Give Back Wednesday August 2020

Each year, we pick an issue affecting the local communities we live in to be the main focus of our corporate giving efforts.

This year, with so many individuals, families, and groups impacted by all of the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic, we chose to do something for a group of people facing some of the most unique and dynamic challenges: public school teachers and their students.

Mrs. Hoath’s class in Greeley, CO

With schooling plans constantly shifting, confusing guidance from federal and state leadership, the risks of classroom participation balanced with the needs of families for in-person education, and an already chronically underfunded and inequitably supported educational system, we decided to help some teachers directly with their basic classroom needs. Our hope is to give them one less thing to worry about in the middle of all of this.

Mrs. Ruiz’s grade 3-5 students in Houston, TX

Our Approach

In case you or your company is interested in doing something similar, and because we’re consultants and developing processes to align with goals is kind of our thing, here’s how we chose where to direct our contributions to match up with what we’re hoping to accomplish. We used the non-profit Donor’s Choose platform, which makes it possible to very narrowly target your search.

1.     We started with a list of where all of our staff members live and work. We wanted to find at least one project from each place.

2.     Then we applied this selection criteria:

·      More than 50% of students in the classroom must be from low-income households

·      Must be in a traditional school or Head Start school

·      Must be a Classroom project (vs. professional development)

·      Focused on: distance learning, inclusivity/diversity. STEM/STEAM (to match our professional focus)

·      Specifically looked for opportunities where donations are doubled by the platform or otherwise multiplied by participation by brands

·      Chose to fully fund projects vs. contribute a portion, as teachers don’t receive the funds unless their projects are fully funded by a given deadline

·      To further narrow where needed, we looked for projects that provided supplies directly to students

3.     We ended up with some outliers. If a smaller town didn’t have a project listed in Donor’s Choose, we chose a city nearby. Some overseas communities weren’t covered by the platform, so we chose additional projects from HQ (Atlanta) to represent those employees.

Mrs. Hoath’s class in Greeley, CO

The Projects

We funded 27 projects in total, covering approx. 500 students, underwriting the purchase of everything from crayons and pencils to sanitizing materials to dry erase boards to chromebooks. These are all of the projects we contributed to, completing their funding goals:

Mr. Wright, Grades 3-5,  in Atlanta, GA | Women in STEM and STEAM – STEM curriculum activity kits

Ms. Edwards, Grades Pre-K-2, in Seaside, OR | Embracing Acceptance and Appreciation of Diversity – 5 new books for classroom library

Ms. Baloyan, Grades 6-8, Los Angeles, CA | Need Boards Not to Be Bored! – Rulers, markers, boards, and more for 30 students

Ms. Emerson, Grades 3-5, Atlanta, GA | Log In, Inspire, Engage… - Novels, an Intuos Tablet, Teachers Pay Teachers gift cards

Mrs. Bayliff, Grades 3-5, Phoenix, AZ | Everyday Necessities for the Scholar – pouches, markers, sticky notes, and more for 30 students

Ms. Ruiz, Grades 3-5, Houston, TX | Learning Together Alone – Face masks, pencils, and markers for 17 students

Ms Allen, Grades 6-8, Phoenix, IL | Materials for Remote Learning – Math hands-on learning materials for 10 students

Mrs. Hamilton, Grades 3-5, Houston, TX | Book Club While Virtual Learning - 45 Books for a virtual learning book club

Mrs. Cobey-William, Grades 9-12, Atlanta, GA | Minimize the Digital Divide – 2 Dell Chromebooks

Mr. Robinson, Grades 6-8, Lawrenceville, GA | Technology for ESL Instruction – 4 Lenovo Ideapad Laptops

Mrs. Torres, Grades PreK-2, Floral Park, NY | STEM Station and Totes – Easel, storage unit and tote bags

Mrs. Killeen, Grades 6-8, Westminster, CA | Distance Learning Project – 36 scissors, 100 dry erase pocket sleeves, 36 pencil sharpeners

Ms. Ford, Grades 3-5, Lawton, OK | Lap Desks So They Can Do Their Best – 24 Lap trays

Ms. Amidu, Grades PreK-2, Baltimore, MD | Let’s Get Supplies At Home! - 35 Journals, pencils, crayon sets, pencil cases, and cubes

Ms. Vickie Jones, Grades 3-5, Atlanta, GA | Super Sanitized Classroom Instruments! - 30 clipboards, 24 ct. hand sanitizer, wipes, Lysol

Mrs. E, Grades PreK-2, Beaverton, OR | My Big World For Pre-K Readers! – 25 Books

Ms. Weiland, Grades PreK-2, Liberty, TX | Individual Supplies for a Healthy New Start – Pencil boxes, scissors, crayon sets, pencils, and school glue for 24 students

Ms. S, Grades PreK-2, San Diego, CA | School in a Pouch! – See inside storage pouches for 25 students

Mrs. Peters, Grades 3-5, Trenton, NJ | Journals Journals Journals!!! - Daily practice journals and problem solving journals for 25 students

Ms. Hoath, Grades PreK-2, Greeley, CO | Dry Erase Boards For Every Student! – 24 Dry erase boards, marker sets, and erasers

Ms. Box-Barnes, Grades 9-12, Atlanta, GA | Instead of Bingo it's CSKINGO! – Gift cards and rewards for academic bingo prizes

Ms. Sims, Grades 6-8, Atlanta, GA | Supplies for School at Home – School supplies for 100 students

Mrs. Martinez, Grades, 3-5, Indianapolis, IN | Supplies for Stupendous Scholars – Pencils, classroom sharpeners, and dry erase markers for 28

Ms. Elms, Grades 3-5, Burien, WA | Distance Learning Basics – Whiteboard clipboards, pencils, stamps, and stationery sets for 24

Mrs. Rodriguez, Grades PreK-2, Long Beach, CA | Making the School-Home Connection – USB camera, lapboards, marker, and eraser for 30, 6 jump ropes