According to a survey by the National School Supply and Equipment Association, public school teachers spend $1.6 billion out of pocket each year for supplies and gear for their classrooms.
To help alleviate these expenses and ensure that children in every community have the tools and experiences needed for an excellent education, Burlington has teamed up with DonorsChoose.org. From July 1 to August 16, 2015, Burlington customers can help classrooms in need nationwide by making a donation to benefit the platform at check out.
DonorsChoose.org is an online national non-profit organization that makes it easy for anyone to help students in need. U.S. public school teachers use the crowdfunding platform to request resources for a classroom project. Project needs range from basic supplies like pencils, markers, and paper, to more substantial requests like lab equipment, books, musical instruments and technology. Once a project reaches its funding goal, DonorsChoose.org sends the materials to the school.
Half of the public schools in America have at least one teacher who has posted a project on DonorsChoose.org, and 81 percent of funded projects are from high poverty schools. Since its inception in 2000, DonorsChoose.org has supplied classrooms with more than $330 million in educational materials and experiences, reaching 14 million students.
In advance of this new back-to-school partnership, Burlington has already funded 120 school projects, filtering over $83,000 into public schools, benefitting 12,673 students and 107 teachers. These activities benefitted classrooms located within communities surrounding the retailer’s new grand opening spring locations.
Charles Best, founder and CEO of DonorsChoose.org, noted:
“We are thrilled to have the support of Burlington Stores to help further our mission of making sure that children in every community have the tools and experiences needed for an excellent education. The funds from Burlington will go a long way in providing teachers and their students with the supplies and resources they need most.”
Tom Kingsbury, chairman and CEO of Burlington Stores, added:
“Community is part of Burlington’s heritage and we are excited to embark on a new partnership this back-to-school season to help improve the educational experiences of students nationwide. Together, with the generosity of our customers, we are confident that we will be able to significantly contribute to enriching the lives of students and their classrooms all across the country.”
