Help fund school projects in your area

October has always been one of my favorite months of they year. Nice weather, Canadian Thanksgiving, my birthday, Halloween and let's face it, anything is better than September. But really, the best thing about October is the DonorsChoose Social Media Challenge (formerly known as the DonorsChoose Blogger Challenge.)

DonorsChoose is an online charity that makes it easy for everyone to help fund educational projects around the country. During the Social Media Challenge bloggers, Tweeters, Facebookers, (and BlogHers) will come together to raise money that goes straight to the place it's needed the most - the classroom.

Last year, bloggers raised more than $275,000 and helped fund projects in 65,000 public schools.

This year, we reached out to BlogHer members who are active in our Regional Groups and asked them to select projects from their local areas. (32 projects in 16 areas.) Here are the giving pages for each regional group.

BlogHer Portland

BlogHer Seattle

BlogHer Tampa

BlogHer Dallas/Ft Worth

BlogHer San Francisco

BlogHer Washington DC

I'd like to send a huge thank you to the BlogHers who helped to choose the projects for each of our regional giving pages. Stop by their blogs and thank them for caring about kids and education.

Jenny on the Spot

Mommy Bits

South City Confidential

Follow @donorschoose on Twitter. Friend them on Facebook. Learn more about DonorsChoose and how it works. Read some thank you letters written by students and teachers whose projects have been funded by donations from people like you.

Visit the giving pages and donate as little as $1 or more if you can spare it. Just as valuable as your dollar is your time. Building buzz about this project is just as important as reaching into your wallet.

Blog about the DonorsChoose Social Media Challenge. Embed a widget or two on your blog. Tweet the links. Facebook your favorite projects. Spread the word. Create a giving page of your own and work to get those projects funded.

Leave a comment telling us which projects you support. Post a link to your blog if you are participating in the DonorsChoose Social Media Challenge. Share ideas for ways we can work together to improve education for children around the country.

~~Denise
BlogHer Community Manager

Submitted by Denise (view blog

) on Thu, 10/01/2009 - 3:00am

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Tough choice

Since it's US based I can't pick "my" region. So do I give them all a buck? Or chose just one and give it more? Decision, decisions. ;)

Sassymonkey and Sassymonkey Reads.

Submitted by sassymonkey on Thu, 10/01/2009 - 04:54

It's always hard

I started with $1 each, plus an extra $10 for the Chicago projects. I'll be donating all month long - sometimes for projects I love, sometimes for projects that lure me in because of how other bloggers pitch them, sometimes because the kids' photos and letters will draw me in, sometimes because a project just needs that last little push to get it funded.

Also... I like to fund high school projects because I think older kids often get over-looked.

~Denise BlogHer Community Manager
Flamingo House Happenings

Submitted by Denise on Thu, 10/01/2009 - 05:09

One Of The NYC Projects I Liked

One of the NYC projects I liked was where Pre-K kids learn the responsibilites that come with having an aqaurium. Kids can learn so much by taking care of animals, even if the live in water!

Love being part of the challenge again this year.

Megan
BlogHer Contributing Editor, TV/Online Video

My Personal Entertainment Blog: Megan's Minute

My Review Blog: Meg's Rad Reviews

Twitter:@MeganSmith

Submitted by Megan Smith on Thu, 10/01/2009 - 05:43

Yay, let's help them get their aquarium!

:-)

~Denise BlogHer Community Manager
Flamingo House Happenings

Submitted by Denise on Thu, 10/01/2009 - 13:14

WOW!

As one of the projects that was chosen for the regional pages, I just wanted to say THANK YOU!

I've already had two donations come in, and I am in awe of everyone so willing to make sure our students have the best possible materials available to them. Thank you SO much for making it so easy for people to donate.

Together, we can all ensure that our students have the brightest futures ahead of them!

Betsy Beach

7th grade Language Arts teacher

Submitted by bbeach84 on Thu, 10/01/2009 - 07:39

Fabulous

Thanks for stopping by and sharing your excitement with us. I hope your project gets funded quickly.

~Denise BlogHer Community Manager
Flamingo House Happenings

Submitted by Denise on Thu, 10/01/2009 - 13:15

LOVE DonorsChoose

really really love it, we'll look thru the Atlanta pjs and pick some stuff from there :)

Submitted by nuthinfancy on Thu, 10/01/2009 - 16:00

Thanks Lee

This really is one of my favorite events of the year.:-)

~Denise BlogHer Community Manager
Flamingo House Happenings

Submitted by Denise on Sun, 10/04/2009 - 05:51

Pick the Rug!

I am a particular fan of the Classroom Rug project, which described the many ways in which a Word Map rug would enrich a local kindergarten classroom's learning experience. I am a geographer, I have a kindergartener, and I happen to know that the school in question has a well-respected program that includes a special ed child in every single classroom. Pick the rug, pick the rug!!

Shannon Des Roches Rosa
Squidalicious.com parenting first, autism second
CanISitWithYou.org real tales of schoolyard terror and triumph

Submitted by Shannon Des Roches Rosa on Fri, 10/02/2009 - 00:53