Reflections on the Blogging From A to Z Challenge

So this year I decided to do the A to Z Challenge.   I had many reasons for doing it.  Both here and on my other blog. While my other blog was completely random, this one had a set theme.  I wanted all my posts to be about something school related.  I don't know if I achieved that goal or not.  I think some of my posts were stretching that theme a little bit. Some fell more into the volunteering category than the school category.  But overall I think I did a good job.
Midway through the challenge my wonderful blog set up decided to fail me.  Fortunately I had been checking my blogs daily to make sure my posts didn't have issues.  So I noticed right away when my posts on my other blog appeared with a problem, but the ones here weren't showing up.  Oh that sooo stressed me out.  I had my blogs for this one ready to go up a week in advance for each one.  No that wasn't anywhere near the time schedule I had originally planned, but still it gave me time to freak out about my other blog's posts.  But now with my posts not showing up, and with me trying to have posts go up on time for The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards...UGH....I was freaked.  Not only did I feel I was failing in a commitment I made to myself...but I felt I was letting the kids that were nominated for that award down as well...which to me was a hundred times worse....But somehow I was able to pull through.  Since until about mid April I didn't have a stable Internet connection, some days all I could do was sign on and hit post on the A to Z posts I'd had already written, but I still got it all done.
On a brighter, less stressful note  I also met a lot of wonderful new bloggers.  Mostly through there comments that they left here.  Which thank you all for visiting...and thank you all for your encouraging comments...I don't always get a lot of comments on this blog, so I'm always happy to read them.  It reminds me that people are reading what I write, and while it isn't always a whole lot of people, even just reaching and encouraging or inspiring one person to try something new to help out their community is worth it.
As for my commenting back.  I didn't always get a chance to leave meaningful comments or even acknowledge comments that were left here. (I plan to try to remedy that in the upcoming weeks)  Sometimes it was my limited Internet time, and sometimes it was just because I let myself get lost exploring the new blogs I found.  (definitely go check out some of the other bloggers reflections here at the A to Z Challenge site)
I don't know if I will do the A to Z challenge for this blog next year.  I want to, I really do. I feel there are a lot of other topics out there for certain letters that I could, and should, share. I would love to hear your thoughts on the posts I did for this years challenge. Do you think I did a good job for each letter? or are there other topics that you think would have fit a letter better? and if so I'd love to hear what those are too. (I can't promise I won't steal them for next year. Just warning you. But I will try to remember where the ideas came from and give credit where credit is due)
Were you inspired by any of my posts? Did any cause you to do something that you might not have done before? Either for your community or your school.
Thanks again to all who followed me on this wild ride this month.  I hope you enjoyed it.  Even with some of the technical issues, I enjoyed it.  'til next year. (but hopefully before!)

AimeeKay

Z is for...

Z is for...

The Zarrow Group!

The Zarrow Group is actually a combination of three foundations formed by the Zarrow family.  It was incorporated in 1980.  Their ultimate goal is to help the less fortunate.  They do this in a variety of ways.

One of the ways they help is through scholarships. The Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation part of the group provides scholarships for 7 different schools. Click here to see the list of schools.

Oh my goodness, this is actually the last post for the A to Z Challenge! I can't believe I made it through all of them.  I even got all my posts up on  the days they were supposed to post.  Despite the fact that for some reason my scheduling feature isn't working for this blog.  It's been fun, I hope you all have enjoyed my posts and found the at least a little informative and helpful. Thanks for stopping by!

This post is part of The Blogging From A to Z April Challenge 2012

Y is for...

Y is for...

The Yao Ming Foundation!

Their goal is to help the lives of children in America and China.  With a strong emphasize on educational areas.  It was originally funded in 2008 by Yao Ming.  It was first started to help rebuild schools in China after a major earthquake destroyed them.  While they are currently not accepting new proposels, they have in the past offered grants to various programs in the U.S., to help with education.  Click here to find out more  about their grant program.

How you can help?  Besides donating directly to the organisation, they also have fund raisers that people can hold to help raise money for the foundation. Click here to find out more.

This post is part of The Blogging From A to Z April Challenge 2012

X is for...

X is for...

The Xerox Foundation!

The Xerox Foundation gives grants to colleges and universities.  They also help encourage Xerox's employees to give back as well.  They have 4 different ways they help their employees do this. 

1-They give them full-paid leave to work full time on social projects

2-Teams of employees are set up to work on projects in their area

3-They learn about United Way and other ways they can help

4-Their contributions to higher education are matched by the foundation (up to $1,000)

To find out more, or if your school qualifies for any of the foundation's grants, click here.

