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Last Tuesday, August 24^th, the DonorsChoose.org office had some very special visitors.  That’s right – Adam, and all his bandmates – Cam, Monte, Longineu, and Tommy – visited  the DonorsChoose.org office.  But why, you ask?  Well, they wanted to meet Ms. Candis Pohl’s jazz band from JHS 278 Marine Park, of course!  Candis and her students have benefited from Glam Nation and DonorsChoose.org over the years – receiving many of the instruments that have helped them become the super-successful musicians they are.

The office was filled with excitement and the students waited anxiously to find out who their celebrity surprise would be!  After taking a tour of the office with our Founder and CEO Charles Best, Adam and his bandmates surprised the students and presented them with a special delivery – brand new reeds for their instruments!

Adam enters with music supplies for the students.

Then, they got the chance to hear the student band jazz it up with two of their signature songs.  Toes were tapping and hands were clapping as the students filled our office with their tunes.

After performing, the students asked Adam and the band questions such as what it’s like to be on tour, what Adam learned from American Idol, and how to audition.  Adam and the band then got some QT with the students.  Adam and Monte talked to small groups of students about their lives as celebrities while Cam, Longineu, and Tommy performed part of If I Had You (with the help of our young musicians, of course).

Cam teaches a student chords from If I Had You.

The visit concluded with a group picture of the two bands:

Group photo with Adam, bandmates, and teachers.

Want more footage?

• “Like” DonorsChoose.org on Facebook to see an exclusive video of Adam from the event!
• Check out AdamOfficial.com website for a super sweet video.

To see ALL the students impacted by Glam A Classroom and to support a class like Ms Pohl’s, visit the Glam A Classroom Giving Page.

Everyone at DonorsChoose.org is abuzz with excitement this morning.  Why, you ask?  Because Adam Lambert is coming to visit our New York office this afternoon!  That’s right, THE Adam Lambert.  Adam will be joined by lots of special guests – his band members (Cam [not Cat!], Monte, Tommy, and Longineu) AND a middle school band that has received instruments through DonorsChoose.org!

Want to follow the action?  Follow us on twitter for live updates!

Well, then you’ll LOVE Adam Lambert’s Glam A Classroom campaign!  Throughout Adam’s Glam Nation tour, fans can join Adam in support of arts and music classroom projects across the country.  390 Lambert lovers (aka “Glamberts”) have already raised $20,960, but there are many more projects to fund!  And, just in case helping students wasn’t enough, it gets better – Adam will reward certain lucky supporters with some glammed-out prizes!

For every donation to DonorsChoose.org through Glam A Classroom, regardless of amount, donors will be entered to win one of 15 gift cards to the Adam Lambert Official Store.  At the end of the campaign, the top 25 givers overall will receive a custom poster and a gift card to the Lambert Store.

Ready to Glam A Classroom? Visit the Glam A Classroom Giving Page to get inspired!

Congratulations to the following members of the Glam Nation who have already won gift cards to buy Lambert themed items (maybe a pair Adam Lambert Eye Fingerless Gloves?):

1. Linda from Longmeadow, MA, via the Glamfest MGM Foxwoods/Adam Lambert page.
2. Rezan from Denver, NC, via the Adam Lambert Network page.
3. Nina from CA, via the Hoopla Magnet Glam Nation page. Congrats!
4. Shew from Florida texted “Lambert” to 30644, donated, and won!
5. Suzanne from New Mexico also texted “Lambert” to 30644, donated, and won!

Congrats to all!

Awww yeah.

Yesterday afternoon, DonorsChoose.org supporter Adam Lambert, of “American Idol” fame, surprised music students at Belvedere Middle School in Los Angeles with a special visit to their classroom, bearing supplies funded through his DonorsChoose.org challenge.  Adam unpacked composition books with the students, who are learning to compose their own music, and even performed a live acoustic set for the class (video below). The students then presented Adam with their own surprise by performing one of his American Idol songs using instruments that were also funded previously through DonorsChoose.org. Read more about the event at the Los Angeles Times website.

Belvedere Middle School is a high-poverty public school whose budding music students have benefited greatly from DonorsChoose.org’s generous donors.  This past fall, Adam and DonorsChoose.org launched a challenge to Adam’s fan groups to support students and teachers across the country by funding critical music and arts supplies for high-need public school classrooms.  Thanks to the enthusiasm of Adam’s fans, to date more than 2,300 fans have contributed over $290,000 directly to project requests, subsequently benefiting 215,000 students.

Members of one of Adam’s fan groups ONTD_AI, which raised the most during the challenge, received a special thank-you of their own, as Adam joined them after the school visit for a live online video chat. Adam answered tons of questions submitted by his fans and thanked them personally for their overwhelming efforts to help students and teachers in need across the country.

In just four weeks, 1,956 fans responded to Adam Lambert’s call to action to give to classroom projects on DonorsChoose.org. Fan Groups created GivingPages within the Lambert Leaderboard; www.donorschoose.org/AdamLambert to compete for the most philanthropic group and individual givers. With prizes ranging from autographs to exclusive online chats with Adam, the fans rallied and gave over 5,400 donations to arts and music projects on DonorsChoose.org.  Read more in the official press release; as well as E! Online and MTV News articles.

Winners: Fan group ONTD_AI raised the most funds with an amazing $82,000 (special thanks to fan group leader Julia)!

Our most generous individual donors were: 1. Maria from Florida: $8,406; 2. Debra from North Carolina: $6,088; 3. Becky from Alabama: $5,682; 4. Anonymous, Iowa: $5,445; 5. Monika from Maryland: $3,703; 6. Anonymous, Tennessee: $3,584; 7. Beth from Maryland: $3,513; 8. Sandra from Virginia: $3,211; 9. Barbara from Missouri: $3,151; and 10. Susan from California: $2,836.

Thank you to everyone who gave! And remember the giving doesn’t stop here. View this thank you video from Adam…