| COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA Office of the Governor *Timothy M. Kaine FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE * *Governor December 06, 2007* *Contact: Jeff Tiller* *Liza Jones/DonorsChoose.org Phone: (804) 692-2599 **(864) 270-0722 **Cell Phone: (804) 432-6728** * *Internet: www.governor.virginia.gov <http://www.governor.virginia.gov/>* *www.donorschoose.org/va <http://www.donorschoose.org/va> * * * *GOVERNOR KAINE ANNOUNCES * *DONORSCHOOSE.ORG EXPANSION IN VIRGINIA* /~ Public school teachers to receive new resources / /for students through online donations~/ */ /* *RICHMOND* – Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced at Blackwell Elementary School the Virginia expansion of DonorsChoose.org, the award-winning nonprofit website that connects individuals with teachers who need resources for their classrooms. Founded in 2000 by a young high school teacher, DonorsChoose.org has been recognized as “America’s most innovative charity” by the Stanford Business School and Amazon.com. Over 31,400 public school teachers nationwide have used the site to secure funding for $14.9 million in books, art supplies, technology and other resources that their students need and use for enhanced learning opportunities. “DonorsChoose.org allows every public school teacher to be a change maker and enables any citizen to be a philanthropist,” said Governor Kaine. “Virginia public school teachers will now be able to receive additional resources for their students and classrooms, donated by individuals nationwide through this unique website.” Teachers log on to DonorsChoose.org and submit requests for materials or experiences students need to learn. Individuals search and partially or fully fund these requests by their interests, and then receive photos and thank-you notes from the classroom they supported. “I started DonorsChoose.org seven years ago with the help of my students, and we never imagined that our experiment would one day become a national nonprofit organization,” said Charles Best, founder of DonorsChoose.org and a former history teacher at Wings Academy in the Bronx. With DonorsChoose.org now open to every public school in Virginia, individuals can financially support classroom projects such as providing new juggling equipment for a physical education teacher’s class ($73 remaining), providing books about colonial Virginia ($518), or taking students on a field trip to the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. ($2,000). “We’re thrilled to have the Governor’s support for this extraordinary program,” said Katie Bisbee, executive director of DonorsChoose.org Atlantic region. “We believe with his help, and that of other Virginians, we can make positive changes in the state’s public school education.” To search Virginia projects waiting to be funded, visit www.donorschoose.org/va <http://www.donorschoose.org/va>. # # # |
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