At 11 a.m. on school days, first graders in Cynthia Rosato's English-as-a-second-language class at PS 169 in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, earnestly sound out words from books they were deprived of just months ago.
"I'm at 'Level H' reading," says Brian, 7, proudly pointing to the label on the front of his favorite book, The Donkey in the Lion's Skin.
For most of Rosato's 18 years in teaching, books and other materials were appallingly out of reach. "We had over 600 children sharing these books. It got to the point where if a kid lost a book, you wanted to cry."
That's changing. Charles Best, a 28-year-old Bronx high school teacher, founded DonorsChoose to jumpstart an education revolution, enlisting the aid of financial firms and donors. "Teachers spend an insane amount of their own money on supplies, but mostly we just saw our students going without the resources that they needed to learn," says the Yale grad now in his fifth year teaching social studies at Wings Academy.
He spent most of his salary the last two years getting DonorsChoose off the ground.
Friends and colleagues helped after school-still do. Eight work full-time out of a simple Manhattan office, another two remotely.
Volunteers screen teacher proposals; those accepted are posted on the organization's Web site. Donors can choose projects, which average $500, by subject, price and other criteria. Payment is on-line (an opt-in, 15-percent administration fee is paid by most donors).
Rosato's class has seen more than $7,000 in materials-about 36 projects. Ninety percent of students touched by the organization live near the poverty line. Residents of 49 states have funded 2,800 proposals. The last 10 months brought most of the $1.4 million in materials now in the hands of teachers.
With a fresh face framed by long brown hair, Best's infectious energy reflects the good intentions at the core of DonorsChoose. "I've met lots of software guys over the years his age who are off to make a billion dollars," says Lehman Brothers CIO Jonathan E Beyman, a fervent and frequent donor since hearing a news story about it last Christmas. "I very rarely meet people who are going straight to heaven. Here's one of them."
Beyman enjoys seeing the fruit of his donations in cards and photos from teachers and students. "I feel like I get more than I gave," he says. Even rap icon Russell Simmons is on board as a donor.
The appeal is catching. Bessemer Trust featured DonorsChoose's Best at a wealth management seminar, part of an effort to present its clients with varied philanthropic venues. RBC Centura has committed $50,000 over three years, and Bank One has also given DonorsChoose a grant.
To help DonorsChoose expand its reach-four new communities will benefit this year-Wachovia gave $50,000 for a North Carolina office, says Joe Crocker, the bank's svp of community affairs. Wachovia will also process grant payments and give other support. "We've had banks propose things like they might give us a dollar for every checking account they move in," says Donors vp Ilana Goldman.
Bessemer, Wachovia and Goldman Sachs, which funded the site's first grant, are careful to distinguish that their work with DonorsChoose isn't for marketing purposes. Goldman's Eileen White, managing director of charitable services, says, the Web is proving invaluable in connecting people in need with those who can give. "It's a whole new way of giving."