This post is part of The Blogging From A to Z April Challenge 2012

W is for...

W is for...

W.Clement & Jessie V. Stone Foundation!

The foundation was started in 1958 and  provides educational and developmental opportunities for today's youth to be able to fulfill their potential.  It mainly is involved in Boston, New York, Chicago and the San Francisco Bay Area, but they have also been known to fund organizations outside these areas as they see fit.
Want to find out more about the foundations guidelines for their grants? Click here.

To find out more about the foundation just click here or on the link at the top of the post!

This post is part of The Blogging From A to Z April Challenge 2012

V is for...

V is for...

Volunteering!

Now I understand not everyone has the time to volunteer.  Most people are working a full time job along with managing a home.  Free time is non-existent, and if there are a few spare moments they are spent trying to relax and unwind from all that the world throws at us.  Trust me I understand.  I used to work 24/7 LITERALLY.  It has only been recent that I have found myself with spare time on my hands.  If you had brought up volunteering a few years ago, I would have laughed. Simply because the time not spent at work and not spent sleeping, was spent trying to squeeze in time with my kids and my spouse.  So for those of you who don't have the time, I hold nothing against you, because I'm sure if you could have the time to volunteer you would do so.

However there are those out there who have the time to volunteer. If you are already volunteering, may I say thank you and good job.  Whether you volunteer in a local school classroom, or help out your child's soccer team, or donate your time to a local soup kitchen, or any of the other numerous activities that are available for a person to participate in, your time is greatly appreciated.

For those of you who aren't may I ask why not?   I understand maybe your free time is spent soley on your children or signifigant other or maybe on yourself. (and may I say there is nothing wrong with that, even the last one, we all need a break now and then)  But you don't have to spend ALL your free time helping out.  You can always just decide to donate a few hours or even 1 hour a month to volunteering for something.  If you want to spend extra time with your kids, volunteer to help out at a sport or club they are involved in.  Then you can spend some extra time getting to know them, while at the same time volunteering.  If you want to spend extra time with a spouse or significant other, why not volunteer together?  You can get to see your special someone doing something nice, and then get the added bonus of being able to tell all your friends about it later. (I know the last part is more of a girl thing then a guy thing, and it is kinda shallow, but I love telling my friends whenever my boyfriend does something sweet.)

If you've never helped someone before you might not know this, but it makes you feel good inside. Even if you don't always get to see the results of your work.

If you do volunteer I know I didn't name all the ways you can help, so why don't you leave some suggestions in the comments of ways you can share your time?  Or even better ways you can do it that help involve everyone in your life, be they partners, kids, or just random friends and family?

This post is part of The Blogging From A to Z April Challenge 2012 

U is for...

U is for...

U.S. Department of Education's Student Aid Web Site!

Ok, it's pretty much self explanatory.  Just click on the link above and it will take you to the web site for the U.S. Department of Education's student aid information.  As well as helping get money for college the site also provides help with preparing for college and repaying your loans.  So even if you haven't graduated from high school yet be sure to go check out this site.  Don't not go to college because you think you can't afford to.  

This post if part of The Blogging From A to Z April Challenge 2012

T is for...

T is for:

Teach For America!

This organization's mission is to eliminate educational inequality between low-income students and other higher income students.  They do this by recruiting recent college graduates to teach for two years in urban and rural public schools.  They also train them so that they have an immediate positive impact on their students.  (click here to find out more)

How can you get involved, besides volunteering to teach or just donating money?  

-Sponsor a teacher

-Help raise money

-Join their staff

Find out more about this amazing organization at their site today!

This post is part of The Blogging From A to Z April 2012 Challenge.

S is for...

S is for:

Summer Search!

Summer Search works with low-income high school students, giving them, among other things, mentoring, college advice, and a lasting support network.  They also help college students successfully finish school and once they graduate encourage them  to come give back as part of their alumni.  It was founded by Linda Mornell  in 1990 when she sent 14 low-income students  on summer experiential education programs.  It has now expanded to 7 locations across the country, San Francisco, Boston, North Bay, New York City, Seattle, Silicon Valley and Philadelphia. 

You can get involved by:

-Donating money

-Referring Students

-Volunteering

-Attending Events

-Providing Internships

-Joining their staff

Be sure to check out their site to see about upcoming events and find out more about them!

This post is part of The Blogging From A to Z April 2012 Challenge.

R is for...

R is for...

ReadersLink!

