Over the past few months, we’ve experienced a string of devastating natural disasters. We heard from people in Texas and throughout the Gulf Coast who lost so much because of Hurricane Harvey, residents of Florida and the surrounding areas who suffered the effects of Hurricane Irma, and most recently we continue to see scenes of complete devastation in Puerto Rico from Hurricane Maria.
The impact and damage of these hurricanes affected millions, including scores of students. Time and time again when the going gets tough, our community comes together to help.
It’s incredible what can happen when a community of caring and dedicated educators work together. As one unstoppable team, Teacher-Authors, the wider TpT community, and members of Team TpT stepped up to help through a special campaign called #TpTGivesBack. Over the past couple of months, we ran matching campaigns to support the work of DonorsChoose.org and Save the Children and directly help those impacted by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria. Through TpT’s matching program, nearly $60,000 was raised to help those in need.
The compassion and generosity shown by the TpT community truly touches our hearts. Here are just a few of the ways that your support has helped make a difference:
New Tables and Chairs for a Houston, TX Classroom
Ms. R., a special education resource teacher at an elementary school in Houston, TX, lost everything in her classroom when her school was completely destroyed by Hurricane Harvey. She and her students had to move to a new school and had only four small desks, three chairs, and a small bookcase with which to work. Thanks to #TpTGivesBack, Ms. R. was able to get new desks, chairs, and supplies for her students who had not only experienced the storm but endured the trauma of their school being relocated.
Help for the Children in Puerto Rico
Together, we were able to donate over $20,000 to help support children in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Carolyn Miles, Save the Children’s president and CEO, explained that funds would be used to “make sure children are safe, that they are with family members or friends, and have access to food, water and shelter, including safe, supervised places to play. We are also working with local partners to help get children back into school. Returning to a regular routine of going to school can have a tremendous, positive impact on children as they recover.”
In addition to supporting these and other projects that directly help kids and teachers, we’ve also received wonderful messages back from all corners of our educator community. Here’s what just a few folks have said:
“Thank you so much for your generous offer to match our donation. We held a coin drive at our school to show our support for the victims of Hurricane Harvey. Our students were thrilled to hear that your Teachers Pay Teachers organization is going to match their donation to double it! We appreciate your generosity!!! Many of our teacher are members of TpT and have found it very useful. Thank you!”
“TpT is an amazing community for everyday teaching, but it’s what they do in extraordinary times that really shows what it’s all about.”
“Our third grade read a story about Roberto Clemente and learned how he was known for helping others. We decided to help children from the land Roberto loved, just like he would have. Over the course of 4 days, our 5 classes collected coins. We called it ‘Pennies for Puerto Rico.’ Many other classes and teachers in our building heard what we were doing and decided to get involved as well. We were surprised and extremely excited with how much we were able to collect in 4 days. The students were very eager to make a difference for children that are struggling. Thank you for matching our donation and encouraging us to help the children of Puerto Rico. This was a wonderful real-world connection for our third graders!”
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We’re truly in awe of how our powerful educator community comes together in times of need. Thank you so much for all that you do to support your students and local communities every day. You’re simply amazing.
