You're on track to get doubled donations (and unlock a reward for the colleague who referred you). Keep up the great work!
Take credit for your charitable giving! Check out your tax receipts
To use your $50 gift card credits, find a project to fund and we'll automatically apply your credits at checkout. Find a classroom project
Skip to main content

Help teachers & students in your hometown this season!
Use code HOME at checkout and your donation will be matched up to $100.

Darren Criss Fans For Kids

Part of: Communities
  • $2,550raised
  • 27projects funded
  • 26schools served
  • 27teachers supported
Celebrating DC's 29th birthday by funding high poverty classes in NYC! Our cumulative goal is $2500 :)
  • Dance, Dance, Dance 2016

    Funded Jan 20, 2016

    We are so lucky to have people like you support the arts. The items supplied by your generous donations were costumes for our annual 2nd grade dance show. Each year we pick a theme and each 2nd grade class learns a dance and some songs within our theme. The ability to supply them with costumes made our show amazing. The students were so excited at the thought of their show coming together. They worked so hard to learn their songs and dance routines and I couldn't have been prouder of the hard work and effort they displayed to our school, their friends and families.

    The costumes we received this year will become a part of our growing costume collection. We share costumes from the 2nd grade show with other members of our school community, such as the special education classes when they have their annual dance showcase. We thank you once again for supporting the arts at our school and can't wait to continue to shine again next year.”

    With gratitude,

    Ms. Salemi

  • Let the Music Play!

    Funded Mar 10, 2016

    This project has had an enormous impact on the students in my class. Once I received the instruments, I immediately put them in their own center (Music Center). As soon as the children walked in the next day, they noticed the xylophones, bongos, hand tambourines, bells with the streamers (a real grabber), and the box set of rhythm instruments. They could not wait to start tapping, shaking, and playing these instruments. There are a variety of instruments for all of my students to use during centers, morning meeting, and lessons. We have composed many songs to learn about colors, animals, and even Impressionist Artist such as Van Gogh and Monet. These instruments have brought our lessons to life, expanded the language and vocabulary skills of our limited English speaking students, and allowed students the opportunity to explore their love for music. Many of these children do have the exposure or have ever played with an instrument. They love making their own songs, music and even bands.

    The look on their faces are priceless when they're exploring a new instrument, they want to share the sound, or show a friend how to do it. They sing and play songs in their own language. What's even more rewarding is hearing them sing the songs you made-up in class for previous lessons. That's the fulfillment right there! (Especially when they are not an English speaking student)

    This project has allowed my students to grow in a multitude of areas, integrating music: speaks to the soul and feeds their minds. They remember. They love to learn because its fun, it's happy, and it reaches them. Music is universal!

    Thank you immensely for your donations. Your generosity is extremely appreciated. Supporters like you make are what educators flourish in their roles. Not only are you a donor, but a contributor to their learning, love for music, and academic success.”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Rao

    This classroom project was brought to life by #BestSchoolDay and 10 other donors.
  • Reader's Theater Comes to Real Life

    Funded Nov 30, 2015

    We are very grateful for our new materials. We tried this project in hopes that we might get one item or the other. We received ALL of our items to begin to create a Reader's Theater classroom where children can actually put on some plays while they work on their fluency.

    The puppets bring my students a smile as soon as they come out. The puppets came in different forms so my children can use puppets that are children and look like them. The children get so excited to put their hand through the curtains and bring their characters to life. The children watching are so engaged and practice being a supportive, kind, sympathetic, and respectful audience.

    Our bean bags give my students of all ages a cozy place to sit and read or watch a performance. Thank you for bringing joy to my children and for helping me in keeping them engaged!”

    With gratitude,

    Ms. Avila

    This classroom project was brought to life by an anonymous donor and 5 other donors.
  • Help Our School Rock Band In NYC

    Funded Nov 26, 2015

    I don't know exactly how to begin to thank you all. Your generosity helps provide the musical experience of playing in a rock band, and gaining friends in the process. I wish you all could jam with us and see how much fun it is, and how much it means to my kids. Many of them have told me it's their favorite part of the week, and it's especially great when their families describe how much they love hearing their kids practice at home.

    Having this new music equipment has been a great addition to our musical abilities, as well as my students' self esteem. I have seen my students grow so much through our musical endeavors. I see my students smiling more, laughing, and generally appearing happy in school. Your generosity to our program contributes greatly to that, and I commend you for your support of music in schools.

    I'm dearly impressed with the spirit of your donations. Thank you so much for your support and passion for music education. It's greatly appreciated.”

    With gratitude,

    Teacher

  • Professional Amateurs: Props for Performances

    Funded Nov 19, 2015

    We would like to start by thanking you for your participation in improving our classroom community. Your donations allowed us to improve the way we mentally and physically interact in our English studies. Often, during our English lessons, we would read aloud sections of a novel to further our understanding of the class book. However, we are now able to act out the scenes which provides us with a physical representation of the book. With these resources, our class has been able to look forward to a more interesting and interactive lesson.

