Today we’ll all be making history together as we join a new movement called #GivingTuesday. We’re all way too familiar and entrenched with Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but what about a day honoring the tradition of being grateful that we can even enjoy those “celebrations” and give back to others as much as we were able to get deals for us?
That’s exactly the idea behind #GivingTuesday, a concept I learned about back in September when I was invited to attend the United Nations Foundation’s 2nd annual Social Good Summit as one of their Social Good Fellows. I sat in a room with other fellows and we applauded in agreement at this fantastic idea put together by the 92Y and the UN Foundation to basically “create a national day of giving at the start of the annual holiday season. It [#GivingTuesday] celebrates and encourages charitable activities that support nonprofit organizations.”
How could we not stand behind that?
We are so excited to announce we’re joining the first ever #GivingTuesday movement and we’d love to make you a part of it. You can celebrate this day of giving back in so many ways in your own community. The point is to reflect on the idea of giving back and get our children involved. We’d love to hear your ideas and how you’ll make this happen.
Since we really want to get you motivated and involved, we’ve come up with our own special way to collectively give back to our favorite cause of raising bilingual kids and bilingual education. It’s very easy and won’t take you long at all, but you’ll be making a great impact on a bilingual child’s education. Please read on.
We all know that dual immersion programs are proven to be an academic, social and cultural success. However, that doesn’t mean the schools that need it the most are getting the proper funding. We’ve chosen to focus this #GivingTuesday on four dual immersion classrooms in areas with a high level of poverty — and thus extremely low funding — requesting funding for books and materials in Spanish through DonorsChoose.org
Here’s how YOU CAN HELP. We’ll donate $1 USD (up to a maximum of $500) to DonorsChoose.org for every comment we receive on this post all day today, Tuesday November 27th, 2012, until midnight PST. Just check out the four classrooms we’ve chosen to support below and tell us in a comment which one you want your donation to go to. We’ll then donate to that classroom the total amount of dollars generated per comment. Our maximum in donations will be of $500 total divided between the comments for all 4 classrooms.
Only one comment per email.
Help us reach our goal of 500 comments by sharing on Facebook, G+, email, Twitter, etc. Sample tweet below (you can click and tweet it too!)
1. Listen to Learn!
Technology project at Glendale Elementary School in Madison, WI
2. We Want to Read Now!
Books project at San Juan Elementary in San Juan Capo, CA
3. Engaging Dual Language Learners
Technology project at Wharton Elementary School in Houston, TX
4. Help Us Read!
Books project at Lincoln Elementary School in Salinas, CA
Thanks for giving of your time to us, to #GivingTuesday and to bilingual education! You can follow and share how you are giving using the hashtag #GivingTuesday on Twitter and on Facebook.com/GivingTuesday
I would love to help the children read at Lincoln Elementary School in Salinas, CA. There is nothing like reading to help a child learn.
I think that the listening center in WI sounds great and is an essential for a bilingual classroom.
I would love my donation to go to the Technology project at Wharton Elementary School in Houston, TX. Thank you and thank you for this wonderful cause!
Dual language schools need all the support they can get. We are raising our daughter in a bilingual house and have the great fortune to work at the dual language school she attends. Please support the Technology Project at Wharton Elementary in Houston, TX. We need more web-based and technology-rich programs in Spanish.
I am posting in support of the Technology project at Glendale Elementary School in Madison, WI! I think this is an amazing idea! I wish we could help every school start or maintain dual immersion programs!
WE WANT TO READ NOW! I feel for the kids in San Juan Capo, CA….. They just need the material to get going!!!! xoxoxo Ana and Roxanna….. you ladies ROCK IT HARD!
Fantastic! Donors Choose is one of my favorite organizations — a life-line for teachers.
Love this idea and I am commenting to support the Listen to Learn project! Good luck!
