Dear Readers: Please Spend My Money
So, you know, you’ve got $5,000 of my money to spend on Donors Choose now. Please discuss.
Also, Claire Danes’s 5K will be applied to projects in the latest round today, so look out for that. Ms. Danes, if you should happen to read this: Thank you so much for adding a wonderful note to the song of awesome that is the contest. My readers and I appreciate your help a great deal, and I hereby invite you to attend the Dance of the Tomato in Rockefeller Plaza, date TBD, even though I am totally horrified at the prospect of the actress who played Angela witnessing my attempt to replicate the Angela sidewalk dance, and you are probably kind of horrified by it also, but you’ve been very polite about it. Hee. Anyway: Thanks again for dropping some awesome on us.
Tags: contests
For your money: someone else (awesome) had suggested targeting projects that are about to expire – I think $5k in that area could go a long way! I can’t imagine being a teacher whose project is about to go unfunded and then finding out that it had been completed in a single day!
Awesome!
Yes, I was one of those. I actually sent three to Sars, but the email just bounced back to me, because apparently I can’t spell “tomato” properly.
I’m a soon-to-be teacher in Chicago, so I wanted to suggest a couple of Chicago school projects, all of which expire in the next few days.
“Students need help to become published authors.”
http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=72771&zone=201
Expires TODAY, $320 to fund
Leveled Readers
http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=72943&zone=201
Expires in TOMORROW, $702 to fund
(The third, already funded!)
OMG. Awesome. If Claire Danes shows up to witness the Tomato Dance (and perhaps even more awesomely, JOINS IN), I will squee myself into oblivion, seriously.
We have to get this on the Today show somehow.
I’m very proud to have been a wee part of this Giant Awesome Thing. World Peace is up next, right? We can get that done in two weeks, tops.
And as another timid suggestion to add to the other awesome suggestions, you could donate some of your money to projects for kids that are considered to be super “high risk?” We might be able to help out a Ryan (the OC)- some kids who don’t think anyone cares or wants them to succeed? We can show them that utter strangers DO care and want them to succeed.
I 2nd the motion of soon to be expired proposals being funded. I can’t imagine being one of the teachers whose project got funded and how excited they must be. To help those that are so close would be very awesome.
Just the title of this one grabbed me by the aorta and won’t let go:
“Empty Library Shelves Crying Out For Books”
http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=72768&zone=0
Expires October 10, $800 to fund
P.S. Awesome awesome awesome. Awesome’s Creek. “DAWSON!!!” “AWESOME!!!”
Sorry, I’m positively giddy with the magnifitude of this crowd.
Oh Density! I love to see this funded:
http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=101166&zone=0
(of course, it doesn’t expire soon, but I’m fond of it)
I’ll third that idea…funding projects that are about to expire would be great.
It might also be nice to fund something enormous, since the big proposals tend to go un-funded.
Board Games!
http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=72262&zone=0
Helping students learn to be teachers!
http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=85312&zone=0
Buy the kids some chairs!
http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=86518&zone=0
Funding some about to expire projects is a really good idea. One that looks particularly cool is a project to bring primary source audio and visual stuff into a classroom
What does it look like? what does it sound like? Part 2
http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=63851&zone=0
Expires in 7 days, $946 to fund
I recommend this one:
“Storage Building”
http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=49032&zone=0
This seems like a very basic request – due to lack of space, this school is using their gym for storage and it’s compromising the p.e. classes. A storage building can help these kids get the exercise they want and deserve.
I’d like to suggest the following – I was in Levitt’s class at the University of Chicago several years ago, and I’m not kidding when I say that he is pretty much the pinnacle of awesome, both as a professor and a person. Plus, it’s local for both him and me:
http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=93103
Science! We never had enough stuff for actual lab work when I was in school. What about these?
Dissection equipment!
http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=100292&zone=0
Frogs! http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=48021&zone=0
Lab safety equipment! http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=97793&zone=0
Science is pricey, and so many things can’t be used more than once, much less forever. Besides, one of these kids could be the one to figure out how to keep our heads alive in jars, like in Futurama! And that would definitely be awesome.
I did a quick search for baseball projects and came up with 34 projects including this one:
http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=107766&zone=0
which only is a little over $400 bucks.
Seems like something like that would be awesome.
These are all partially funded and about to expire, so I think they’re good options. It must be even harder for teachers when someone chips in toward their proposal but they don’t make it.
