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John,
Nearly a thousand teachers across the country just got a notice from DonorsChoose that the AFT has paid for the supplies they were seeking funds for.
The last few years have been incredibly difficult—emotionally, physically and financially—for students, educators, parents, caregivers and the entire educational community. That’s why we’ve partnered with DonorsChoose to give teachers across the country—members and non-members alike—the supplies they asked for, including cleaning supplies, learning materials, paper and pencils, books, personal hygiene products, personal protective equipment and more to help keep schools safe and help their kids learn.
To kick this off, I surprised several teachers and school staff, including Flo Lopez, a bus driver in Albuquerque, to provide what they were requesting; Lopez was asking for books and other supplies for students on her bus. Here’s the video of me surprising her.
Watch the video
This has been a challenging school year; despite tremendous support from the president’s American Rescue Plan, educators still don’t have the resources our kids need. Educators annually spend more than $400 out of their own pockets on school supplies. And thousands have turned to DonorsChoose to fundraise for these supplies. So, when I saw how many were asking for things like PPE, cleaning supplies and more, I reached out immediately to DonorsChoose to partner with them to fulfill as many requests as we could.
We can’t just talk the talk. We have to walk the walk to support educators so they can help their kids and so they feel seen, respected and supported as they do everything in their power to help students recover and thrive. Many educators take second and third jobs to help their kids and help themselves stay afloat financially. By fulfilling these $400,000 in requests, we’re spreading hope and expressing gratitude to teachers and school staff who’ve sacrificed so much to ensure a better life for our children and our communities. And we’re also shining a spotlight on decades of underfunding and the urgent need to invest in our kids and our schools.
I hope this gift to these teachers brings some joy and hope to their day. We’ve done a few surprise videos, and we’ll be releasing them on social media over the next few days, so keep an eye out for them.
In unity,
Randi Weingarten
AFT President
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