"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has," Margaret Mead. My goal as an art educator is to empower my students to use their talents to make a difference in the lives of others.
I am a fortunate teacher, who works in a school district that still values the presence of art in schools!
Yet, with financial uncertainty looming, the art budget has been cut and unfortunately, the ones who suffer are the students. Regardless, my students make up the "melting pot" of America, living in an area with diverse cultures and backgrounds. We have a high percentage of students who receive free or reduced lunches...these students truly know what it means to be hungry. I'm hoping through this philanthropic project my students can better relate to those who are less fortunate and feel that yes, they CAN make a difference in their community!
My Project
Last year through this event, our art department raised over $2,000 for our local food bank! It was such a huge success that we've decided to make it an annual fundraising event. What makes this project so terrific is that my students will be able to learn how to throw on a potters wheel while creating bowls that will help feed their community. With these bowls, myself and art colleagues will be hosting a Soup for Soul charity event where the surrounding community is invited to a dinner where they can purchase a clay bowl to be filled with soup. We would also like to involve other classes and clubs within our school to volunteer their energy and time to Soup for Soul. All money collected from the bowl sales and donations will be given to the local food bank to help feed those that are going hungry in our community as well as our local Boys and Girls Club. We are requesting clay and glazes to complete this project.
This project is a powerful teaching tool, enabling students to use the power of the arts within our community to change lives.
This will be our second annual Soup for Soul Event, and I'm hoping this event becomes a long-standing tradition at our school and continues to spread good-will to our community.
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 Mrs. Jacobs-Soper and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