From:

Readers Link is a program from Books XYZ a nonprofit bookstore that benefits education.  5% of a purchase goes to the school of your choice.  You can also share a link with others to help raise money for your school of choice.  Plus you can help raise money for specific projects in your school. 

Not sure if your school is registered? Simply click on the Find Your School button, and then put in your school name, town and state.  Very simple.  Want to find out more? Click here.

This Post is a Part of the Blogging From A to Z April Challenge 2012

Q is for...

Q is for...

Questions!

So what is that saying again? Oh yeah, there are no stupid questions.  There is nothing wrong with questioning things.  Of course this post is more along the lines of questioning people.  Or should I say don't be afraid to ask people questions.  Specifically teachers.  

If you are the parent of a school age child (or teenager) don't be afraid to ask their teacher questions.  If your child is having trouble in school, would you hesitate to try to find a solution?  Would you call the teacher and ask whats going on? Of course you would.  Is the child failing because they don't understand the material? <---See there's a question right there.  

So what stops you from calling the teacher and asking if they might need any help?  Maybe they could use a parent to volunteer as a class aid.  Maybe they need a parent to help organize a phone tree for students in the class, so if a child misses a day parents have a way to find out about what they missed that day.  Yes, as a kid gets into the upper grades there aren't as many parent teacher conferences, classroom nights, etc..  And maybe, for the teenagers out there,  if their parents show up in school it's the end of the world in their minds. But why not send a note to class?  Maybe the teacher could use more classroom supplies.  Pencils, paper, rulers, etc.  As a parent if you have free time maybe you could offer to hold a supply drive with other local moms and dads.  Just get a wish list of what the teacher, or teachers, might need and see how many people can donate one or more items on the list.  

Also never be afraid to contact the teacher.  Even if it is something negative, such as a students grades. Teachers don't want to see students fail.  They like knowing that parents are involved with their kids.  And if both you and the teacher are on the same page it can only help to make sure you child is getting the most of their education.  

This post is part of The Blogging From A to Z April Challenge 2012

P is for...

P is for....

Prudential Spirit of Community Awards!

If you've been visiting my blog for the past few weeks I'm sure you've seen my posts for The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards.  So just in case you're new to my blog I decided to use them for my letter "P".

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards picks 102 State Honorees each year, two from each state and two from D.C..  From these Honorees 10 are chosen in a special banquet ceremony in Washington, D.C.. These 10 Honorees receive $5000, a gold medallion, trophies and $5000 in grants from The Prudential Foundation to give to nonprofit charitable organizations of their choice. 

Be sure to check out the webcast on Monday May 7th to see which 10 of the Honorees will be named America's top youth volunteers of 2012!

 This post is part of The Blogging From A to Z April Challenge 2012

O is for...

O is for

Oppenheimer Family Foundation Teacher Initiative Grants! 

Ok, so this program Chicago Public School teachers, so be sure if you know any out there you let them know about this!

The program was started in 1933 and gives grants to Chicago Public School teachers up to $2000 per project. The purpose of the grants is to aid CPS teachers who  use project-based learning.  They believe that for kids to learn better they need to have a more hands on approach. Click here to find out more.

All certified Chicago Public School personal are able to apply.  Click here to see the guidelines for applying!

So if you know any Chicago Public School teachers be sure to pass the word along!


  

This post is part of The Blogging From A to Z April Challenge 2012

N is for...

N is for 

National Academy Foundation!

The National Academy Foundation, or NAF, was founded in 1982.  It is  a national network of career academies primarily found in .  It helps to create partnerships between business and education communities.  The founder, Sanford Weill, planned for the programs to connect students to entry level jobs in New York City, but it has expanded beyond that into a national movement that prepares students for successful careers. 

The academies vary from groups within larger schools to stand alone public high schools. The academies are based on one of four career themes.  Those themes are finance, hospitality & tourism, information technology, or engineering.  Along with academic courses the students also take industry specific courses that relate to the career themes. They also provide work based learning activities so students can put their lessons into use.  To find out more about the academy program and the scholarships they offer click here and here!

This post is part of The A to Z Blogging Challenge April 2012

M is for...

is for:

Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation!

The Foundation donates musical instruments to under-funded music programs. 

It was inspired by the movie Mr. Holland's Opus, and in fact was started by the film's composer, Michael Kamen, in 1996.  

The foundation has 3 programs.

