Donorschoose.org

[Guest]

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[cjp1973]

SONIC® and DonorsChoose.org are working together again to support public school classrooms. 
Voting begins August 30th. Then cast your vote. You can vote once daily, so come back again and again.
Projects receiving the most votes each week will be funded every Friday. Votes carry over from week to week, so vote every day and see how your favorite project is progressing.
It is easy to vote, just go to Limeades for Learning, enter your email address and when the activation email shows up in your email box click on the activation link.  You are then able to go and vote for the projects.

It would be wonderful if kivafriends could get behind some of the projects that are on the KivaFriends Giving Page, voting once a day and hopefully they will make it to the top for funding by Sonic.

I can't seem to figure out how to make direct links, perhaps someone else can.
But here are a few searches to enter into the keyword box:

Critically Ill Students Need to Increase their Literacy

A Recipe for Reading:  Combine Three Cups of Tea + Wildcats

Learning to Cook with Multiple Disablilties

We're Saving the World, One Piece of Paper at a Time

Remember you can vote once a day after you have activated your account.  They will also send a daily reminder which makes it easy to vote

[Alaska Pack]

In checking out the DonorsChoose site on the KivaFriends giving page, I noticed some stats.

http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/viewChallenge.html?page=1&max=10&id=20825&category=78

Bloggers
view leaders by most:
Donated Donors Recent

    * 1. The Coast Guard
                 Donated: $24,204
                 Donors: 257
                 Students Reached: 12,833 ?
    * 2. Kiva Friends
                  Donated: $15,535
                  Donors: 105
                  Students Reached: 31,346 ?
    * 3. Alswang Photography 2008
    * 4. Katha's Giving Page
    * 5. 2009 Berwyn Challenge
    * 6. Chris' Charleston Challenge (that's some pretty sweet alliteration right there)

Wow! KivaFriends are generous in more ways than one! 
   Bernice

[cjp1973]

There are now 2 KF teachers with projects on the KivaFriends DonorsChoose giving page

KF Cheryl
Animation Fest: Go Green! (Part 2)
I don't know which my students love more: working with their hands or using technology. The best way to engage them is to mix the two! Claymation movies have fascinated young people for generations. Now it's my students' turn to create masterworks that will teach about recycling and saving energy!

Our rural school, which is heading into its fourth year, aims to engage students through project-based learning and technology. We are in a high-poverty area, but what we sometimes lack in resources, we make up for in enthusiasm. We will be moving into a new building this winter, and the excitement is growing! We want to be the greenest and cleanest school around while teaching others how to conserve resources, save power, and help the planet.

I look for ways to link real-world learning to what goes on in the classroom, and like to empower my students to make a difference. As a result, they have become more aware of the impact they are able to make in school, their community, and the world. Interdisciplinary projects such as this one make it easier for students to tie all their learning together and be even more engaged. When learning is hands-on and linked to their own lives, students remember.

KF Kelli
Our Desks Need Shoes!
One of my most effective classroom strategies is also one of my simplest strategies--I move the desks around just about every day. This tiny little change in environment invigorates our classroom. Kids can't wait to find out what we're doing today.

My students are growing up in a community that is undergoing huge changes. As our major industries continue to cut jobs, families struggle to hold everything together. It's more important now than ever before that the schools step up and help our students to prepare for the changing world that awaits them.

As part of my commitment to my students, I believe in creating an environment that is so exciting that kids can't wait to be in the classroom every day. These lovely, little pre-cut tennis balls will allow us to slide, slide, slide our desks all over the place without causing a big ruckus. Some days, we might want to be in small clusters so that we can pass notebooks. Other days, we might want to be in a horseshoe so that we can act out Shakespeare. And, of course, some days, we'll need to be in those nice straight rows so that we can practice for our state tests. Whatever our mission, the tennis balls will give us our mobility.

Wouldn't you love to help us out? This is a simple request that will have a huge payoff. When students are in a happy and exciting environment, then they will work harder and reach further. We owe it to them to give them every opportunity. Please help.

[charity]

In conjunction with Oprahs favorite things, through January 15th, you can go to this website: http://www.bing.com/gives/  then click on "Click Here" and then "Help Now" and Bing will donate $1 to Donorschoose, up to $1 Million.  They are at $30,000 now.  It doesn't seem like you can click more than once, but hey, every click is a $1!   

[cjp1973]

1 day left to buy DonorsChoose gift cards for a 60% discount on groupon.com

Support the public school project of your choice with today's deal, which lets you boost your charitable donation to DonorsChoose.org by 60% through generous funding by the Pershing Square Foundation. DonorsChoose.org is an online charity that connects individuals with classrooms in need, allowing members of the general public to become philanthropists. The Groupon price paid is tax deductible, and today's deal can also make a meaningful gift for friends, family, or awkward acquaintances in need of some spirit-lifting.

Choose from the following donations:

    * $10 for $25
    * $20 for $50
    * $40 for $100

No limit!

