A recent article in the paper stated that success is created by education, not by someone’s initial financial situation, ethnic group, or even IQ. That is why it is so important to make sure children are exposed to a foundation in the basics.
While public schools do receive funding from property taxes, there are often projects that are not funded that teachers and parents feel would make a certain difference in the education of children. Donorschoose.org handles and solicits School Donations in a very novel way. Teachers write a proposal of what they would like to accomplish, and donors can choose to fund whichever teacher’s project catches their interest, rather than blindly donating and not knowing if the money is going to an actual project or not.

One teacher pleads:
“The “book room” in my school hasn’t changed too much since they first opened their doors in 1939….
If I were to get a class set of these books (35 copies of each book), I could share them with the rest of the classes and teachers. The outdated books we do have are falling apart and barely scratch the surface of what students are interested in today. There usually isn’t even enough copies of any one novel for one or more classes. I cannot even begin to describe how important materials are to my ability to reach my students. The biggest obstacle facing my department and school are resources and the money to buy them.
Stephen Colbert is the celebrity spokesperson for Donorschoose.org, encouraging donations to projects for military base schools. These schools are not always on bases, but may serve children of military families as well as children at the poverty level. Some children have the additional challenge of having a parent who is deployed. One such school has a teacher asking for sterile slides and the like for biology class. It is harder for her students to learn with contaminated material.
If you have been wanting to directly donate to a cause that supports the education of students rather than give to a large organization, where you can’t be sure where your money goes, consider checking out DonorsChoose.



houndsgood Posted in
Paypal ran a promotion this holiday season. If you purchased with Paypal from a qualifying merchant, you would receive 20% cashback from Paypal. The funds will be deposited by january 31st. The promotion ended January 3rd, but I have heard some rumblings of extensions. I will keep you posted on what I hear.
On January 16th, the Doobie Brothers will play at the Detroit International Auto Show Charity Preview. The preview gives attendees an exclusive look at this year’s auto show with a cocktail in their hand. Attire is Black Tie, and the event runs from 6 PM until 9 PM. Ticket sales are divided up between several area children’s charities, and over the years, millions of dollars have been raised for worthy causes.
So let us recap what you get:
Many men and women are overseas serving our country. Some have their spouse and children stationed with them, but many others do not. The Heroes at Home Wish List helps millitary families meet their needs. The top needs, although there are more, on the wish list of over 30,500 families are:
I have some exciting news!
**Please Note** Due to the fees involved with the charity auction site we will be using, we can only accept items valued at $20 or greater at this time.

If tired puns are and analogies are growing tired with you too, I found the most adorable gift idea for your witty, hip, animal loving friends. The Barker’s Dozen card set offers 13 different note cards that features photo of dogs captured in situations that every dog owner can relate to, by photographer Rich Stone. In addition, the set also includes a lot of nice extras! There is a “Bark Mark” for reading, a colorful pen, a business card sized address book, and a reusable case.