE or call 800-868-8187.
PS. Mom’s not really a flowers gal? Consider supporting one of 90 classroom garden projects in her honor. You’ll get the tax-deduction, and she’ll get many Mother’s Day cards from thankful students!
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Posted by Charles on
Friday,
April 24, 2009 at 5:00pm
It’s been such a busy week, but I wanted to say thank you to all the bloggers who either came to or covered Tuesday’s event, where we announced the $4.1 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. I know some of you still have posts to publish, so please send us links and we will update the post. Also, a special thank you to all the Facebookers, MySpacers, LiveJournalers, and everyone else who helped spread the message.
At a City School, Stephen Colbert Earnestly Reports on a New Grant
“The comedian Stephen Colbert took time out from his regular ranting to conduct a polite, earnest interview at a Manhattan high school this morning, in an appearance meant to announce a new “citizen philanthropy” project by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.”
Covering Stephen Colbert at the DonorsChoose.org and Gates Foundation event
“Stephen Colbert made his big appearance immediately afterward, high-fiving the students seated on the risers set up on stage behind his desk, which was adorned with a cup of pencils, a shiny red apple and a “Mr. Colbert” nameplate.”
————————————————————— Content Matters
Stephen Colbert, Gates Foundation Team to Support Donors Choose (including video interview with Charles Best)
“Donors Choose blends the concept of micro-donations with transparency, control and accountability. It’s an amazing model and it’s a model for individual philanthropy.”
————————————————————— This Week in Education
MEDIA: Colbert Does DonorsChoose (Again)
“What’s the world coming to? Apparently, the regular stream of education types on the Colbert Report aren’t all just due to the influence of super-producer Emily Lazar, who’s also the wife of Newsweek columnist Jonathan Alter. Colbert himself is involved.”
DonorsChoose.org and Gates Foundation Event
“Members of the Colbert Nation know how charitable Stephen is, but it’s great to see him attending events like this and continuing to promote something he really believes in.”
————————————————————— Walt Ribeiro
Stephen Colbert at Donors Choose NYC event
“I learned the other day that Colbert is a board member and supporter of DonorsChoose.org – where he mentioned that he had found out about it through Craig Newmark. Basically, the story mentioned that Craig made a donation in the name of his Presidential Campaign. All in all it was a blast. Enjoy the videos!”
On April 21, 2009, comedian Stephen Colbert moderated an education panel at New York’s Manhattan Bridges High School in which the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced a grant of $4.1 million to non-profit DonorsChoose.org. Colbert, a board member and supporter of the charity, explained how this online organization allows teachers to request needed funding from individual donors for classroom projects not covered by school budgets.
Stephen Colbert at the DonorsChoose.org education panel at New York’s Manhattan Bridges High School in which the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced a grant of $4.1 million to the non-profit DonorsChoose.org. Colbert, a board member and supporter of the charity, explained how this online organization allows teachers to request needed funding from individual donors for classroom projects not covered by school budgets.
At the DonorsChoose.org event on 4/22/09, Stephen Colbert admits to NYC public school students that he was stuck in lockers. At the event, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced a grant of $4.1 million to DonorsChoose.org as matching gifts for contributions to student projects that help them prepare for college. Colbert, a board member and supporter of the non-profit, explained how this online organization allows teachers to request needed funding from individual donors for classroom projects not covered by school budgets.
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Posted by Thalia on
Wednesday,
April 22, 2009 at 11:39pm
In celebration of National Volunteer Week, corporate employees from Viacom spent an exciting afternoon volunteering their time in the NYC headquarters of DonorsChoose.org on April 17th.
Viacom is a global entertainment company that includes the MTV Networks, BET Networks, Paramount Pictures and Paramount Home Entertainment.
During the company’s annual “ViaCommunity Day” hundreds of Viacom employees across the country engage in volunteer projects with nonprofit partners. 10 employees toured the DonorsChoose.org office then volunteered their time to process classroom feedback packages from teachers.
Viacom President and CEO, Philippe Dauman, (pictured center) paid a surprise visit to the DonorsChoose.org office to meet our staff and cheer on Viacom employees. As the pictures show, Mr. Dauman and the volunteers even wore nifty matching t-shirts! THANK YOU Viacom for your time and energy!
If your company is interested in volunteering in our NYC office, contact Northeast Associate Director, Yaritza Olmeda, at yaritza(at) DonorsChoose (dot) org.
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Posted by Charlotte on
Tuesday,
April 21, 2009 at 10:00am
“Double Your Impact” program to fund 50 percent of teachers’ classroom projects aimed at promoting college readiness
NEW YORK, April 21, 2009 — The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and DonorsChoose.org, the online charity that connects individual “citizen philanthropists” with classrooms in need, today announced a landmark grant that enables DonorsChoose.org to fund up to 50 percent of the cost of individual classroom projects developed by teachers to promote college-readiness among students in high-need and underserved urban and rural public schools.
TV personality Stephen Colbert, a DonorsChoose.org board member, moderated the event where the announcement was made. “Double Your Impact” will be funded with a $4.1 million investment from the Gates Foundation and is expected to support more than 17,000 classroom projects, touching more than 300,000 students across the nation. By enabling DonorsChoose.org to contribute half of the required dollars, the grant helps to incentivize individual “citizen philanthropists” to donate and accelerate the process of fully funding projects. DonorsChoose.org enables teachers to describe specific educational projects for their classrooms and individuals to choose which projects to fund. This approach has been effective in funding projects in high-need and underserved schools.
