From stability balls for ADHD students and math games to classroom tablets for English Language Learners, 125 Dallas ISD teachers got a #BestSchoolDay Surprise on March 28: their classroom project request on the nonprofit website DonorsChoose.org was “flash funded.”
Ripple, a San Francisco-based technology company, and its executives announced a $29 million donation to fund every classroom project request on the site. As part of that surprise funding, 175 projects from Dallas ISD teachers were funded, totaling $134,370. Combined with previous citizen and corporate donations, $181,022 in Dallas ISD classroom supplies and resources were supported.
“Donations from DonorsChoose make a huge difference to Dallas ISD classrooms, throughout all grade levels and across the city,” said Jane Didear, Dallas ISD Partnership Services Coordinator. “We are so grateful to the DonorsChoose.com team, to Ripple, and to all who make dreams come true – from Arts to English classrooms, from Physical Education to Mathematics.”
This is the first time in the 18-year history of DonorsChoose.org that a donor has funded every project on the site. Stephen Colbert revealed the news on Tuesday’s Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and the organization celebrated all of the funded teachers on social media using the hashtag #BestSchoolDay.
Now that the projects have been funded, the team at DonorsChoose.org will purchase the requested materials and ship them to Dallas ISD schools. Among the other projects funded in Dallas ISD are:
- Amplifiers, ukeleles, basses, and microphones for Pamela Jenkin’s music classroom at Joseph J. Rhoads Learning Center
- Cultural studies novels for Catherine Cadigan’s class at Thomas Jefferson High School
- Astronomy equipment for Johnston’s science class at Robert T. Hill Middle School
- Building tiles, technology and coding materials for Rutledge’s Pre-K class at Central Elementary School
As new projects appear on DonorsChoose.org, donors can search for projects from Dallas ISD by visiting www.donorschoose.org, clicking “Find a classroom to support,” and typing in a local school or teacher name. Teachers can create a new project by visiting www.donorschoose.org/teachers.