    After discovering that generous strangers have awarded us with props, we are preparing to use them when we act out Macbeth in order to engage our fellow classmates in the lesson. So far, we have taken photos with our props that we truly enjoyed doing. This allowed us to get familiar with the props that we will soon be working with. With these supplies, we plan to involve each individual into using the props and acting out the scenes of the book.

    With this project, we hope to discover a different method of learning. Students can now be more expressive when in English class and it may cause them to be more open to trying new things. These props will not only serve us but it will also serve the following 10th graders. Most Sophomores may come into English class next year and expect the expected, but with your generous donation of props, they are bound to be impressed.”

    With gratitude,

    Mr. Eletz

    This classroom project was brought to life by Gates Foundation & Think It Up Supporters and 10 other donors.
  • We Need Music In the Classroom

    Funded Nov 28, 2015

    Thank you so much for donating to my project. We received the cds right before the holiday, which was perfect for the children because we started to incorporate music time in our schedule. We chose two of the songs to sing on the cds for our Holiday Show. They were a little disappointed when we couldn't listen to the holiday songs anymore because the holidays were over. So each day now we listen to the cd with the nursery rhymes. The children look forward to music time each day. The cd player is great. Thank you so much for adding music to my classroom.”

    With gratitude,

    Ms. Gurdal

  • Music is Movement!

    Funded Dec 31, 2014

    Your generosity is tremendous! In public schools it's hard to get the extra funding for those teaching tools that can really change student learning. The kids love to hear music while exercising, it is an effective motivator. They ask for favorite songs now, and because I can use my iPod with the boom box you provided me, I can find any digital audio file and play with it. We use the boom box during the cardiovascular warm-up portion of my lesson plans almost everyday. Then for my dance and music unit the boom box becomes integral to their success. Without being able to hear the even and uneven tempos required to move their bodies with the correct steps - and it's usually very loud outside on the blacktop. This box let's me do those lessons outdoors which is very helpful. In addition, I use the boom box for the students who are preparing for the 5th grade fitness tests. Many of the tests have a cadence that must be followed in order to receive positive assessment. If they have not had a chance to practice doing these exercises to the cadence it will greatly hinder their ability to pass these tests in the Spring of their 5th grade year.

    Sincerely,

    Raphael Harris

    Physical Educator

    Alamo School

    SFUSD”

    With gratitude,

    Mr. Harris

  • School Play Needs Materials For Amazing Student Made Set!

    Funded Mar 12, 2016

    The set design and drama classes in our school have benefitted greatly from the generous donations sent to us through Donors Choice. Our students,we believe, will become better learners and their academic performance will significantly improve if they enjoy learning. The many skills and learning experiences acquired during our production are endless. Students are constantly in a problem solving mode and they come up with unique and ingenious solutions to constantly evolving obstacles. Participation in school activities, such as our play, promote a sense of community and self pride.”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Donohue

    This classroom project was brought to life by #BestSchoolDay and 20 other donors.
  • Who's Gonna Shoe Your Pretty Little Feet?

    Funded Feb 5, 2016

    My dancers were so excited to get their new ballet shoes! They put them on and we got right to work. It always amazes me to see the magic in a child's eyes when they get to experience something unique. These shoes sure do make them feel special. We have started to focus on our toe point and barre technique while we begin to explore upcoming choreography for our Spring performances. I can really see the students' feet properly now and will be able to guide them more precisely in their dance craft. Additionally, and more importantly, they can feel their feet as they move them through dance positions and explore new movements. With proper ballet shoes, they can really concentrate on proper take off and landing for their aerial movements and they look so good doing them.

    I look forward to inviting their families and friends to see them perform this Spring, especially now that they will truly be able to show off in style.

    Thank you again for all that you have done to support these dancers.”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Monte

  • Strum Along With Me: Ukuleles in the Classroom

    Funded Nov 3, 2015

    Your generosity has my students beaming with great joy! We are so happy to have our own set of 30 ukuleles in the music classroom! For many of the students, this is the first instrument they have ever had the opportunity to learn and play. With your help, you have changed their lives for the better! They will now get the chance to learn how to practice and perform like true musicians. We are really looking forward to learning new musical skills with our ukuleles. We cannot wait for our first performance opportunity. Each student is already channeling their inner rock star! Thank you once again, from the bottom of our hearts! Words cannot express our gratitude!”

    With gratitude,

    Ms. Ortiz

Start my own page
{"challengeId":20524749,"stats":{"active":0,"funded":27,"donors":61},"shouldSaveChallengeIdCookie":true,"challenge":{"id":20524749,"type":"Challenge","donorId":2061668,"name":"Darren Criss Fans For Kids","URL":"https://www.donorschoose.org/donors/viewChallenge.html?id=20524749","shuffleProjects":false,"landingTab":"ACTIVE","isPartnerPage":false},"challengeName":"Darren Criss Fans For Kids","vanityType":"challenge","isGivingPage":true}