Science and Social Studies Through Literature! http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=72486&zone=0
Baseball for kids in Chicago!
http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=65024&zone=0
Electronic Globes
http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=53290&zone=0
Ok, so maybe I’m the only one who has no idea what this is, but….Can someone point me in the direction of a video of this post-kiss angela dance? I never got into my so-called life, as it was a bit before my time. But I’d love to see what Sars is getting herself into!
I second Leveled Readers – my kids looooooved those things, it’s a great program.
Also “Empty Library Shelves Crying Out For Books” for this Brooklyn middle school:
http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=72768
Moving away from the almost-expired (just cause many were from last school year & I want this year’s teachers to get their projects up and running, too!) –
“Social Activism HERE and NOW!” – how cool is that? Middle schoolers doing good stuff in my home town.
http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=105330
“Learning to Love Poetry” – my husband taught HS English for 13 years – his students loooooved “poem o’ the day” so I loooooove seeing other teachers using the same concept and digging deep with it. This school is near my office and has an excellent rep.
http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=107928
Oh! And “Around the World” for this insular NC community – maps! globes! Horizons expanding left and right!
http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=96463&zone=0
God, I could go on forever – this is fun! I bet, Sars, that your eyes are beginning to glaze over looking through all of these projects and ideas.
In honor of the Playoffs: Baseball, Fenway, & Math!
http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=109701&zone=0
There are two cool projects if you search “tomato” on Donors Choose.
Ashley – At about 3:15 into this video. I believe this is the dance she will be doing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyUnP3y-QRk
Sweet, someone found it on YouTube.
…Oh gaaahhhhhd, there’s TWIRLING?!
Sars, she may have played Angela and performed the dance, but she didn’t play “Angela The Giant Tomato Suit” doing the dance! You’re taking it to the next level, baby! Thinking out of the box! (Flashbacks to TWoP recaps of the first 2 seasons of Apprentice, aaaaa!)
But really. If she had done the dance as, say, a cucumber or a rambutan, then sure, you’d having something to worry about.
Your tomatoy goodness embiggens us all!
I’m from South Carolina and it is all over the news that our schools are in the bottom, like, everything nationally. There are tons of interesting projects that I have browsed around and found. Some that are about to expire soon (the aforementioned where’s my chair) some that just sound neat (a kindergarten teacher that wants an aquarium, and in a very rural and underfunded county: http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=66033&zone=0 ). I lucked out and had a decent school district and parents that stayed on me to do my homework. Other kids are growing up with no such luck. If you see a school in SC that the teacher mentioned “rural” then they probably need all the help they can get.
And skipping. Can’t forget the skipping.
For all that is holy, how do we get this on the Today show?
I would like to see these projects funded. The third one makes me cry for some reason.
http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=108191&zone=0
http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=110757&zone=0
http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=110527&zone=312
I have seen the clip, I pictured the tomato suit…..and I think that NBC or Bravo or whomever could SURELY find an excuse to make it nationally exposed. it…will….be….priceless.
The challenge is pretty much full now, unless my math is wrong, which is not improbable. So, please suggest stuff for me to fund *that’s already posted*, and in what increments I should donate. Spread a bunch around in increments of $250? Polish off a few with $1000 each?
Here you go, Ashley:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=6L8iZEacIwE
It’s kind of a long clip, but the smoochies occur around 4:50 and the dance follows.
I think you could fund half (or all) of “Where’s My Chair” comfortably and then spread the rest around to the smaller projects that need $200 or less each. (At least, that’s what I would do if I had 5k smackeroos lying around.)
Ohhhhh! You want to know where to spend the awe$ome w/in the Final Awesome. Awesome.
I totally totally vote for you to complete “Fiction Collection Development I” (needs $1488) and ” ‘Where’s My Chair?’ ” (needs $1211) and then for you to go and fund a bunch of stuff right up until they only need another $25 or $30 to be complete, ’cause then you KNOW we can’t resist finishing up “Library Lingo” and “Inner City Bronx Math Geeks Need HELP!” when they’re thisclose to being complete.
I absolutely agree with daki – I’m a sucker for “Oh, it’s just another $25…” and I’m sure other people are too. Getting projects close to completion would be brilliant.
Sars- I could probably get you a hookup on the Today show, if you’re interested.
