January 18, 2012 | Press Release
Program Kicks off January 23 as Part of $4 Million Wasserman Foundation Donation to DonorsChoose.org to Help Los Angeles Teachers
Beginning January 23, nearly 200 Los Angeles Starbucks stores will distribute 285,000 $10 DonorsChooseLA.org gift cards funded by the Wasserman Foundation to help support Los Angeles public or charter school classroom projects posted on www.DonorsChooseLA.org. This endeavor is part of a $4 million two-year Wasserman Foundation donation to DonorsChoose.org to help fulfill classroom needs, foster innovation in education, and create a new corps of micro-philanthropists in Los Angeles.
“Starbucks is committed to helping communities thrive, and a strong education system is the foundation of a strong community,” said Cecilia Carter, VP of Global Diversity, Community and Government Affairs, Starbucks. “We’ve been in Los Angeles for more than 20 years, contributing to the community through service projects and our store in Crenshaw where we make a contribution to the neighborhood for each transaction through our affiliation with the Los Angeles Urban League. We’re excited to now team up with the Wasserman Foundation and DonorsChooseLA.org to continue our support of the Los Angeles community, it’s teachers and students.”
“I applaud Starbucks for its strong and generous commitment to provide desperately-needed resources to our students,” said Superintendent John Deasy. “I would urge customers to take advantage of this remarkable opportunity to support schools across the LAUSD.”
To date, 3,857 projects have been fully funded. There are currently more than 2,000 classroom projects from Los Angeles school teachers who need important classroom resources such as books, microscopes, field trips and musical instruments. More than 280,000 Starbucks customers will be given the opportunity to visit DonorsChooseLA.org and select the classroom project that will receive $10 in funding. The card expiration date is March 16, 2012. Gift cards are limited to one per customer for the duration of the campaign and will be available in stores while supplies last.
“I am incredibly proud that we are partnering with Starbucks to not only help LA teachers but to create a new generation of micro-philanthropists city-wide,” said Casey Wasserman, President and CEO of the Wasserman Foundation.
The two-year DonorsChooseLA.org project includes $2 million of a match which funds half of qualifying LA teacher projects and $2 million in gift cards. 600,000 $15 gift cards were provided to all parents who have a child in an LA public school. This empowers parents to fund classroom projects in their own children’s schools. The parent gift cards expire February 16. To date, over 42,100 parents have used their gift cards.
All LAUSD public and charter school teachers have been encouraged to post up to two classroom projects with a total project cost of $1,000 per project. These projects are all posted on www.DonorsChooseLA.org. It is expected that 6,500 teachers will post projects in the next two school years helping 135,000 students.
The following athletes and celebrities recently made donations to DonorsChooseLA.org and have been actively promoting the campaign through social media: 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.
Participating public and charter school partners which will be funded include: LAUSD, the Mayor’s Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, Green Dot, ICEF, KIPP, PUC, Alliance College-Ready Public Schools, Larchmont Schools, and Accelerated Schools. Classroom projects that will be funded include books, microscopes, field trips, and musical instruments. Anyone can visit DonorsChooseLA.org to find a classroom project that inspires them. Once the project reaches its funding goal, donors receive photos of the project taking place, a thank you letter from teacher and a cost report showing how each dollar was spent.
ABOUT DONORSCHOOSE.ORG
Founded in 2000, more than 207,000 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 5.7 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 visitwww.wassermanfoundation.org. Follow us on twitter @wassermanfdn.
ABOUT STARBUCKS
Since 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has been committed to ethically sourcing and roasting the highest-quality arabica coffee in the world. Today, with stores around the globe, the company is the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world. Through our unwavering commitment to excellence and our guiding principles, we bring the unique Starbucks Experience to life for every customer through every cup. To share in the experience, please visit us in our stores or online at www.starbucks.com.
Photo Credit: KABC Los Angeles