Online Staff Report

Laura Lindquist, a pre-school teacher at Rockford’s Circles of Learning day care center, has raised more than $3,300 to fund several projects that help 3- and 4-year-olds to learn through the use of all their senses.

“My students are creative, curious, inventive and active,” Lindquist said. “I have a fun, energetic room, and I am trying to provide the most active curriculum possible.”

Rockford Horace Mann agent Gary Lutes contributed to one of the projects through DonorsChoose.org ^[1], a non-profit organization that connects donors with public school teachers who need classroom materials.

Horace Mann has contributed $600,000 to school projects nationwide through DonorsChoose.org in the past year. Now, teachers can submit classroom projects via Horace Mann’s Classroom Project Facebook page to increase their chances of funding.

Feb. 22, Lindquist demonstrated her classroom projects and discussed how other public school teachers can find funding at the day care center.

Lutes said full-time public school teachers, nurses and guidance counselors can participate.

“Teachers gain the donations by posting classroom projects needing funding on the DonorsChoose.org website,” he said. “Once a project is posted, anyone can contribute to the project — often, it’s friends and school colleagues, but there are many corporate sponsors, including Horace Mann, as well.”

Lindquist is among 32 Rockford-area teachers who have received more than $15,000 to fund 39 classroom projects through DonorsChoose.org over the past year. Without funding of this nature, teachers often pay for classroom materials and enhancements out of their own pockets.

Horace Mann

Horace Mann is the largest national multiline insurance company focusing on educators’ financial needs. Horace Mann provides auto and homeowners insurance, retirement annuities, life insurance and other financial solutions. “Founded by Educators for Educators” in 1945, the company’s headquarters is in Springfield, Ill. For more about the company, visit www.horacemann.com ^[2].

DonorsChoose.org

Founded in 2000, DonorsChoose.org ^[1] is a non-profit website where public school teachers describe specific educational projects for their students, and donors can choose the projects they want to support. To date, almost 160,000 public and charter school teachers have used the site to secure funding for $71 million in books, art supplies, technology, and other resources that have supported 3.9 million students.

Posted Feb. 22, 2012