The cost of this proposal is $883, including shipping and <a target="new" href="http://www.donorschoose.org/html/fulfillment.htm" onclick="g_openWindow('http://www.donorschoose.org/html/fulfillment.htm', 300, 800, 'fulfillwindow');return false;">fulfillment</a>.
This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
I'm a middle school and high school teacher in the South Bronx. Our students have a fitness class several times a week, but there is no exercise equipment! Our school is only two buildings - we have no field, track, or even exercise equipment. This is a problem for several reasons. First, the vast majority of our students like many students in the Bronx have health problems - obesity, asthma, stress, and fatigue. There are few athletic facilities available in the community - but the neighborhood is replete with fast food and junk food that our students eat at school for breakfast, lunch, and snack. The most important subject for our students is taking care of their health and not just in school - but also to create a lifetime ethic of physical fitness. This is so important not just for a healthy lifestyle but the lack of one damages students in all areas - schoolwork, sleep, family, friends.
The second problem is that the limited sports teams that we do have (basketball and soccer) are not very competitive so long as they lack weight room and fitness equipment. Sports teams are supposed to teach students the ethics of hard work, commitment, practice, excellence, teamwork, and challenge. But how can these skills and attitudes be taught without the necessary equipment? A mathematician requires a calculator, a writer requires a pen, a scientist requires tools, and an athlete is no different.
The vast majority of children in our neighborhood has never lifted weights, ran on a treadmill, or even simply stretched. I hope that we can change this so that the first place students run to after school is not for fast food, but for the bench press and free weights. This initial proposal only asks for 1 bench and a complete set of dumbbells from 2lbs to 35 lbs. A good bench and a stack of free weights are the core of an excellent fitness program.
Thanks for taking the time to read this proposal!
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mr. Fogel and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.