Matchmaker Charles Best puts donors in touch with classrooms.When Charles Best Dr. Charles Herbert Best, CC (February 27, 1899 – March 31, 1978) was a medical scientist. He was born in West Pembroke, Maine, USA to Canadian parents. While a 22-year-old student studying medicine at the University of Toronto, he worked as an assistant to Dr. was a fledgling teacher at Wings Academy in the Bronx Bronx, river, c.20 mi (30 km) long, issuing from Kensico Reservoir, SE N.Y., and flowing SW through the Bronx into the East River. The Bronx River Parkway, one of the first limited-access highways in the New York City area, parallels a portion of the river. , he wanted to invite a former slave from Mauritania Mauritania (môrĭtā`nēə), officially Islamic Republic of Mauritania, republic (2005 est. pop. 3,087,000), 397,953 sq mi (1,030,700 sq km), NW Africa. to talk to his history class, but his school didn't did·n't Contraction of did not. didn't did not didn't do have $400 to spend on the speaking fee. That's when he decided to start a Web site that would allow private donors to improve education in a meaningful, concrete way by sponsoring requests for classroom resources. Best posted his proposal online--along with those of his fellow teachers--and anonymous donors sponsored all 11 initial requests. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Since that modest start in 2001, the site, www.donorschoose.org, has taken off. Recent funded requests have ranged from classroom libraries to digital cameras to a sensory garden A sensory garden is a 'garden' or other plot specifically created to be accessible and enjoyable to visitors, both disabled and non-disabled. The purpose of such a provision is to provide individual and combined sensory opportunities for the user such that they may not normally designed for mentally-handicapped children. So far, the site has routed $4 million from donors in 50 states to mostly high-need schools. Best, 29, now works full time making sure that expertise and imagination don't go untapped due to lack of finances. Thanks to his creative thinking, you and your students just may meet your perfect match. |
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