"I could not afford to get this program for my students. That's why I wrote the proposal to get it," said Hunter

Hunter submitted a proposal to an online charity she had heard about from Bethune administrators. It is called DonorsChoose.org, and according to Hunter, the organization "made it possible for [her] students to increase reading fluency and comprehension."

DonorsChoose.org is an online charity that makes it easy for anyone to help students in need. The organization was launched in 2000, by former social studies teacher Charles Best, after he sensed that many people would like to help distressed public schools but were frustrated by a lack of influence over their donations. He created DonorsChoose.org, so individuals could connect directly with classrooms in need.

Public school teachers from across the country post classroom project requests on DonorsChoose.org. Requests range from pencils for a poetry writing unit to violins for a school recital to microscopes for biology class. Donors are able to browse project requests and give any amount to the requests they choose. When a project reaches its funding goal, DonorsChoose.org makes the purchase and delivers the materials to the school. Donors receive photos of students using the project, a thank you letter from the teacher and a cost report showing how the money was spent. If a project does not get fully funded, the project is pulled from the website, and any donations are credited to the donors' accounts. If a teacher wishes, he or she may post a new project.

"When teachers register with DonorsChoose.org, we provide a tutorial walking them through the proposal writing process," said Natalie French, associate director for the Central and South regions. "Most teachers find it to be very easy and need no help from us. However, our Customer Service Team is available to answer any questions they may have."

Recently, the organization has seen an increase in requests, but French says it is hard to pinpoint one reason. "I believe budget cuts are partially responsible for an increase in requests. Also, we are a relatively new organization, and much of our growth can be attributed to teachers just finding out about DonorsChoose.org," said French.

According to Hunter, if it had not been for DonorsChoose.org, she would not have been able to provide her students with access to Ticket to Read, a program she says they found fun and motivating.

"During computer time, the students always asked to get on Ticket to Read. They like earning points for reading and that the stories are read out loud," said Hunter. "The students have learning difficulties so it has also helped with their reading comprehension."

To learn more about DonorsChoose.org or donate to a project, visit www.donorschoose.org.

Visit http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=267635 to view Ms. Hunter's fulfilled submission.

For more information about Ticket to Read or to purchase Ticket to Read, visit www.tickettoread.com.