[cjp1973]

With the start of 2011, I decided to look at some Never Before Funded teachers on Donors Choose.  I searched for Community Service Projects.  Searching by cost I took the 1st 4 that caught my eye and am donating $11 to each of them.  Thought I would share them here as well.

OHS Habitat House Project

OHS Community of Schools Construction students will build their 3rd Habitat for Humanity House this school year. This project was chosen as a national finalist by Microsoft last Summer at its national Innovative Educator Forum. This year students will create a video documenting their work.
Construction, architecture, and engineering students at the OHS Community of Schools will build their third Habitat for Humanity House this school year. These students attend the Math, Engineering, Technology, and Science School -- a campus of small schools who are part of the Bill and Melinda Gates Small School movement.

From Sheep to Shelter: Charity Crochet and Knitting

I am requesting supplies to start up a charity crochet and knitting club for my students. This club will allow students to make hats and scarfs for needy people across our community. The mission of this club is to give students skills that will help them give back to the community and build their self confidence. The requested yarn, needles, and hooks will give my students a chance to make a positive contribution to our community.
Help us, help others! Share the goodwill that comes from making the world a better place and leaving it better than you found it.

Toys For Tots Decorations

The Lakeland High School Toys for Tots Holiday Party for Handicapped Children helps children who have physical, mental, and emotional disabilities enjoy the holiday season.

My students are a part of the Lakeland High School Leadership Class. They are juniors and seniors who spend hours and hours donating their time to help others and to run major school events here at Lakeland High School. These students are some of the most dedicated, hard working students here at Lakeland. They provide all the major social and community service activities for the entire Lakeland High School student body.

Connecting Learning

With the resources the sixth grade team has requested, students will be able to start their own student-ran store. They will be able to sell donated items with proceeds going directly and discretely to our own students and their families that are in need. Students will be helping their fellow classmates while learning about fundraising, running a business, managing money, advertising, and marketing.

You can find all of the projects kivafriends have been adding to the list here

[cjp1973]

An update on the DonorsChoose KivaFriends Giving Page

We have so far raised $17,336 helping 39,482 students!!!!   

Amazing.  Currently there are 13 projects on the list

[cjp1973]

Pay it Forward: A creative teacher and a thoughtful donor!

Way to go, Amy!!!!!    I have added Mr. H's project to the KivaFriends Giving Page as well as the You Say To-ma-to; I Say Tom-ah-to giving page that I am working on for the TomatoNation challenge that begins April 1.  And for those of you who know about the TN/DC challenge from last time, over 400K was raised for classrooms.

And I love Mr. H's t-shirt in the news clip  

[cjp1973]

It is that time again, time for the TomatoNation Super Contest.  Named this year "Save the Day"

The goal this year is to raise $250,000 for classrooms across the country.  Today is Day 8 and the total stands just short of $66,000 Not bad for 7 days work!

Today the mini challenge is for the giving page I collected projects from a number of people and set up, the "You Say To-ma-to; I Say Tom-ah-to" Giving Page

Every donation made to that giving page today will be entered to win 1 of 4 gift card packs (amazon + donorschoose)

You can search the master spreadsheet for projects, and if by some slim chance you don't see one that strikes your fancy, pick one, drop me a note and I will add it, you can donate to it!

[Jill]

Well, I’ve decided I’m not going to be posting in the Three Cups thread again, at least, not any time soon.  The conversation that’s been going on there, and I say this without attaching any value judgments to it, has just been causing me too much sadness.  The chips are going to fall where the chips are going to fall, and I can only hope that Greg Mortenson’s tremendous contributions (and I’d say, his contributions to every one of us who cares about the lesser fortunate other, that that) will be remembered above all.

I found this letter from a DonorsChoose teacher awaiting me this morning.  Some of you will be pleased with their resolution…

Teach, Educate, Donate
Dear ibelieveinkidshearts,
The students finished reading Three Cups of Tea. It prompted much discussion and opened their eyes to how children in other countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan, do not have so, so many of the same things available to them, such as pens, pencils, and erasers. They were shocked to learn that for many of these children a teacher would visit their village once a week, and they would write their lessons using a stick and mud as paper. Many of them need to walk at least one week to get to a physician.

We also discussed ways we could help. One period we spent looking at the various websites, i.e., Pennies for Peace, Central Asia Institute and the like. I gave them the opportunity to discuss and decide what they could do as a classroom or school wide pennies fundraiser. They began meeting at lunchtime to discuss. They were taking on the roles of humanitarians.

Since last Sunday's "60 Minutes" segment on Greg Mortensen and the accusations being made against CAI and him, we have had another "teaching moment" and discussed media, integrity, fraud and more. The students have decided that they should fundraise for pennies, and but because of the accusations being made against Mortensen and his organization(s), they decided to change their recipient, however keep it focused to education.

Once again, thank you for your thoughtful and generous donation to the students of Room 924. Overall, they have become more global, and I also feel they will keep this learning and awareness with them a lifetime.
With gratitude,
Mrs. J.