I’d love to see my donation go go the school in Madison, WI. I have Latino friends in the area and know it can be difficult to raise bilingual children there because there are not tons of resources or exposure to the language outside of school and home. The listening lab to help foster reading and language (especially pronunciation and grammar!) sounds great. Thanks so much for sharing this – what a fantastic opportunity for these four classrooms to have the support from SpanglishBaby!
Thanks SpanglishBaby for making me aware of this event today. I’m commenting in support of Books project at San Juan Elementary School in San Juan Capo, CA. woot!!
Commenting to support books project at Lincoln Elementary School in Salinas, CA
I would love to help We Want to Read Now! Books project at San Juan Elementary in San Juan Capo, CA
Ay! They’re all worthy causes so I’m just picking randomly. I choose Books project at Lincoln Elementary School in Salinas, CA. Thanks for hosting this. I’m happy I get to support bilingual education in a very small way today
Dual language classrooms are in extreme need of bilingual materials and tools to develop language skills in our students. This is a great opportunity to help each other and understand we are not alone! Please continue to help schools all over the country in this important mission. Thanks!!!
I work at a dual-language school and my children, which English is their first language have reaped the rewards. Unlike the school in Wisconsin we have a pretty high spanish speaking community so most of our children do get other exposure to both languages. I think that the need for the listening centers and books are a number one priority and a great & fun way to learn. Please cast my vote for the school in Wisconsin to recieve a donation. Keep up the good work, I know it isn’t easy.
Love the idea , mi comentario es para Technology project at Wharton Elementary School in Houston, TX!!.
I am commenting for the We Want to Read Now project in California!
How cool! I pick #4 Help Us Read. Thanks for doing this!!
ESO!!! What a great initiative- and y’all are wonderful for donating. Can we vote “all of the above”? Si no, then my vote will go to WI. Just goes to prove estamos en to’ lados- who’d of thunk it? BB2U
This is great!! I vote for #3
I choose Help Us Read in Salinas! What a great initiative!
I would like to support the Engage Dual Language Learners project with this comment. Thanks!
Thank you for doing this I vote for Technology project at Wharton Elementary School in Houston, TX.
Thank you..I vote for Technology project at Wharton Elementary School in Houston, TX
Thank you, Spanglish Baby for making this opportunity possible! This comment is to support the “Help Us Read!” book project at Lincoln Elementary School in Salinas, CA.
Reading is an essential building block to academic success. I’d love to see a donation go to the Books project at Lincoln Elementary School in Salinas, CA!
As someone who grew up bilingual in the US, I wholly applaud this effort. Que se repita!
This is a great initiative! I’m big into technology in education, so I’d like to see the proceedings going towards the elementary school in WI.
What a great thing you’re doing!!
This is a great cause! I don’t know any of the schools so I will pick one randomly. I choose the San Juan Elementary in San Juan Capo, CA. Good luck and thank you for doing this!
This is important for schools and students all across the country. The Baltimore, Md., school system and the wave of immigrants to the region would benefit from this.
What a wonderful cause! The kids are going to be so happy. Nothing like a new book.
This sounds like a great idea and cause. I happen to live a few blocks away from Lincoln Elementary in Salinas, so that’s the school I choose to donate to. Thanks for giving!
I would whole-heartedly support Listen to Read in Madison WI. As a third grade teacher in a dual language school, I am acutely aware of the importance of a solid listening base in reading. Buena suerte!
I applaud you, your efforts and the groups you want to help.
I wish I had learned Spanish better when I was younger; glad you’re giving the younger generation a better chance.
# 3 for me. thanks for the great chance to help.
Books are the best!! Thank you for supporting Dual Language education!
Love this cause! I would love to support the Books project at San Juan Elementary in San Juan Capo, CA
I would support San Juan Elementary because it is the closest to where I live. Thank you for introducing me to DonorsChoose.org.
thank you for supporting bilingual education and dual language programs!:)
San Juan Elementary! Or are we voting or are all schools receiving? Hopefully all we benefit from giving Tuesday.
wonderful cause!! We need more bilingual education in the schools today!