Update: 10/24, 11 AM
Just FYI, I am traveling today; comments/emails may not get addressed until late tonight.I’ll do my best to keep up, and I appreciate your patience.
Nearly at 89K as of this writing. Words fail me.
Happily, words do not fail Michelle “Ma Belle” LaRue, whose project you’ve recently funded. A lovely letter from your-all’s new biggest fan, after the jump.
Dear Sarah,
I received notification from DonorsChoose this afternoon that a project Iproposed was fully funded. My students were very excited and I was completelyfloored because I had felt certain that in this economic decline we would nevercatch anyone’s eye with our proposal. I am so humbled by this generosity andwords can’t fully express how grateful we are for this support.
Keith from Pawtucket, RI was the last donor for our project and he gave onOctober 23rd. His was the final amount we needed to make this dream a reality. He noted in the Donors Section that he was a reader of Tomato Nation and I wasastonished to read your blog when I looked further into what he meant.
You are an exceptional person! It’s not easy to give to total strangers andtrust that your hard-earned dollars will be seriously spent to help students intrue need. I liken you to the Fairy Godmother that I wished as a kid would comeand rescue me from my unexceptional life and my awkward experiences. Yourefforts, enthusiasm, witty pleas and overall incredible support rejuvenatesthose who need it most and I’ve forwarded your blog info to all of my colleagueshere at our northern NH middle school.
If you have a chance, please thank Keith and all of the others who sogenerously donated with money that easily could have spent on a million otherimportant items. These kids really do deserve the best we can give them andit’s easy to see that priorities in our “Live Free or Die” state change quicklywhen taxes, unemployment rates, heating fuel costs and prices for just abouteverything else get too high.
We are very, very grateful for the support. Know that “We’re Going On ADig! Rock Hounds In Action” was funded at last because of you and this projectwill service hundreds of children for years to come.
– Michelle LaRue, Kennett Middle School, Conway, NH
Thanks for the kind words, Michelle, but I can’t take credit for the awesome things my readers do. Keith et al.: this is a day to be proud of.
Tags: contests snif!
$100,709!
WE DID IT
I think everyone took that as a challenge, because we hit 100K a few hours ago.
…dang. A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS in a little over three weeks?! I’m seriously impressed with us.
100k achieved. Holy crap, y’all!
100,000K!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We. Are. Awesome.
It was like New Year’s Eve over at Things What Things, I tell ya.
Glad to have you back, Sars.
May I congratulate all Tomatoes everywhere. A more beautiful bunch of fruit has never seen sunshine.
Wow. Just…wow. Today was a fun day to be a part of the Tomato Nation.
Erica’s right, Linda knows how to host a party!
I had a MOST craptastic day, complete with insane two-year-old repeating the same three words for six hours in a row, having to cancel a night out with my peeps due to the husband’s work emergency (and my inability to find a babysitter on a Friday night with 45 minutes notice), etc etc etc. So, instead of the $50 I was going to spend at the bar, I threw it at Donors Choose and LOOK WHAT WE DID.
You guys, I… don’t know. Last year I was amazed at The Awesome and this year… we’re going to have to invent a new word because this is just AWESOME +1, times 5, plus 6, times 7 to the 4th power, times infinity, plus 1.
I don’t know if Sars is the type to cry at weddings, but I have a feeling it’s going to be awfully dusty in Cincinnati over the weekend.
Congratulations, nation of tomatoes! I did some fist-pumping for y’all.