My students need hangers, storage lockers, and garment and shoe racks for items that have been donated by faculty to assist them with dressing professionally for various academic events.
FULLY FUNDED! Ms. Vitulli's classroom raised $988
This project is fully funded
Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month
This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because
it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.
My Students
As a high school special education teacher in an inner city school, teaching academics is not my only priority. My students come to me lacking basic needs that most take for granted. Some, I teach interviewing strategies for both college and job opportunities, while others need a warm winter coat.
My students come from a varied background.
Some are first generation immigrants who are here trying to achieve the "American Dream," while others are victims of poverty. My students are hard workers, who despite their circumstances, which include what some may consider tragic, find the strength to work toward overcoming obstacles and hope to achieve greatness.
The city from which we come is very diverse; our school is located in a middle-class neighborhood, however, a large majority of our students do not come from the immediate area. They are bused in from poorer areas of the city, group homes, and shelters.
We've become their family, we are, for some, their lifeline. We teach them responsibility for themselves and install values that can be shared with others. As a research room teacher, I work with the same group of students for their four years in high school. For many, I am more than a teacher, I am the one they turn to when faced with concerns, fears, and need.
My Project
Our school goal is to provide all basic needs for our students. A child that comes to school cold and wet cannot benefit academically; a child that wants to interview for a job cannot do so with holes in his/her shoes. As a faculty and staff, we have recognized this need and donated several items which include, coats, shoes, suits, dresses, etc., however, we do not have adequate supplies to display them. We are in desperate need of hangers, storage lockers, and garment and shoe racks.
The special needs students would learn life skills, for example how to label items, write up tickets, and interact with people on a professional level. They will also learn how to organize and categorize a wide variety of items.
The racks, hangers and storage lockers are essential to our work and the good of all our most needy students. Help us create an area that allows our students not to feel like they are receiving handouts but preparing for lifelong success.
I am requesting storage materials.
Our staff has generously donated clothing that can be used by our students to attend professional workshops, interview for jobs, and meet with college admissions officers. As a school community, we have also collected coats and boots to assist our most needy population. Several students cannot attend school when the temperature drops or it snows because they don’t have a warm coat or boots. The students will categorize, label, organize, and manage the closet.
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. Vitulli and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.