Calling All Donors!! Business 101 Is Now In Session
My T-shirt business project needs start up materials, including 40 white T-shirts, heat transfer paper, printer ink, fabric paint, puff-paint and decorations.
FULLY FUNDED! Ms. Hicks's classroom raised $568
This project is fully funded
I work with small numbers of at risk students in middle school and high school. Students are referred to me in middle school and I follow them until graduation. My school is located in a high need economically depressed community. Many of my students are failing although very bright. I need to give them alternatives to gang life. I need to make them understand that they can succeed.
My students live in situations that would overwhelm you and I. Many are in foster homes. Many of the ones who live with their parents are living in less than ideal situations. Picture moving three times in less than one school year or having a parent tell you year after year that they are going to get an apartment so that you can be reunited only to finally figure out that's not likely to happen. My students are surrounded by a culture of failure, poverty and gangs. They doubt that they can succeed because no one that they know has. My students need to have a belief in their own abilities, which are many. They need the culture of I can.
In our summer program, we were fortunate enough to have a volunteer who donated time and a few shirts to do an activity with the students. It was such a rousing success that I would like to recreate it on a larger scale and turn it into an opportunity to introduce the children to entrepreneurship. We however lack the funds to do so. My volunteer is willing to give her time for the project but is unable to financially support it on a larger scale. My students were excited about the possibility of starting a real business opportunity.
We need shirts, transfer paper, ink and embellishments. The volunteer is willing to donate the use of her computer. This project will serve to give my students a feeling of accomplishment. The students will see the reward of hard work. Many of my students have never seen a college dorm. Many have never been outside of the city. They have no idea that there is a great big world out there waiting for them to conquer it.
I need to give them dreams of the life they can have. I need to show them the fruits of a good education and hard work. We will develop a workable business plan for creating the shirts and then when we are done we will market the shirts. Any monies realized from the project will be used to keep the project going. I hope that we will eventually turn a profit which will let the children have a field trip out of town.
This project will benefit my students in so many ways. They will learn how to work together to accomplish a goal. They will learn how to tap into their innate creativity when they design the shirts. They will learn math and budgeting in developing their business plan. They will learn about staring something and seeing it through.
Your help will insure that this generation of children will have a better chance at a successful life. This project will be self propelling. Your funding of this project will help us to continue to help students for many years to come. This is the project that will keep on giving long after the initial donation. I also believe that this project will serve to inspire some of the adults when they see what the children have done. Your help will enable us to give these children a leg up to a productive life.
Nearly all students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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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 Ms. Hicks and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.