An Added Bonus

Around the holidays, I discovered a wonderful organization called Donor's Choose.  Through the website, public school teachers from around the country post project ideas and anyone can donate to them.  Once a project reaches its funding goal, Donor's Choose delivers the  materials to the school and you get e-mails and photos showing you how the money was spent.

What makes this organization so wonderful is that you can give as little or as much as you want and really make a difference.  Last year I gave about $80 (most of which was sitting in a paypal account from random stuff I sold on Ebay) and I was able to complete the funding of four different projects. One of these projects provided garden tools for a garden club at an elementary school in a high poverty area of California.  

From Donor's Choose

Besides all the good feelings you get by giving, I got an added bonus.  While we were away in California, I received a package of handwritten notes from the children in the garden club.  This is what one of the letters said:

"...I sincerely thank you for donating these items to a club that has less than 20 members- even in this poor economy caused by George Bush."

After a thank you note like that, I've never been more convinced that my money was well-spent.

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