07.15.16
The Tom's of Maine "Green Your School Fund" is investing in kids and asking for consumer’s help in determining the most creative environmental projects submitted by educators nationwide by voting daily on greenschoolfund.com through Oct.17, 2016.
The "Green Your School Fund" is a new initiative from Tom's of Maine in which it has teamed up with DonorsChoose.org to give $1 million dollars to classrooms nationwide so students can roll up their sleeves and understand at an early age the impact they can have on the planet.
More than 250 projects from 40 states were submitted and a panel of judges—musician and actor Kevin Jonas; enterprise editor and senior reporter at The Huffington Post, Kate Sheppard; CEO of TerraCycle, Tom Szaky; 2016 National Teacher of the Year, Jahana Hayes; and founder of the I am the Maven blog, Kerri Jablonski—chose the ten most creative ideas as finalists.
The project that receives the most votes will receive $25,000 in funding to turn their project into a reality. Second place and third place winners will receive $15,000 and $10,000 respectively and seven honorable mention projects will receive $2,000 each.
The fund is also distributing more than $900,000 to classrooms across the country.
As such, every educator that submitted an idea to the Tom's of Maine "Green Your School Fund" has already received 50% or more in funding towards reaching their project goal.
The public can also help support these projects in classrooms across the nation by contributing at DonorsChoose.org/greenschoolfund.
"Incorporating a healthy routine into a child's daily life involves more than just teaching them how to take care of their bodies, it also includes teaching them how to take care of the communities where they live," said Susan Dewhirst, public relations and goodness programs manager at Tom's of Maine. "Our hope is that the projects submitted as part of the Tom's of Maine 'Green Your School Fund' will help teachers to introduce their students to ways they can make a meaningful impact in both their school and their community, and then take these lessons and apply them as they grow into adulthood."
The ten finalists come from California, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina and Tennessee.
"One of the best gifts we can give today's students is an appreciation for the environment, yet too many teachers lack the supplies and resources to bring these science lessons to life in their classrooms," said Charles Best, founder of DonorsChoose.org. "We're thrilled to work with Tom's of Maine on their 'Green Your School Fund' program. This initiative showcases the importance of environmental science education and shines a spotlight on some of the most creative and inspiring projects from teachers across the country."
The "Green Your School Fund" is a new initiative from Tom's of Maine in which it has teamed up with DonorsChoose.org to give $1 million dollars to classrooms nationwide so students can roll up their sleeves and understand at an early age the impact they can have on the planet.
More than 250 projects from 40 states were submitted and a panel of judges—musician and actor Kevin Jonas; enterprise editor and senior reporter at The Huffington Post, Kate Sheppard; CEO of TerraCycle, Tom Szaky; 2016 National Teacher of the Year, Jahana Hayes; and founder of the I am the Maven blog, Kerri Jablonski—chose the ten most creative ideas as finalists.
The project that receives the most votes will receive $25,000 in funding to turn their project into a reality. Second place and third place winners will receive $15,000 and $10,000 respectively and seven honorable mention projects will receive $2,000 each.
The fund is also distributing more than $900,000 to classrooms across the country.
As such, every educator that submitted an idea to the Tom's of Maine "Green Your School Fund" has already received 50% or more in funding towards reaching their project goal.
The public can also help support these projects in classrooms across the nation by contributing at DonorsChoose.org/greenschoolfund.
"Incorporating a healthy routine into a child's daily life involves more than just teaching them how to take care of their bodies, it also includes teaching them how to take care of the communities where they live," said Susan Dewhirst, public relations and goodness programs manager at Tom's of Maine. "Our hope is that the projects submitted as part of the Tom's of Maine 'Green Your School Fund' will help teachers to introduce their students to ways they can make a meaningful impact in both their school and their community, and then take these lessons and apply them as they grow into adulthood."
The ten finalists come from California, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina and Tennessee.
"One of the best gifts we can give today's students is an appreciation for the environment, yet too many teachers lack the supplies and resources to bring these science lessons to life in their classrooms," said Charles Best, founder of DonorsChoose.org. "We're thrilled to work with Tom's of Maine on their 'Green Your School Fund' program. This initiative showcases the importance of environmental science education and shines a spotlight on some of the most creative and inspiring projects from teachers across the country."