There are two ways to participate (and win!):

Create your own The 4-Hour Chef Giving Page. This will automatically link your fundraising page  to Tim’s leaderboard. Then hustle: email, Facebook, tweet, call and text your friends and family for donations! Two people in this group will win: the person raising the most money for classrooms, and the person with the most donors to classrooms. Be the master of your own fate!

Donate to Tim’s personal Giving Page. Two donors will be chosen at random. Cross your fingers!

Tim’s campaign runs through Monday, June 3.

Remember, two ways to get involved (and win!). Set up a Giving Page on The 4-Hour Chef Leaderboard , or donate to Tim’s personal Giving Page. We can’t wait to see how much good Tim and his fans can cook up for classrooms.

Our friends at Tomato Nation are some of our staunchest supporters. Over the years, Tomato Nation’s Sarah Bunting has performed all sorts of crazy antics – everything from shaving her head to donning a tomato costume and dancing in Rockefeller Plaza. All in the name of providing resources to students and teachers through DonorsChoose.org! This year, Sarah and her friends at Tomato Nation have something a bit fancier in mind: Tomato Nation Prom.

Now through Friday, May 24, Tomato Nation is celebrating prom. Check in at Tomato Nation for more information on some great prizes, and see each day’s project theme. We hope you’ll find a project you love on the Tomato Nation Prom Page and donate to join the party. Spread the word! Prom is always more fun with a crowd.

On behalf of kids across America, and the crayons, iPads, textbooks, field trips, and music they need — may we have this dance?

Of the 146 people who responded to our survey, 55% have opted in to student thank you notes, and 45% have opted out of them.

Of the people opted into thank you notes, the most popular reasons people gave are represented by the below quotes:

• “I wanted to see what the kids had to say about what they got.” – Virginia
• “I believe that it is a good exercise in the classroom for the recipients to acknowledge a gift in writing. It can be a powerful lesson to show appreciation.” – Carol
• “We opt in because some of them give us a concrete indication that the donation has value.” – Doug
• “The letters and photos are what makes funding a donation though DonorChoose.org so special.” – Lisa

People who opted out of the notes said they did so for the following reasons:

• “I opt out of thank you notes because I believe the time spent on them can be better used on the lesson plan.”
• “I know the kids are thankful and I don’t need anyone going to the trouble or expense to remind me of that.” – Lori
• “I know how stressed the teachers already are to accomplish everything expected of them. It seems unfair to expect them to ask them to complete one more task.” – Antoinette
• “If I donate more than once, I suddenly have an influx of more thank you notes than I know what to do with. I hate to think of how much time, materials, and resources were used on them that could have been put to better use.” – David

We also asked people what they do with the student thank you notes they receive, and wanted to share a few of our favorite responses:

• “I showed them to my kids so they could try to understand the impact of the donation.” – Mandy
• “They are in my desk drawer, bottom left, and it’s where I go when I need to remind myself that…I have made a difference.” – Debi
• “We shared them with family and friends and used them as an opportunity to promote DonorsChoose.org. I even took a packet or two into work and shared with my coworkers.” – Alyssa
• “When a packet first arrives, I display the notes on my coffee table where anyone who comes over can see them.” – Kate

Your turn: what do you think of student thank you notes?

This week, in honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, People’s United Community Foundation has donated $100,000 to match classroom projects focusing on Math, Science, Literacy, Language or College & Career Prep, within their footprint.

Check out qualifying projects in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York.

Just as People’s United Community Foundation appreciates teachers, we appreciate People’s United for supporting classrooms for three years in a row!

It’s Teacher Appreciation Week, a time to recognize the hard work teachers do. Stumped on how to show appreciation for teachers? We’ve got you covered with some great ways to celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week:

1. Donate to a classroom project that inspires you, and leave a message wishing the teacher a Happy Teacher Appreciation Week.
2. Follow our “No More Apples” board on Pinterest for clever DIY teacher gift ideas.
3. Surprise a teacher you know with a hand-written thank you note. Get your kids involved by encouraging them to write notes for their teachers.
4. “Favorite” a teacher (or two!) in your community for updates on their progress throughout the school year.
5. Share this message on Facebook and Twitter to spread the word about Teacher Appreciation Week: “Teacher Appreciation Week has begun! Support a classroom to show how much you appreciate teachers: http://ow.ly/kGpLV”

We hope these ideas have inspired you. Now go show teachers some appreciation!

The Summit kicked off with a dinner and cocktail reception at PS 11 in Chelsea, an elementary school with 48 projects successfully funded projects through DonorsChoose.org. Our top donors, teachers, corporate partners, staff members, and board and national advisory council members gathered to celebrate teachers and share their experiences with DonorsChoose.org. Guests included Alexis Ohanian (co-founder of Reddit), Anil Dash (one of the inventors of blogging), Meredith Bennett (executive producer of The Colbert Report), Aimee Bell (Deputy Editor of Vanity Fair), and Peter Bloom (Chairman of the DonorsChoose.org Board of Directors).

The following day, our corporate partners joined us at the Ford Foundation for a daylong retreat including panels, guest speakers, and remarks from our founder and CEO Charles Best.

Here are a few of our favorite moments from Partner Summit 2013:

We added a few lights and fresh flowers to the cafeteria at PS 11 William T. Harris Elementary School, but our guests couldn’t stop admiring the brightly colored tablecloths, hand-painted by the students in the PS11 AfterSchool program.

