Celebrated TV comedian and soon-to-be host for CBS' Late Show, Stephen Colbert revelead that he would fund all grants from teachers in South Carolina on Donorschoose.org
Having grown up in Charleston, South Carolina and attended public schools, Colbert wanted to show his gratitude for educators during Teacher Appreciation week--what better way than to fund $800,000 worth of grant requests.
The declaration was made during a live video feed with South Carolina grade school, Alexander Elementary in Greenville, notes Greenville Online. Donorschoos.org allows teachers across the globe to request monetary grants in order to better their classrooms and ultimately, the education of their students--the donors have a choice of what projects to contribute to. Colbert also teamed up with a technology distribution company called ScanSource as well as Share Fair Nation which crafts education improvement events, according to Buzzfeed.
"Using the proceeds of the sale of my old set on The Colbert Report which we auctioned off, and with the generous matching funds from The Morgridge Family Foundation and ScanSource, DonorsChoose is going to flash-fund all 1,000 projects in South Carolina," Colbert said. "Enjoy your learning, South Carolina."
"I think it's generally extra things, but to be honest with you, in some situations it could be basic-type things that the students need where the district just hasn't been able to fund it," state schools Superintendent Molly Spearman told Greenville Online.
In total, the $800,000 donations will fund 1,000 projects for over 800 teachers spanning 375 schools--the funds will be used for brand-new books, classroom supplies and technological development for students and teachers alike.
"There are going to be some happy, happy teachers across the state," Molly Spearman said. "This is Teacher Appreciation Week, so what a great way to say 'thank you teachers for what you're doing every day.'"
