New Website Makes It Easy to Give to Teachers, Classrooms, Schools
APS Education Foundation sponsors secure online giving tool that helps teachers and schools seek donations for specific educational needs.
August 14, 2012
Linda Smith, a special education teacher at Apache Elementary, wishes she had more hands-on learning resources to teach her special needs kindergarteners and first graders.
Josephine Gonzales, a music teacher at Highland High, wants to do away with class fees so that music education is more accessible to all students, despite their economic background.
Diane Hernandez, a special education teacher at John Adams Middle School, uses her own paycheck to buy everything from pencils and paper to tissue and hand sanitizer because many of the families she serves can’t afford the extras.
Wouldn’t it be nice if these teachers could get a little help? Now they can, thanks to the APS Education Foundation and www.SupportAPS.org.
For the first time, the Foundation is sponsoring the secure online giving tool that helps teachers and school administrators seek donations for specific educational needs. The site provides friends, parents and the community an opportunity to donate directly to the classroom or school of their choice in an easy, accountable and secure manner.
How does it work? Just a few easy steps can help students, classrooms and schools in need:
- Teachers or school administrators go to the website www.SupportAPS.org and set up an account that outlines in as few as 50 words why they need financial support and how the money will be used.
- The teacher/administrator then seeks donor support using social media, email and other resources outlined by the website.
- Donors give as little as $5. Everyone who donates gets a thank you in return as well as updates showing just how the money was spent.
Donated dollars can only be spent at SchoolSpeciality.com, an online APS vendor that sells a large variety of education resources including school supplies, teaching resources, classroom furniture and technology.
“This isn’t for paying for field trips or large technology purchases,” said Foundation Executive Director Phill Casaus. “It’s for manipulatives, school supplies, classroom materials – the things teachers don’t have because of budgetary limitations at school but really need.”
Jamie Rosenberg, the founder of the online tool called Kleo that makes this type of school donation possible, said all of the money donated goes directly to the designated classroom or school. “Schools need extra funds. Schools need support,” Rosenberg said. “I believe people want to give. They just don’t know how. Now they have a system that makes it easy and safe to give.”
To help get the ball rolling, Rosenberg said Kleo will match the first 100 donations made through www.SupportAPS.org that are equal to or greater than $25 with an additional $25 donation. So if a donor gives $25, Kleo will chip in another $25, making the donation $50. If a donor gives $100, Kleo will give another $25, making the donation $125.