The evening’s cocktail reception and dinner allowed our corporate partners and teachers to meet and share their experiences with DonorsChoose.org. Below, our partners and supporters raise a glass in honor of teachers.

Five of NYC’s top food trucks lined the street outside PS11. Our guests were treated to a feast of local favorites ranging from award-winning tacos, to Filipino-inspired spring rolls, to what NY Magazine and The Village Voice have declared to be the best falafel in New York City.

Susan Whitlock, a long-time supporter of DonorsChoose.org, joined fellow supporter Irma Lunderman and teachers James Walter Doyle and Emily Chandler on a panel to share their personal experiences using our site. When asked about a favorite project she’s funded, Susan shared the story of a teacher who requested tactile materials for her class of blind students to create Valentine’s cards they could touch and feel. Below, Susan holds a few of the special Valentines sent to her by these students.

DonorsChoose.org Chief Technology Officer Oliver Hurst-Hiller moderated a discussion with Max Shron, data consultant and former data scientist for OkCupid, and Jay Garlapati, data scientist for DonorsChoose.org. Together, they discussed how data analysis and visualization benefits our corporate partners and enhances partnerships with DonorsChoose.org.

Guest speaker Professor Michael Norton of Harvard Business School presented his findings with regards to the power of corporate philanthropy to make customers and employees happier. His remarks shifted perspective from “money can’t buy happiness” to “if you think money can’t buy happiness, you’re not spending it right”, to his ultimate challenge, “if you think money can’t buy happiness, try giving some away”.

Keynote speaker Arianna Huffington topped off the Summit with remarks on the idea of “doing well by doing good”. She emphasized philanthropy as a key component of health and wellness and encouraged our partners to allow employees to take an active role in their company’s partnership with DonorsChoose.org.

A full gallery of photos from Partner Summit is available on photographer John Bruno’s website.

Like many of the donors on our site, Liz and Michael started off funding projects in their local area. Their passion for supporting education soon led them to expand their radius far beyond Maryland and to make a goal of funding a project in EVERY state. They’ve already funded projects in 48 states, and won’t stop until they’ve helped kids in every corner of the country.

Want to join in with a 50-State challenge of your own? Make the dedication and support classroom projects!

1. 1 in 88 children are affected by autism.
2. Autism is 5 times more likely in boys than girls: affecting 1 in 54 boys and 1 in 252 girls.
3. Autism affects all races, ethnicities, and socioeconomic groups.
4. Autism receives less than 5% of the research funding allocated to other less prevalent childhood developmental diseases.
5. There is no medical cure for autism.

5 projects that cater to the unique needs of students with autism:

1. Mrs. Clemmons requests sensory activity solutions to help her students regulate their bodies when they feel overstimulated at school.
2. Mrs. Thompson needs an LCD projector to add a visual component to her lesson plan and enhance the learning experience of her students with ASD “who often see the world in pictures.”
3. Mrs. Conklin aims to give her students a sense of independence and the skills to care for themselves with these cooking supplies.
4. Mr. Malchi needs art supplies to create an art club where his students will have the opportunity to express themselves creatively and communicate with others about their work.
5. Ms. Levy’s students need label makers and a sewing machine to increase their vocational skills and learn independence and responsibility.

Show teachers your support by funding an autism-related classroom today.

For years students everywhere have taunted, dared, and double-dog-dared each other to cross the threshold into the most sacred school space: The Teacher’s Lounge. Finally, we here at DonorsChoose.org have taken it upon ourselves to put an end to the myths and legends drawn up by the imaginations of ten-year-olds. We asked, and teachers answered. Here are five of our favorite responses to the age old question: What really goes on in the teacher’s lounge?

1. “We visit with one another and build each other up. Food, laughter, connecting and all around good times. An important part of our day as a school that works with very challenging student issues.” –Ms. Bickle-Richardson, Teacher
2. “Our lounge has LOTS of laughter!!! It helps with this hardest job in the entire world we call “teaching.” We are such a support system to each other.” –Ms. Kaiser, Teacher
3. “It’s a place where I go after I take my students to the cafeteria, go to the restroom, heat my food and check my mailbox BEFORE I return to pick up my students within a 27 minute span.” –Ms. Ladd, Teacher
4. “We eat together and enjoy each other’s company.” – Mr. Wright, Teacher
5. “Ours is a multi-purpose room. Mailboxes, coffee, water and soda machine plus a couple microwaves. We have a quarterly staff potluck to help us keep our sense of community. Lots of laughing occurs in ours. I love my school family!” –Ms. Clarke, Teacher

There you have it, a snapshot into the lives of teachers – hard-working, in constant motion, and full of laughter. Thank you teachers for working so hard to provide your students with an amazing education!

Horace Mann agents continue to support classroom projects by donating to programs in the school communities they serve.  Horace Mann has donated another $500,000 to DonorsChoose.org in 2013 to help assure teachers have the tools they need to bring out the best in their students.

Horace Mann – the largest national multiline insurance company focusing on educators’ financial needs – provides auto and homeowners insurance, retirement annuities, life insurance and other financial solutions. “Founded by Educators for Educators”® in 1945, the company is headquartered in Springfield, Ill.  For more information visit www.horacemann.com.