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Fred Wilson, venture capitalist, husband and father of three, and DonorsChoose.org board member, is turning 48 on August 20th! And even though he loves to receive home cooked brownies for his birthday, this year he is asking people to support music education projects at DonorsChoose.org instead.

Check out Fred Wilson’s blog post, “What Do You Get Him For His Birthday?” to see why he is donating his birthday to DonorsChoose.org.

**And donate to Fred Wilson’s birthday, in lieu of brownies and gifts, here!**

Darius Rucker Fans & Friends:

Capitol Records Nashville artist Darius Rucker and the well-known voice of the Grammy-winning group Hootie & The Blowfish doesn’t want presents for his birthday this year.

Instead, Rucker is asking fans and friends to support classroom requests from South Carolina’s high-poverty schools along the I-95 corridor. You may remember that President Obama turned America’s attention to just one of these schools, J.V. Martin Junior High School in Dillon County, S.C., during his first State of the Union speech.

Born in Charleston, South Carolina on May 13, 1966, Rucker hopes this birthday will be an opportunity to improve the education that high-poverty students in his home state receive by asking you to support one of the classroom requests posted on this page.

CELEBRATE WITH DARIUS RUCKER HERE!

Thank you in advance for helping to make this Darius Rucker’s Give-Back birthday!

Stephen Colbert, host of Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report,” and DonorsChoose.org today announced the launch of The Great Give-Back Birthday. This online celebration enables individuals to donate their birthdays to support specific classroom projects submitted by teachers nationwide.

Colbert, who celebrates his birthday on May 13, created a birthday giving page at DonorsChoose.org filled with his favorite classroom projects posted by teachers on the website (www.DonorsChoose.org/ColbertBirthday). In lieu of traditional birthday gifts, Colbert is asking his friends, family and fans to visit his birthday giving page and support those projects.

Together with DonorsChoose.org, Colbert has also issued an invitation to individuals across the country to create their own birthday giving pages.

“This year, you can help needy classrooms on your birthday with DonorsChoose.org,” said Stephen Colbert. “And the great thing is, if you give your birthday away, you don’t age that year. Look it up.” Added Colbert, “DonorsChoose.org makes me feel like every day is my birthday. That, and my 364 counterfeit drivers licenses”.

To spread the word, Colbert created a short video about The Great Give-Back Birthday, which will debut at 10:00AM on Tuesday, May 5 at The Huffington Post. Details of the video remain top secret. Visit www.HuffingtonPost.com next Tuesday.

“We’re challenging everyone in America to collectively donate 100 birthdays and generate $100,000 in donations during the month of May,” said Charles Best, founder and CEO, DonorsChoose.org. “Thousands of classrooms across the country lack the materials that enable kids to success. And with budgets squeezed, teachers need the support that concerned citizens can offer.”

Learn more at www.DonorsChoose.org/Birthday!

How did you celebrate your last birthday? Maxine Clark, Founder and CEO of Build-A-Bear Workshop is celebrating her 60^th birthday this March by making a difference in the lives of students.

In lieu of gifts from her friends and colleagues, Maxine is raising $60,000 for her 60^th birthday to help public school students in Greater St. Louis and Miami-Dade.

Check out Maxine’s Birthday Page to read about her decision to do this exciting challenge and to personally donate to a project for her big 6-0!  Making a difference in the life of a child is a wonderful gift.

Please also read Maxine’s personal blog to find out why birthdays are her favorite holiday!

Maxine’s birthday is on March 6^th, so there’s still plenty of time to make a donation!