Contest: “Bunting’s 11 (and 1/3)”
(Confused? No problem: I’m having a contest, to raise money for underfunded public schools. Read all about it here.)
It’s a gamble.
I want us to raise $150,000 this year — $210,000, if we can manage it. Everybody’s out of work and broke and freaking out, and yet I roll the dice and ask for more money than we’ve ever raised before.
Why would I do a damn-fool thing like that?
Well, magic doesn’t come to those who don’t expect it, but it’s not just that I expect magic from you guys, although I do. It’s that, all over the country, kids don’t expect magic — and they should.
Kids should get psyched about the next book in a series. Kids should wake up on Thursday, feel grumpy, and then remember that it’s art class today — or dance, or Nerf football, or frog dissection, whatever they’re into. Kids should come home and drive their older siblings bazoo showing off how they can tell time, add fractions, or follow a recipe.
And all over the country, kids can’t do that stuff, because everybody’s broke and out of work and freaking out, including their parents and teachers, and kids can’t do a damn thing about it, either, because they don’t vote and they can’t get jobs that pay worth a damn.
Kids should expect magic — and when a classroom gets a project funded via Donors Choose, magic comes. Magic, hope, Santa, call it whatever you want: kids should have it to believe in. This grownup knows it’s real, because she sees you yank a rabbit made of sawbucks out of that hat every year.
We can pull off this heist, you guys. We’ll raise the money, you’ll win the loot, and when it’s done, we’ll have pulled off one of the biggest scores in internet history.
The assault on the vault begins at 12:01 AM, tonight. Stay tuned for the prize list, the contest FAQ, and an updated Donors Choose widget; share this video everywhere you can; and bet red.
Tags: city living contests
Everyone–Lets knock out our donations then throw in five more bucks each for Kate!
That video is one heck of a lot of Awesome itself; we’ve got to bring it like it’s never been brought just to keep up.
(Also, Sars, may I add to the chorus of voices hailing your hotness? Clearly, agitation and a wicked eyebrow are key components of the sexay.)
Between the supercool vid and the eloquence of your pitch on the magic kids deserve, I think you might just have convinced this conservative grinch to pony up. My daughter is fortunate to go to a good, well-funded public school just because of where we happen to live. Your plea made me realize other kids should have the same opportunities and chances to love learning that she has.
Sars, I think what you do is great. I’m a teacher and as I’m typing this, my students are taking a test (don’t worry I’m watching them) without any scantrons, meaning I’ll be hand-grading 150 exams this weekend. Go Sars, go Tomatonation!
I love that my Sula’s laser eyes are behind the “Tomato Nation Readership” graphics. It encapsulates her essence. It’s like she’s broadcasting the message, “You will donate.”
Finally got a chance to view the video and….squee! So much awesome packed into 2:46. Seeing the Donors Choose folk who have been so incredible was way fun, and all the Tomato Nationals and their kittehs was a hoot. Best of all, little Achoo! is perfectly framed sticking out her tongue at “The Awesome.” She means that in the best way possible, of course. Giddy!