Somebody Busted My Balloon

 

I was so excited to share that Townsend Press had almost fully funded my book grant on DonorsChoose. I went to the beautiful Smoky Mountains for a few days vacation, returned, sat down at the computer prepared to donate the remaining $98 to have the books shipped to the school...and the Townsend Press money was gone. I wrote a sad, pitiful, pleading email to DonorsChoose. No dice. The grant is still active until November, so there is hope, but I did feel I needed to share my "bummer", just so everyone knows the books are not a reality...YET!

 

Happy Birthday to ME!!!!

I WON THE LOTTERY! Ok, not exactly, but it really feels the same!  I was just notified that the big fatty grant I wrote for $995.00 has been partially funded...and by partially funded I mean all but $98.00! A company named Townsend Press sent about $900.00 towards this grant! 

My birthday really is this Friday, so I'm hoping that by this Friday it will be fully funded and I will have a HUGE and WONDERFUL addition to my classroom library. Please take a look at the grant and look at the awesome books my class will get! SCORE! Here is the link to the grant.  If you are feeling generous and have an extra buck or two, you can donate any amount from 1 dollar up, and it's tax deductible. Please share in my JOY with me!

So You Know You're Not a Millionaire...

I don't know a single teacher who wouldn't spend her entire paycheck on her/his classroom. We could but of course we can't. Part of keep your teaching fresh and exciting, is using new and interesting materials. A couple of years ago I stumbled across a great site called Donors Choose that works with teachers to get them the materials they want, that they don't have the personal nor professional funds to purchase themselves.  Since that time I have received a couple thousand...repeat...a couple thousand dollars in grant monies for my classroom.

If you are a teacher, you need to check out this website. If you are an average Joe, you need to check out this website. Along with being a recipient of the grants, I am also a donor. Of course I am happy to donate towards my own student's materials but I also donate to total strangers when the urge strikes me! It is very easy to apply for this grant. It's not like writing a grant for your state monies, it's very simple. Teachers can only deduct $200 a year from the taxes for "classroom expenses". We spend that before students set foot in the door the first day of school. As a donor, your donations are tax deductible, 100% tax deductible, and that makes a difference...as does every supply that makes it's way to a classroom.

Throughout the year different companies work with Donors Choose to help fund grants. Townsend Press, Sonic, and Bing jump to my mind because they have helped me tremendously in previous grants. Moving from Pre-K to 3rd grade has me in need of some new materials, and Donors Choose was the first place I turned. I have 1 grant "live" right now, and another one "in review" with my fingers crossed that Donors Choose accepts to host this grant.  Keep your fingers crossed and follow this link to see what grants I have open right now.