Columbia Opportunity Resource and DonorsChoose.org team up to deliver thousands in classroom resources to local classrooms
September 10, 2008
COLUMBIA, SC – September 10, 2008 – During the month of September Columbia Opportunity Resource (COR) and DonorsChoose.org will be teaming up to help schools in Columbia and Richland County by connecting teachers with classroom ideas and young professionals who want to help make those ideas reality. Through a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Fund at Central Carolinas Community Foundation, COR members will be receiving $100 DonorsChoose.org Giving Cards that will be applied to requests from local teachers posted at www.DonorsChoose.org, a nonprofit website that connects teachers with classroom needs to individuals who want to help.
When teachers ask, COR members will raise their hands to help. This month, COR members are actively reaching out to educators in Richland County and encouraging them to visit www.DonorsChoose.org and submit their classroom requests online. At the same time, COR is asking young and emerging professionals to join us in this effort, says COR Chair Katherine Swartz. Our goal is to channel more than $30,000 in resources to the education system in the Midlands by year-end.
Teachers and education professionals who want to take advantage of this funding opportunity should submit their project ideas by Tuesday, September 23, 2008, which can include anything from student experiences and materials, to dictionaries, lab equipment and soccer balls. COR members will begin funding projects October 1. Once a project is fully funded, teachers will be asked to share the results with COR and the community. COR will maintain a blog at www.ourcor.org, with regular updates on the projects funded and completed and the impact on the community.
It’s really as easy as it sounds for educators and the community to get involved, says COR Executive Director Tracy Russell, CAE. Our goal is to get projects funded and more young professionals actively engaged in the public education system. Teachers may go to www.DonorsChoose.org to submit their project requests; young professionals may go to www.ourcor.org to become a member and learn more.
About Columbia Opportunity Resource
Columbia Opportunity Resource, or COR, is a not-for-profit, all-volunteer organization that offers professional development, social networking, and philanthropic opportunities to its members. COR is the premier networking destination for young and emerging professionals in the Metropolitan Columbia area. Dedicated to fostering a greater sense of civic and community involvement in the Midlands through social, political and cultural education, communication, development and action, COR inspires and empowers a new generation of Columbians to make our city a better place. Through a long list of ongoing projects, events and campaigns, the members of COR foster a new level of social, political, and cultural engagement among this new generation of Columbia’s leaders.
About DonorsChoose.org
DonorsChoose.org is a simple way to fulfill needs and foster innovation in our public schools. At www.DonorsChoose.org, teachers submit project requests for the materials and experiences that their students need to learn, from My Books Don’t Dance Like They Do On TV! to School Supplies = Successful Students! ($475. Individuals can search projects by areas of interest, learn about classroom needs, and choose to fund the project they find most compelling. Donors receive thank-you packages from the classroom they chose to support, including student notes and photos. To date, DonorsChoose.org has channeled more than $23.6 million in classroom resources to 1,384,530 students, from donors in 50 states.
