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LA Unified has received a generous surprise gift from Google, as the tech company announced it has funded all classroom teacher projects in the district on the crowdfunding site DonorsChoose.org.
The nearly $1 million donation will go to 769 teachers, who submitted proposals for projects and materials. The donation included pencils, books, laptops, musical instruments and other supplies.
“There’s something magical about the idea of a single moment when every teacher’s dream can come true,” said Charles Best, founder of DonorsChose.org. He says Google’s offer to “flash fund” also provides a “singular opportunity to tell people about the site, and creates more teachers participation as well as more citizen giving.”
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti helped make the surprise announcement yesterday at Marina Del Rey Middle School.
“Our school teachers give their all every day to ensure that Los Angeles students reach their full potential,” said Garcetti, according to a press release. “We’re grateful for their ongoing dedication and passion that’s inspiring the next generation of Angelenos – and I’m thrilled that the help of Google and DonorsChoose.org will help every student reach their dreams a little faster.”
Teachers at the school expressed gratitude at the generosity of the donation.
“Anything from pencils to technology, it’s going to help the kids in the classroom. Any professional with a well-supplied toolbox will be more effective,” history teacher David George told ABC7. “I’m blown away by the generosity. It’s super cool.”
Google has enacted similar “flash funding” campaigns over the last few months in San Francisco, Atlanta, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Austin, and Kansas City. On Tuesday, Seattle area schools became the latest to benefit from the campaign.
DonorsChoose.org is a non-profit founded in 2000 to help classrooms in need. Teachers at half of all the public schools in America have created project requests, resulting in more than a million people donating $260 million to different projects.