Give Kids a Helping Hand Back to School

Omaha World-Herald
Rainbow Rowell
World-Herald Columnist
August 12, 2005

I still can't get through the month of August without buying a new box of crayons. The 64-count box with the built-in sharpener.

You'll see me wandering around the school supplies department, the only adult without a shopping list or a school-age child. I'm the one sniffing erasers, picking up all the gel pens and wishing I had an excuse to buy a Trapper Keeper.

Well, this year, I'm satisfying my school supply jones without buying a bunch of useless junk for myself. I have enough Crayola products to last a lifetime. Three lifetimes. That's all my grandchildren will get when I die - ancient washable markers.

This year, I'm shopping for somebody else.

At iLoveSchools.com , you can see exactly what supplies local teachers need for their classrooms. Almost 300 Nebraska teachers have registered, and their requests are shockingly humble. . . .

Calculators, colored pencils and cotton balls. Paper plates for art projects. Kleenex for flu season. Lip balm. Yardsticks. Glue.

A teacher in Scottsbluff asks for Spanish dictionaries.

A teacher in Tekamah wants a CD player.

A teacher in Scribner needs ink.

The Web site itself, created by a California Web designer, is easy to use. You can find local schools that need help - or donate to schools all over the country.

The Omaha Schools Foundation has a similar donation site. Investinsuccess.org tends to grant larger wishes, such as funding for field trips and new computers.

The site helped buy winter coats for Spring Lake students, choir robes for Bryan High and backpacks for kids at Liberty.

The reward for donating through these sites is knowing that your gift is filling an immediate need. It's not like dropping a check in the mail and wondering how it will be spent.

"It's very immediate. It's very personal," said Cathy Madsen, vice president of marketing at Centris Federal Credit Union.

Centris employees raised more than $1,200 for IloveSchools.com over five days in January. Employees could dress down for a dollar a day. Most of Centris' 170 workers took part.

The money they raised went to nine different schools.

"It was much, much different from anything else we've done," Madsen said. Instantly fulfilling.

"We got the sweetest thank-you's from the kids in these classes."

As soon as school starts, Madsen said, "We want to do it again."

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Click here to read I Love Schools, Inc. press releases. Any questions can be directed to: