Your Favorite Teacher, Staples, Think it Up and How You Can Help
Can you remember your favorite teacher?
I have a few from my past, but it was Mrs. Kauffman, or ‘Kauf’ as we lovingly called her, who first made me think I could be a writer. I’ll always remember her with gratitude.
A recent Staples survey found 79% of parents had a teacher who inspired them greatly.
Odds are you did, too.
Yet, teachers don’t often get the recognition—or help—they so deserve, but Staples is out to help change that.
Many don’t have the supplies or resources they need in the classroom, and quite often, end up spending their own money to buy what they know will help their students learn.
That’s why Staples is partnering with the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) and DonorsChoose.Org on a project to help pay for programs that will put supplies and other items into teacher’s hands.
Actress Danielle Campbell of The Originals announced the plan at an Atlanta middle school, explaining that Staples, the EIF and DonorsChoose.Org have come together to create Think It Up, student-powered, teacher-led projects that can be paid for with crowdfunding.
That means anyone, anywhere, can go online to ThinkitUp.Org to search ideas and invest in ideas that will empower students and teachers.
Staples and EIF announced today they have already flash funded all of the DonorsChoose.org projects in the Atlanta Public School district (200 of them!). But there will be other projects to pay for and you can help.
In the meantime, public school teachers around the country can create classroom project requests and anyone can give any amount to the project that inspires them. Just go to DonorsChoose.Org to submit your idea.
So far, teachers at more than 60 percent of all the public schools in America have created project requests, and more than a million people have donated $330 million to projects that inspire them. More than 14 million students have received books, art supplies, field trips, technology, and other resources that they need to learn.
And Staples has more. You can win a $50,000 Scholarship and VIP Red Carpet Experience if you enter the #StaplesforStudents sweepstakes. Fifty lucky winners will fly to Los Angeles with a friend to attend a star-studded Think It Up event. One grand prize winner will win the trip to Los Angeles and a $50,000 scholarship.
Visit www.staples.com/scholarship to learn about different ways to earn entries and increase chances of winning, including making an in-store purchase, sending a tweet, signing up for e-mail and more. Entries must be submitted before 11:59PM ET on Aug. 22 and participants must be 13 years or older.