The Melody Program

For k-12 school music programs

The Special Projects Program

Helps after school music programs

The Michael Kamen Solo Award

Helps outstanding student musicians who cannot afford instruments

Click here to find out more about how you can get involved or to make a donation click here.  Interested in applying for a grant? Click here to find out how.

This post is part of The Blogging From A to Z April 2012 Challenge.

L is for...

is for:

Labels For Education!

Labels For Education is very similar to Box Tops for Education.  They have a variety of products that come with labels that you can clip and then donate to your local school. However different products come with different point values. (click here for a full list)  

Then instead of getting a check, the school can use the points earned from the labels to get free stuff for the school.  They have various catalogs depending on if the school is looking for items for academics, athletics, or even the arts!  

Plus if you go to their site you can find out about you local schools goals, have chances to get extra points, and even find ways to earn points while shopping! 

So what are you waiting for? Click here to check it out!

This post is part of The Blogging From A to Z April 2012 Challenge.

K is for...

is for:

Kids in Need Foundation!

Kids in Need Foundation helps to provide school supplies to kids in need across the country.  They also provide grants for teachers for innovative classroom projects and develop community school supply giveaway programs.  

You can help by:

-Donating Money

-Donating Products

-Volunteering

-Donating Services

-Using GoodSearch

-and so many other ways! Be sure to check it out!

If you're a teacher be sure to check out their grants and other programs to help your students succeed! 

This post is part of The Blogging From A to Z April 2012 Challenge.

J is for...

J is for:

 The J. Paul Getty Museum and Trust!

The J. Paul Getty Museum has two locations, one in L.A. and one in Malibu. To find out about visiting either museum click here.  The goal of the museum is to "further knowledge of the visual arts and to nurture critical seeing by collecting, preserving, exhibiting and interpreting works of art of the highest quality."**I took this quote directly from their mission statement, to read their full mission statement and find out more click here**

The Museum and Trust also has programs to help teachers help coordinate visits and bring them back to the classroom with lesson plans.  They also offer various resources for the classroom.  Click here to find out more.
They also have the TeacherArtExchange Program.   This online community provides a way for teachers from around the country and the world to exchange lesson plans and share resources. Registration is free.

They also offer various programs to help teachers learn about various new ways of integrating   arts into the classroom, and also how to further their own knowledge of the arts.  Click here to see a list of currant programs being offered and to find out more.

They also have resources for art students as well.

If you are an art teacher or even just a general curriculum teacher looking for a way to bring art to your students definitely check them out!

This post is part of The Blogging From A to Z April Challenge 2012

I is for

is for:

ING Unsung Heroes!

ING is a financial institution offering various banking services and investment opportunities.  They also have a program called ING Unsung Heroes.  This program is part of ING's commitment to education.  It gives grants to K-12 teachers that use new teaching methods or techniques to improve students learning.  

Each year teachers can submit and application for the grant to ING in which they describe the projects they have started or are interested in starting. The projects are judged based on:

Innovative Method, Creativity, Ability to positively influence students.

Then 100 finalists are selected to receive a $2000 grant. They are chosen by Scholarship America, a national non-profit educational support and student aid organization. 

Out of the finalists 3 are selected to receive first, second and third place awards, in the amounts of $25,000, $10,000, and $5,000. 

For more information on the ING Unsung Heroes awards click here.

To see this year's 1st place winner, Rebecca Brewer, click here.

If you know of a teacher that you think would qualify for this grant program definitely let them know about it!  

This post is part of The Blogging From A to Z April Challenge 2012

H is for

H is for Home Schools!

Not all students attend public or private schools.  Many parents these days are choosing instead to keep their children at home and educate them there.  And just like regular schools there are different home schools.  Some are strictly taught at home, some do classes online, some work with local schools and just do work at home, but do work with the local teachers too.

Why bring up home schools, when the point of this blog is helping out and getting involved with local schools?  Because a school is a school.  Up until releatively recently in the grand scheme of things, most children were taught at home.  And you can help home schools just as you would regular schools. 

For example they can always use extra supplies:  pencils, paper, teaching supplies, reading materials etc.  Also, as with regular students some do go on field trips and if you own or work  with a company, museum, institute, etc. in their area they would love to get a chance to see how things work or have a tour. 

They can also qualify for funds from companies like Box Tops for Education .   Want to get involved and help out with a group in your area? Here is a list of home school organizations.  Do you home school yourself? Be sure to go and register so you can connect with other parents in your area.  Also I'd love to hear from parents who home school and how they feel about getting outside help.  Feel free to leave your comments and let me know!  

This post is part of The Blogging From A to Z April Challenge 2012.