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DonorsChoose.org is proud to have teachers from James B. Edwards Elementary School using our website as a resource for its educational programs! Serving students with special needs, James B. Edwards teachers have introduced innovative and fun educational techniques to advance their students’ education.

They have had several key programs funded through DonorsChoose.org that specifically address the special needs of their disabled students. Without the generosity of donors or the ingenuity of these teachers, the children would be at a much greater educational disadvantage.

In one case, as a result of these teachers’ efforts, three-to-five-year-olds with learning disabilities have benefited from a Musical Therapy class. Through song, these children have developed communication skills that ordinary preschool classes would not afford them. These students are more eager to learn in their music classes, and they look forward to them each week. One of the teachers, Mrs. Carly Smith, says about these lessons,

“I chose the area of music because our students are non-verbal, but come alive when they hear music. It would be so great if you all could hear their little hums and squeals in response to a familiar song. Because my students have severe disabilities, their needs are so specific and detailed that therapy based on their individual disabilities and needs is ideal. Music therapy is something every disabled kid deserves to be involved in.”

Thanks to another project, older children at James B. Edwards have been able to partake in Therapeutic Horseback Riding Classes. These students normally use wheelchairs as their source of mobility. Horseback riding, a special gift to these students, facilitates both mobility and socialization, giving disabled students a unique physical activity and a fun social opportunity. The teacher, Mrs. Kimberly Wilson, says,

“The donations I have received have assisted my students in many ways. They have a different curriculum due to their level of disabilities. They have gained emotionally, cognitively, physically. They have improved and added to their ability to communicate. I have had a student that was dependent on his wheelchair and NOW WALKS with little use needed of his wheelchair. I wish you could see the smiles on their faces, the volunteers that work with them, the instructors, and the parents that occasionally make it out there. They have become independent.”

The donors of these classroom projects are as touched by the projects as the teachers and students have been. Richard Bilas, who has been incredibly generous to this program, said,

“Mrs. Bilas and I believe the James B. Edwards programs are meaningful in the lives of the children and the programs are well run.”

The teachers’ extra effort has ensured that the generosity of donors has indeed impacted the lives of South Carolina children through these programs. Click here to view classroom projects waiting for funding at James B. Edwards Elementary School.

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In addition to it being ‘back-to-school time,’ it’s also time for college football! Personally, I can’t wait to get back “between the hedges” in Sanford Stadium to watch my alma mater, the University of Georgia Bulldogs, play. The season is just two weeks away now and we’re extremely excited about a fun competition that Sports Illustrated’s Senior Writer, Stewart Mandel, started yesterday.

In the latest edition of Stewart’s popular College Football Mailbag column, he challenged his readers to show which conference has the best fans based upon their donations to DonorsChoose.org. Stewart Mandel’s Conference Showdown will run for the next six weeks to determine which conference’s fans are the most passionate and the most charitable.

Will the ever rabid fans of the SEC win the showdown title as their teams have done on the field the last two years? Or will loyalists of the Big Ten demonstrate that this is their year? Are the Pac-10 faithful tired of being overlooked? The Showdown is an opportunity to make a statement for a good cause.

So I hope you’ll join with me at DonorsChoose.org/SI Showdown and instead of just telling everyone that your conference is the best, actually put your money where your mouth is.

Go SEC!

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It started as a project idea on DonorsChoose.org: a teacher from Nicholson Elementary requested art supplies to raise awareness about violence in her community. Two people visited DonorsChoose.org, read about the project, and gave the funding needed to make her idea a reality. With these resources, this project became a school-wide “Memorial Chair” effort to commemorate the two dozen plus young lives lost in the Chicago Public Schools last year.

Next month, the Field Museum of Chicago will to feature these chairs in a special exhibit in their Maori gallery. Because of the hard work of these students and their dedicated teacher, hundreds of museum visitors will put faces and names to the young people lost and will learn, on a more intimate level, about the reality of violence toward youngsters in Chicago.

Thank you for all you do to bring projects like this one to life in the classroom. To view other meaningful projects in need of funding, visit www.DonorsChoose.org today.

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