“Teachers across the country are creating classroom projects and lessons that engage kids in creative and innovative ways. Generous citizen philanthropists, with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s invaluable support, are making sure they have the materials needed to spark the passion for learning,” said Charles Best, founder and CEO of DonorsChoose.org. “This grant helps us drive attention and contributions to projects aimed at preparing kids to succeed in college.”
“DonorsChoose.org supports teachers in a truly powerful way—engaging the public in support of teachers and the innovative energy they bring to the classroom,” said Vicki L. Phillips, director of education at the Gates Foundation. “We hope this partnership will give citizen donors an added incentive to support projects that empower public school teachers to help prepare students to graduate ready to succeed in college and beyond.”
Today’s event was held at Manhattan Bridges High School in New York City, which has benefited from three teacher-submitted projects funded through the “Double Your Impact” initiative. Manhattan Bridges serves new immigrants and English Language Learners – historically academically-challenged demographics – and has consistently posted graduation rates significantly higher than the city average, in part due to its tailored programming for students.
“DonorsChoose.org allows people from all walks of life to help specific classrooms directly,” said Stephen Colbert. “As I endeavor to protect our children from bears, DonorsChoose.org is protecting public school kids from classrooms that lack the materials necessary to rigorously prepare them for college.”
While many organizations raise funds for basic school supplies, the DonorsChoose.org model supports specific classroom projects that are submitted and designed by any public school teacher in the U.S. to further defined educational goals. Under the “Double Your Impact” initiative, the requests eligible for 50 percent funding from DonorsChoose.org through the grant from the Gates Foundation are those that promote college-readiness. Such projects include student trips to college campuses as well as classroom books, SAT/ACT preparation materials, and other resources that strengthen the learning experience.
“DonorsChoose.org has helped provide the additional materials, such as college essay prep books, that can help teachers like me create programs that are targeted to the unique needs of our students and get them really excited about learning,” said Elizabeth Smith, a teacher at Manhattan Bridges High School. “My goal is to create opportunities for my students to learn in innovative, inspiring ways. This has made all the difference in what our students believe they can achieve.”
DonorsChoose.org
Founded in 2000, DonorsChoose.org is a nonprofit website where public school teachers describe specific educational projects for their students, and donors can choose the projects they want to support. After completing a project, the donor hears back from the classroom they supported in the form of photographs and student thank-you letters.
To date, 88,000 public and charter school teachers have used the site to secure funding for $30.3 million in books, art supplies, technology, and other resources that their students need to learn. Through www.DonorsChoose.org, individuals from all walks of life have helped 1.8 million students from low-income families.
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett. Learn more at www.gatesfoundation.org.
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Posted by Alicia on
Thursday,
April 16, 2009 at 2:05pm
This just in! U.S. Cellular has *generously* committed to a charitable gift of $1 million to fund classroom projects in the markets where it does business as a part of its Calling All Teachers campaign.
“Teachers go above and beyond for children every day, while extra funding for classrooms is in short supply,” said Karen Ehlers, vice president of public affairs and communications for U.S. Cellular. “With Calling All Teachers, we want to help alleviate some of the budget worries of teachers, who on average spend about $1,200 out of their own pockets each year on basic student supplies.”
We want to thank U.S. Cellular for their tremendous support of public schools across the country!
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Posted by Natalie on
Wednesday,
April 8, 2009 at 5:00pm
Great news for Central Georgia teachers! The Community Foundation of Central Georgia is sponsoring a “Double Your Impact” challenge grant to provide classroom resources to local schools. Teacher projects in the following Central Georgia counties are eligible for half-funding through this generous offer:
• Baldwin
• Bibb
• Butts
• Coffee
• Crawford
• Houston
• Jones
• Lamar
• Laurens
• Monroe
• Peach
• Taylor
• Twiggs
• Upson
• Wilkinson
• As well as teachers at Department of Juvenile Justice – Macon Youth Development Campus, Department of Juvenile Justice – Bill E. Ireland Youth Development Campus, Georgia Academy for the Blind
President Kathryn H. Dennis said, “Given the recent economy and statewide education budget cuts, we feel this matching grant is a wonderful way to celebrate our 15 years of philanthropy in Central Georgia. This grant supports our local school systems and the children they serve by leveraging community support for education and encouraging innovation on the part of teachers.”
The Community Foundation of Central Georgia was founded in 1993 by a group of citizens interested in encouraging philanthropy and strengthening communities. The foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for the people of Central Georgia.
Thank you so much, Community Foundation of Central Georgia, for your partnership and supporting public education in Georgia!
Central Georgia teachers: Please post your classroom project to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity!
DonorsChoose.org has joined the Get Schooled project! The Get Schooled project is partnership between the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Viacom, which they hope to find new ways to improve education, raise graduation rates and better prepare students for life.
Within the next five years, the goal is to raise the percentage of students graduating from high school and post-secondary education (college, community college or trade/vocational school). DonorsChoose.org along with several other organizations are featured in the Take Action section of the site–with DonorsChoose.org allowing visitors to make a direct impact on classrooms nationwide!
Learn more about the initiative and view the video messages from celebrities supporting the campaign, like: America Ferrera, Harrison Ford, Meryl Streep, Mark McGrath, George Lopez, Salt-N-Pepa, Will Arnett, Ne-Yo, DMC, Nick Cannon, Jon Hamm—to name a few!
