Mrs. Magnuson raised $564 to purchase new physical education equipment for Loon Lake Elementary School in only six days, using DonorsChoose.org to call for action, collect the funds, and purchase the equipment.
At a time when teacher salaries are being raised and some teaching positions are being cut throughout the state, local teachers are finding funds from far afield. Mrs. Magnuson teaches PE several days a week at Loon Lake Elementary, and has gathered a grand total of $900 for PE equipment. She is also waiting to hear back from the Fuel Up To Play 60 about a possible grant of up to $400.
Magnuson accounts for the $336 above the Donors Choose amount by stating in an email to the Gazette that, “In addition to my Donors Choose project, I have also applied and received a $150 grant from the Spokane Area Retired Educator’s Association. I also received a $150 donation from the Loonsday Foundation… [and] Ace Hardware in Deer Park gave us a discount of $1.50 off each bucket when we purchased 24 five-gallon buckets to use for cardio drumming and other uses throughout the year!”
Of the eleven givers to the Donors Choose fundraise, two donors were staff/board members at Loon Lake Elementary, five were family and friends of Mrs. Magnuson, and four were anonymous donors from Washington, Pennsylvania, and Arizona. After the project was fully funded, a volunteer from Donors Choose purchased the specified supplies and let the school know the supplies were on their way. Mrs. Magnuson said, “We have only received one of the items so far (a set of 4 batting tees); the rest is on the way! I am waiting for all equipment to come to present it to the kiddos. Some students in the 5th grade class got a little sneak peek, and they were very excited to see new items arriving! Previously we had no equipment for tball/softball. We will now be able to do a full unit of hitting, fielding and catching with the addition of new bats, tees and balls!”
Mrs. Magnuson was the first teacher to use DonorsChoose.org at Loon Lake Elementary, but other teachers regularly engage in fundraising efforts to make sure the library has new books, or to provide science-based field trips for their students. To see Mrs. Magnuson’s full request on Donors Choose, where she lays out the helpful demographic information and exactly what equipment she hopes to purchase, and why, just visit http://tinyurl.com/y54mqmcm for all of the information – and maybe choose your own cause to donate to while you’re there!
