143,000 Angelenos Participate as Micro-philanthropists and LAUSD Superintendent Calls on Angelenos to Continue Helping Classrooms

Within twelve weeks of the $4 million Wasserman Donation pledge to help Los Angeles teachers through DonorsChooseLA.org, 143,000 Angelenos stepped up to the plate to use their gift cards and fund classroom projects.  As a result of the overwhelming popularity of the program, the Foundation, which had planned to distribute the funds over a two-year time period, made the entire donation immediately available and is nearing the end of the project.

“I am heartened by the amazing outpouring of support that our community has shown for our teachers and children,“ said Superintendent John Deasy.  “Although the initial

$4 million Wasserman investment in this campaign has been spent, I encourage all teachers to continue to post to DonorsChooseLA.org and I call on all Angelenos to continue to support our teachers through donations of any amount.  This is only the beginning of the endless possibilities of ways we can help our teachers and improve education in LA.”

Over 250,000 students have been impacted by the project.  107,000 parents used the $15 gift cards which the Wasserman Foundation donated to families of LAUSD school children for the DonorsChooseLA.org project. In addition, the Foundation matched each donation to DonorsChooseLA.org.  Approximately 8,197 classroom projects have been funded through this program.

Moreover, the Wasserman Foundation donated $10 gift cards to more than 280,000 Starbucks customers to use on DonorsChooseLA.org.  Customers redeemed 39,842 of these gift cards.  The gift cards, which were used in a two-week period, helped provide classroom supplies ranging from pencils and paper to books, cameras and computers.

“This partnership is historic, representing the strongest participation we have seen in the eleven years we’ve been around,” said Charles Best, Founder of DonorsChoose.org.  “We are deeply appreciative that the leadership of the Wasserman Foundation agreed to shift all of their resources into one school year to make sure the maximum number of teachers were funded immediately.”

The DonorsChooseLA.org website will continue to operate.  There are currently close to 4,000 teacher requests online still needing funding.  Teachers are encouraged to post projects with the hope that the community will continue to support teachers through donations of any amount.

The following athletes and celebrities have either made personal donations and/or encouraged others to do so through their vast social media including:  singer John Legend; U.S. World Cup soccer player Landon Donovan; former U.S. World Cup soccer player Alexi Lalas; U.S. Women’s World Cup team soccer player Hope Solo; golfer Hunter Mahan;  NBA Oklahoma Thunder player and former UCLA basketball player Russell Westbrook; NBA LA Clippers player Trey Thompkins; motocross athlete Travis Pastrana; skateboarder Ryan Sheckler; and skateboarder Paul Rodriguez

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 About DonorsChoose.org

Founded in 2000, more than 255,000 public school teachers have used DonorsChoose.org (www.donorschoose.org) to secure funding for over $100 million in books, art supplies, technology, and other resources that their students need to learn. Through DonorsChoose.org, individuals from all walks of life have helped 6.1 million students.

About Wasserman Foundation

The Wasserman Foundation is a private family foundation based in Los Angeles.  The Foundation, created by Edie and Lew Wasserman in 1952, provides grants to organizations in the following areas:  education, health, arts & culture, and global initiatives.  For more information, please visit www.wassermanfoundation.org.  Follow us on twitter @wassermanfdn.