BJ’s Wholesale fills Maine teacher’s classroom wish list

A $100,000 contribution by BJ’s Wholesale Club has financed every single “wish list” classroom job posted by Maine teachers on the crowd-sourcing website DonorsChoose.org, the business announced Wednesday.

The donation pays for 165 classroom projects, such as requests for new chapter books for first-graders in Suzanne M. Smith Elementary School in Levant, tablets for Auburn Middle School students studying digital photography, cartoon and 3-D sculpting and supplies for daily hygiene essentials for needy students at Hall Elementary School in Portland.

“Every instructor and pupil needs to have the resources required for a successful school year,” explained Kirk Saville, executive manager of the corporation’s charitable foundation. “At BJ’s, we’re committed to assisting families thrive by providing essentials to students and educators, and we are proud to fund all DonorsChoose.org jobs in Maine with a $100,000 donation.”

Last year, Maine celebrity Anna Kendrick financed 31 classroom projects in Maine. During the 2015-16 college year, DonorsChoose.org helped finance 539 jobs in Maine, for a total of over $360,000.

DonorsChoose.org was launched in 2000 by Charles Best, a high school teacher from The Bronx, New York, to help pay for classroom costs not covered by school budgets. Educators request financing for a job, which is then vetted before the information is submitted on the website. Donors can look for a job and make a contribution.

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