DonorsChoose.org

While reading the Charlotte Observer this morning, a letter to the editor caught my eye. It was from a teacher in a high-poverty school, wondering where her children would go to read books on the summer reading list if their libraries were closed. (As you surely know, the budget crisis in Mecklenburg County has brought about a proposed 50% cut in funds to the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. The library board has said that if they do not get sufficient funding, they will close 12 branches. For those playing along at home, that leaves just the regional libraries.)

That kind of question is the kind that pulls at my heart. It's also the kind that starts a fantasy in my head where I show up at a school and benevolently distribute books to every child, and each one is grateful and clasps the book to their heart and immediately goes and sits in a corner to start reading.

So, fantasy still intact, I wandered over to the computer and started looking for how I could solve the literacy problems in Mecklenburg County. Not for the first time, I ended up at DonorsChoose.org. This charity allows you to donate to classroom projects all over the country. You can choose by type of project (for example, if you want to donate to a science classroom or project) or by location, and you can sort by population or poverty level or popularity.

There are 286 projects listed from Mecklenburg County, ranging from "ink for our printers" to "60 copies of The Secret Garden." You give any amount you choose. When enough people give to a project (the costs are all delineated for you, right down to shipping), the project is funded.

The overwhelming part, of course, is the sheer volume of need. How do I decide between that Secret Garden project and a project from the teacher in another high-poverty school who needs books that deal with building character and community? There are 183 literacy and language projects listed in Mecklenburg County.

To Do: My advice on how to pick: just do it. All of the projects on DonorsChoose.org have been vetted. All are worthy. Light a single candle.