giving back
How OfficeMax Is Helping Erase Teacher-Funded Classrooms
What Is “A Day Made Better?”
“A Day Made Better” is a national cause founded by OfficeMax and nonprofit organization, Adopt-A-Classroom, to lead the fight to end teacher-funded classrooms. Annually in October, more than 3,500 OfficeMax associates surprise and honor more than 1,000 teachers at 1,000 schools across the country with $1,000 worth of classroom supplies. Nominated by their school, teacher recipients receive this honor for their exceptional contributions as an educator.
The name, “A Day Made Better,” is derived from the concept that OfficeMax and Adopt-A-Classroom can make at least one day better for teachers by providing them with essential classroom supplies. Through 1,000 simultaneous events, OfficeMax seeks to call attention to the issue of teacher out-of-pocket spending and motivate the public to take action by supporting local educators through Adopt-A-Classroom. “A Day Made Better” was first conducted in October 2007 and has since contributed to the funding of more than 10,000 classrooms.
Why Is OfficeMax Doing This?
“A Day Made Better” was founded in response to the fact that teachers are now spending on average $1200 out-of-pocket for necessary classroom supplies—collectively nearly $4 billion annually—to offset budget shortfalls, according to a 2005 survey by the National Education Association. Striving to erase teacher-funded classrooms, OfficeMax and Adopt-A-Classroom are working together to create awareness and generate widespread support for teachers nationwide.
Education Facts
Fifty percent of teachers leave the profession within the first five years:
- Each time a teacher leaves the education system, the cost is approximately $11,500 to recruit, hire, and provide orientation and professional development for the replacement.
- Teachers cite a lack of support as the top reason for leaving the education profession.
- Education is one of the “top ten most important problems” facing the United States (Gallup Poll, 2007).
How You Can Help
To show support for “A Day Made Better,” the public is invited to do the following:
- Host your own “A Day Made Better” surprise for a local teacher.
- Join the Facebook Cause page at http://apps.facebook.com/causes/116541.
- Follow the cause on Twitter at http://twitter.com/adaymadebetter.
- Learn more about the cause at www.ADayMadeBetter.com.
- Adopt a local teacher through www.AdoptAClassroom.org.
- Purchase an oversized paperclip magnet at OfficeMax stores, which benefits the OfficeMax Charitable Foundation’s program supporting K-12 public school teachers.
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