Charity

Today's Holidailies prompt is a bit different:  "What are your ideas for the Holidailies Charity Project, and which organization would you choose?"

There are so many very deserving charities out there that I think it's hard to choose who to donate to, especially during the holidays, when there are people who can't afford heat or food or any sort of gifts for their children.  One of the suggestions was that this charity have something to do with literacy or reading, so that did help me narrow it down a bit.

My suggested charity for the Holidailies Charity Project, and one that I think anyone can contribute to, is Donors Choose.  Donors Choose is a website dedicated to getting public school teachers the materials they need for their students.  Teachers submit written proposals, and the Donors Choose staff reviews them, and the eligible proposals are posted on the website.  Then donors can fund part or all of the proposals.  You get a thank-you e-mail and if you fund the whole project or $100 or more, you get a feedback package with letters from the students and photographs.

This is sort of one charity and a lot of charities all in one.  There are a lot of public school teachers requesting donations for so many different types of items.  Some just want nice rugs for their classrooms or dry erase boards.  Some are looking for reading materials and some are looking for funding for trips for these students. 

One of the great things to me about this charity is that a small donation clearly makes a difference.  For example, this proposal for art supplies is a request for a total of $548.00.  A few $10 or $20 dollar donations really add up.  And there are so many proposals that are nearly funded and are less than $100 away from being completed.  What a great Christmas gift for these students and teachers to get the books they want or the rug for their classroom or the art supplies they lack.

I think Donors Choose is a great choice for the Holidailies Charity Project.  It allows you to choose a project to donate to, and it's a great way to make an impact on the lives of students.