25 letters

The understanding of creativity as something important and useful only came to me in the last few years. So I'm on a bit of a kick to encourage creativity in others. I think everyone can benefit from creating something especially when so much of the world is set on destroying the many things of earth including each other. I also periodically feel that I should be a bit more philanthropic. A few months ago I looked into the DonorsChoose program www.donorschoose.org. DonorsChoose invites teachers to write a proposal for materials or experiences they need to help their students learn. Donors can choose to fund as little or as much as the want of a project starting at a minimum of ten dollars. The website gives basic information on the class such as where it is located, grade level and percentage of students from low income homes. I chose a class in Harlem whose teacher was asking for paints, markers and other art supplies to create projects related to their social studies learning. I immediately received an e-mail from the teacher thanking me for funding her project. And yesterday, three months later, I received a feedback package containing pictures of the happy kids painting and drawing, packing slips from all the supplies that were bought, a heartfelt thank you note from the teacher and a thank you letter from each student. These often included drawings and ranged from "thank for the art supplies we really like using them" to the warm "you must have a really big heart" to the caring "I hope that you have a nice Christmas with your family and I hope that you get at least one present". I thought of it as an opportunity to give a group of kids some basic supplies they wouldn't have had, but in her letter the teacher wrote they also learned there are good hearted people in the world who care about them, and the girls were particularly impressed that this gift came from a woman. As an added benefit they each got some practice in writing a thank you note.

It's amazing to look at the website and see teachers asking for paper, bookshelves, vocabulary cards, projector screens, things a lot of us just assume a school would have. DonorsChoose is definitely the most rewarding donation I've ever given and I hope they are able to attract more donors and expand their program to more schools throughout the country in the years ahead.