The Best Opportunity You May Ever Have to Spend Money Wisely

No matter what you think about the state of education in this country, about what systemic reforms would best support improvements in our schools, about specific legislation such as the No Child Left Behind act, there is no arguing with this simple truth: there are thousands of classrooms across the US that lack basic supplies to deliver education. There are classrooms with no chalkboards, no books, no paper, no pencils or pencil sharpeners.

How do I know this? I have spent some time today on the DonorsChoose.org website looking at the projects put forth by K-12 teachers, requesting small grants to fund specific classroom needs. A heartbreakingly large percentage of these proposals, particularly those from schools located in "high poverty" school districts (a designation system used by DonorsChoose), have teachers who purchase supplies for their students out of their own meager salaries. I read one proposal for a dry erase board that included an explanation that the classroom had no erasable board of any kind and that the teacher had covered the wall in saran wrap to create a homemade substitute.

So, I have decided to participate in a bloggers challenge to help raise funds to support these needy classrooms. I've chosen ten proposals to start with, all focusing on providing supplies to help with literacy. Donating to help out these teachers means buying books and journals, many of which will not only help this year's group of students but will help outfit classrooms for future students as well.

A donation to any of these projects is fully tax deductible (for U.S. residents). And if the value of the projects themselves don't lure you, here's an added incentive. You may recall that I won Casey and Sarah's fabulous hair makeover contest. What you may not know is that the inspiration for that contest came from Casey's desire to pay forward her good fortune in having won a lump sum of money in a contest she'd entered earlier in the summer. So now, in the spirit of paying forward Casey's gift to me, I will match any donations that come through my challenge site, up to a total of $100. There are a few projects that have a corporate or other grant offering matching too -- which means there is the potential for a $5 donation from you to turn into $20 for a needy classroom with all that matching.

One of the best things about DonorsChoose.org is that all the money you give goes straight to the project. You can choose to add a small bit to your donation to help defray overhead costs -- or not. But if you don't, the whole of your donation still goes to the teachers and their grateful students.

So please, won't you click this link, and check out the very specific ways that your donation can help creative and energetic teachers enhance the literacy of their students.

And then, if you can, please do your part to make me part with my $100. Every $5 makes a difference.

In addition, if there's anyone out there who wants to join me as a matching donor, please leave me a comment with your email address and the amount you'll match. That way, once I've matched the first $100, someone else can take up the gauntlet, and then someone else, and someone else...

Well, I can dream, right?

Times are tough all over right now. But I would be hard pressed to say that it's anywhere near as difficult for me as it is for these teachers strugging in underfunded, un-equiped classrooms filled with eager minds who deserve a real chance to learn.

Will you help?

For a detailed overview of how DonorsChoose operates, including information on project qualifications and the mechanics of funding allocation, click here. Or check out their FAQ page for more information.