You're on track to get doubled donations (and unlock a reward for the colleague who referred you). Keep up the great work!
Take credit for your charitable giving! Check out your tax receipts
Donate
To use your $50 gift card credits, find a project to fund and we'll automatically apply your credits at checkout. Find a classroom project
Skip to main content

Help teachers & students in your hometown this season!
Use code HOME at checkout and your donation will be matched up to $100.

Your school email address was successfully verified.

See this teacher's page

This teacher needs your help!

Mrs. Tilley from Rochester, NY is requesting books through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

See what Mrs. Tilley is requesting

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

My students need 12 copies of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks to read for their 8th grade Expedition.

FULLY FUNDED! Mrs. Tilley's classroom raised $221

This project is fully funded

My Students

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is the true story of a poor African American woman who never knew that she revolutionized medicine. Shortly before she died of cancer in 1951, doctors took a tissue sample from her without her permission, and these cells became the first immortal human cell line.

Our Expeditionary Learning school is an inner city, K-9 school.

Expeditionary Learning (EL) was developed as a program of Outward Bound and is a method of instruction that emphasizes high achievement through active learning, and teamwork. In EL schools, students and teachers spend time engaged in learning expeditions. Expeditions are in-depth studies that address a topic or theme. This year, our students in the 8th grade are going to focus on the life and afterlife of Henrietta Lacks. Henrietta Lacks died in the early 1950's from cervical cancer and a tissue was taken, without permission, from her body and sent to a lab. From there, that tissue was successfully grown in petri dishes. Although researchers had been trying for years to grow cells, they were never successful, but this time it worked. Henrietta's cells were then passed on to other researchers who continued to grow them profusely. These cells were then used for medical experiments that eventually benefited mankind.

My Project

We are requesting a book written by Rebecca Skloot about the life of Henrietta Lacks. It delves into her history of how she grew up in the south and moved to Baltimore in the '40s, got married and had five children. When she was thirty years old, she became sick, and it was discovered that she had cervical cancer. While being treated for this cancer, a tissue sample was unknowingly removed from her body and sent to a lab where researchers continued to grow more and more of her tissues. Among other things, they were used to test the new Jonas Salk polio vaccine. For years, her children were upset that a part of their mother was being used in the medical world without their permission. They felt that their mother was "alive" in those cells. Also, no money was ever given to the family. Scientists argued that they needed these cells since they were the first human cells to gain "immortality" replicating themselves in laboratories long after Henrietta's death.

We feel that our students will benefit from Henrietta Lacks story and be able to relate to her ordeal and subsequently her family's concerns.

We will focus on the dilemma of science at the cellular level versus humanity and where to draw the line. This expedition will connect science, english language arts, social studies and math through genetics and evolution. Thank you for considering this request.

Mrs. Tilley World of Inquiry School 58 Grades 6-8

Celebrate Black teachers and kids! This project supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of students are Black.

Equity Focus

This project directly supports students at a historically underfunded school. Learn more about our Equity Focus.

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

Rochester, NY View local requests

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

140 students impacted 5donors

Boost your odds

Add a profile photo in addition to your classroom photo. If you add a photo, it'll show up right here on your project page.

You are more likely to receive funding if you put a face to your name.

Upload a photo

Top rated for efficiency and transparency.

You donate directly to the teacher or project you care about and see where every dollar you give goes.

Expand the "Where your donation goes" section below to see exactly what Mrs. Tilley is requesting.

See our finances

TEACHERS, FEELING INSPIRED?

You can start a project with the same resources being requested here!

Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Materials Cost Quantity Total
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks • AKJ Books $12.48 12 $149.76

Materials cost

$149.76

Vendor shipping charges

 FREE

Sales tax

 $0.00

3rd party payment processing fee

$2.25

Fulfillment labor & materials

$35.00

Total project cost

$187.01

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$33.00

Total project goal

$220.01

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

 $220.01

4 Donors

-$220.01

Donations toward project cost

-$187.01

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$33.00

Still needed View calculationHide calculation

 $0.00

Our team works hard to negotiate the best pricing and selections available.

View complete list Show less

Give the most requested basic supplies

See teacher requests

Give back to your community

Find opportunities to impact local needs by exploring a map of classroom projects near you.

See local area

Project Activity

Project Activity
Back to top

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. Tilley and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

See how DonorsChoose works
{"pmaHash":"","showProjectRecommendations":true,"leadGenEnabled":true,"hideTeacherDetails":false,"schoolState":"NY","teacherPossessivePronoun":"her","PMsManager":null,"schoolGradeType":{"id":3,"name":"Middle School"},"TeacherPMForms":{},"completingDonationAmount":0,"teacherHasClassroomPhoto":true,"proposalURL":"https://www.donorschoose.org/project/the-immortal-life-of-henrietta-lacks/596160/","mayHaveReplacements":false,"numStudents":140,"isEquityFocusV1":true,"teacherScreenName":"Mrs. Tilley","isEquityFocus":true,"proposalHash":"1443990704","isApplePayMobileOnly":true,"progressBarPercentage":100.00,"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":false,"photosPublished":true,"queryString":"","DonorPMForm":null,"shouldTrackEquityFocusV2":true,"schoolCity":"Rochester","teachersOnPage":[134741],"isTeacherViewingTheirOwnProject":false,"minimizedLeadGenEnabled":true,"proposalId":596160,"proposalMessageFormModel":null,"numActiveProjects":0,"verifyShowPhotos":"","eligibleToBeCopied":false,"schoolId":23399,"schoolName":"World of Inquiry School 58","authorIds":{"134741":{"owner":"Mrs. Tilley","donationSalutations":{}}},"displayedPercentFunded":1.0,"proposalsOnPage":[596160],"pmaId":"","teacherProfilePhotoURL":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp134741_orig.jpg?crop=3024,3024,x0,y504&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1604324998893","teacherHasProfilePhoto":true,"currentWorkflowStatusCode":21,"teacherChallengeId":40836,"isApplePayEnabled":true,"fundedByTarget":false,"activeProject":null,"donorIdsForImpactPhotoCheck":["MTA3NzUyMQ==","MTEwMTg3Nw==","MTA5Mzc1NQ==","Nzc5Nzgz"],"teacherId":134741,"schoolCounty":"Monroe","fullyFunded":true,"isStudentLed":false,"isExpired":true,"schoolStateObj":{"code":"NY","name":"New York"}}