@Sars: another way to go would be completely funding these five projects, chosen for geographical diversity and because they total close to $5K:
San Francisco, CA: Rainbow World: Kindergarten Students Explore Colors – $1,256
Hanceville, AL: JEOPARDY! – $1,136
Chicago, IL: Franklin Spanish/English talking dictionary – $1,344
West Jordan, UT: Mathematics and Geography – $204
Woodside, NY: The Not So Boring Board Games – $1,056
Total: $4,996
Of course, since the amazing — excuse me, AWESOME — folks here are sure to fund all of the projects eventually, it probably isn’t vital to which ones your $5K go. Kind like rearranging the deck chairs on, um, a ship that will carry its passengers swiftly and safely to their destination without sinking.
Apparently I am the only one who never saw this show. And it’s totally age appropriate and from what I can tell it was all great and whatnot. Everyone at work is laughing at me because I just said out loud, “Jared Leto was on My So Called Life??”
Sorry for the comPLETEly off topic comment. I just felt I had to share my shame with the TN public. Feel free to pelt me with tomatoes.
You know what would be AWESOME? If L’il Joe and the Hobe could have tomato costumes too…. I’m not sayin’ they have to dance in public, but perhaps just for a home photo-op…. they make Bob the Tomato costumes in toddler size (not that your cats necessarily “toddle”), or you could (have someone) make one. or two. Just think: oh, the felinity!!!!!
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/387043/how_to_make_a_bob_the_tomato_halloween.html
HAHAHA I just re-watched the clip of the dancing, trying to picture a 5’10” tomato doing it, and you guys? I know we’ve been throwing this word around a lot this week, but it is going to be SO AWESOME!
We need to come up with a word that is so awesome, it explains how awesome this is going to be!
I have to vote for “My So Called Digital life” because well… it’s obvious really. It’s one of the more expensive ones though so maybe you could do like half of it’s needed funds and let us finish it off…
I hated math…so maybe you can fund something that makes math more fun for kids? I also didn’t like science so ditto on that. However, I LOVED English so anything having to do with writing or books also gets my vote. Of course, P.E. is really good for kids as most kids these days get so used to parking in front of the TV. History is good, too, as it helps children learn where we’ve come from so they can better direct where we will be going when they get old enough to take part in said direction. Oh who am I kidding? IMHO, anything that helps kids is GREAT!
Now, let the Angela Dance of Tomatoes begin!
For me, anything with quadruple digits is intimidating. It brings up every iota of “what possible good could my $10 (or $20, etc.) do?” So I vote for spreading your simoleons around on knocking those bad boys down to less intimidating numbers.
Ok, I really don’t even know why I’m surprised at this point, but in (I assume) less than 4 hours, we’ve already funded 30% of $25,000! There is no way that we won’t raise all this money in under a week (tops, and probably much sooner).
I need to update my MySpace blog with the Final Awesome info, because a lot of my peeps work in big time NYC law firms and make serious bank. They may have already given, since I posted the original info on the 1st, but I’m not above wringing some more out of their $150k+/year behinds.
I shouldn’t be critical of the fine folks at DC, when we’re working them so hard, but I wonder why The Final Awesome isn’t listed on the leaderboards? It’s already surpassed the first bonus round, and will soon pass the second. Just wondering.
That’s by design, and probably temporary pending a rejiggering of the TN challenges. Don’t worry about it for right now.
Oh this one, this one! Somewhat self serving, as I have a kid with a sensory processing disorder, but I’m the only person who’s contributed so far, which makes me sad.
Sensory Needs and Social Skills Needed: Help Me Help My Kids
http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=107197&challengeid=17224&zone=0
How about this one, “Family Math Night” I graduated from HS in this town about 150 years ago (okay, it only feels that way….it’s been 21 years)
http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=114166&zone=241
As a suggestion, you might want to kick in some of the bonus money to support DonorsChoose itself — it’s not the sexy option, but a common problem for not-for-profits and charities is lack of funding for operations. So I’d say some support for the staff, tech, etc. who make it possible for us to give to these wonderful projects is due.
Ooh. I like TimZ’s idea. Not the whole $5K, but maybe 10% or 15%. Not for nothing, Charles Best is pretty awesome himself, so why not recognize him & his employees?
As the Director of Operations for a small non-profit, thanks for throwing some of your matching funds to Donors Choose itself. It may not seem as awesome as funding a project, but the more efficiently DC operates, the more projects they can bring to our attention. Finding the cash to fund your overhead can be a huge challenge, thanks for recognizing and supporting that (I wish it were going to my agency! Heh.)
On to more important matters: please, please, PLEASE give us a heads-up on when you will be rocking the Plaza with your tomato-y goodness. I’m not exactly local, but I might be able to get up there to witness your awesomness if I had some time to prepare. And I might bring you beer, just to make it more worth your while.