AO Fans and Glamberts - Glam Nation Tour Celebration!

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I want to express my sincere appreciation to you for donating to our project. The Memory Project inspires caring, global friendship, and a positive sense of self; it is incredibly rewarding to both the children receiving the portraits and my students. To make a connection with a person simply by looking into their eyes in a photograph reminds you that, despite being worlds away, you have the ability to brighten someones day.

Due to budget cuts in our city school district, it is not possible to purchase high quality art supplies for my classes. Thanks to your kind donations, we were able to use some of the best materials available to produce high-quality portraits for our group of 25 orphans from Thailand. We are positive that each child will love the gifts we have created to honor their self-identity.

Thank you for allowing my students this incredible opportunity. ”

With gratitude,

Ms. Hollister

On behalf of myself and the over two hundred students I teach each week, I want to truly thank you all for your donations to our project. My excitement about the materials we received was definitely matched by the enthusiasm of my students at having new music to dance to. The CDs we received have introduced the students to new music, new cultures, and new dance styles. The budget of public schools have been drastically reduced and arts programs are usually the first to be slashed. This has been the case at my school but thanks to generous donations my students have new music this year to dance and to perform to. My students love dance class and new, exciting music really keeps them engaged and moving.

Please know that your support of this project has touched many young children and that the materials will continue to be used for years to come.

”

With gratitude,

Ms. McGrath

I am so very thankful for your generosity to my class. I strongly believe in allowing children to move and express themselves. Your donation to my grant has allowed me to provide my students with these valuable opportunities. It is so wonderful to watch my students come to life in a whole new way when they get an instrument in their hands!

This week, for example, we were able to take a break from our regular instruction and play as a band. I used the book from the grant as guide. We played "Old MacDonald" and "The Instruments on the Bus". The students are very anxious to play again soon and experiment with some of the other instruments.

Words cannot fully express my appreciation to you. You have done a wonderful thing and have shown my students the kindness that strangers can show to them. Thank you so much for supporting my class and this grant!”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Pollard

Your generous donation of speakers and water bottles has made a huge difference for the students who participate in my dance club, Focal Pointe. We have been meeting each Monday and Wednesday morning before school, and the students arrive on time (or early!), ready to dance. They eagerly fill up their water bottles and return to the room for warm-ups, movement exercises, and choreographed dance practice. This past week, members of the club performed a "stomp" in the school assembly in front of 1,200 peers. The confidence and commitment they showed is evidence of how much this club has meant to them.

Many of the students in this club have trouble socializing with their peers within the context of a mainstream classroom. Within the club, students have shown care and concern for one another. They socialize within the fun and low-risk environment of the club. It is great to see them self-regulate when they take turns leading exercises or being the DJ.

Another issue that many of these students face is a difficulty focusing in school. One component of the club is the transfer of stretching activities that can be done while sitting in a classroom. We teach students how to stretch in their seats, or to breathe in ways that will help them regain focus and energy.

Two of the students in Focal Pointe remain in my classroom throughout the day. I notice that on the days that we have dance club, they seem more focused and motivated. They also love to tote their water bottles around all day as a badge of honor!

Thank you again for making Focal Pointe possible.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Schneider

I wish you'd been there when my kids discovered a stage in our classroom! They were so excited. They all wanted to be the first group at the stage. It got even better when my principal came in a few days later and asked me, "How do you use the stage?" She became just as excited as I explained this was a learning station in our classroom!

You generous donation has really enhanced our learning environment. During stations the kids are able to become so much more creative during dramatic play. They now LOVE telling a story because using our imagination is so much more fun.

Thank you so much for supporting our classroom and my busy students. Your support means so much to my students.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Cronk

It is with pleasure I write to tell you 'thank you' and let you know what your donation towards materials meant to me and my students. I am writing in the wake of our Fall Concert where we were able to use some of them for the first time.

I was able to purchase a set of white gloves that were used by my HS Choir students in a black light performance. We choreographed and learned a piece of music that we performed as the closer to the concert. My students worked very hard on it and performed it beautifully! The parents were pleased and impressed as well. I am excited to have the gloves to use in future performances, too.

I have been using the blank CD's to make practice copies of Veteran's Day music and Christmas music for my classroom and for student use. These are invaluable and save me a lot of class instruction time!

The other purchase I was able to make was for a teacher's chair for my classroom. It is a replacement for my almost ruined chair and came in very handy when I had a student teacher at the beginning of the school year.

Once again, thank you for your donations, I and my students were especially pleased with how we were able to use the products in the class/concert! ”

With gratitude,

Ms. Heilig

The drums have arrived!!! With a little creativity, I changed up their weekly lesson just so we could incorporate the drums this week. The kids were loving it! One of them told me they wanted to take it home. Another asked if it was covered with real animal skin. The sound is bigger than I could have imagined. They vibrate the floor and can be heard outside of the classroom. Each drum also came with a nice set of mallets and when played they sound like a timpani. I have visions of drums dancing in my head! We study Native American music soon and there is the Holiday program right after that. They are an awesome addition to our music room.

A special thank you to Adam Lambert fans from which a majority of this project was funded. Each opportunity a child is given in music class could spark that passion to become the next Adam Lambert, Wynton Marsalis, Charlotte Church, or Harry Connick Jr. There is no greater reward to a music teacher than having a child love music, in their own way, close to their heart. These drums will allow for many new experiences in studying music cultures, music styles, beats and more which could lead to that very inspiration for a child's future with music.

These gathering drums are a wonderful addition and will be used for years to come. This is all due to your generous donations to aid my classroom. Thank you so very much for the difference you have made in our music program.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. B.

THANK YOU!!! I am thrilled with how the studio has turned out! Your generosity has touched my heart and students. What an awesome gift you have provided to my students now and for the future!

Everyday our tap dance studio is open! It has become so popular that we now have a sign up list so that all the children can have a turn at the studio! I have realized how much more they are getting out of the tap studio than I had anticipated. They are building strength in their gross motor skills, fine motor skills, body awareness, patterns, sounds, counting, working on a team, communication skills, taking turns, and their vestibular development. I am in awe of how much these children are learning and growing all through tapping in my classroom.

Your donation not only made a difference for my students and I, but also for my classroom parents and other in our community. Several community partners have donated more tap shoes for my studio, and parents have begun to donate to other grants that I have written for my students. You have started a wonderful trend in the spirit of giving to others. Thank you so much!

I hope that you enjoy the pictures of my students tapping away in our dance studio! In my opinion the best way to express our gratitude is through pictures. Seeing their faces, and smiles tells it all!

Have a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year! Bless each and every one of you! ”

With gratitude,

Ms. Katie Gabelman

On behalf of my students, and Emily Fisher Charter School I want to extend my gratitude to you for the very generous donation towards our new speakers and wireless microphone for our Family Fiesta. The event was highly successful, allowing visual, performing, and culinary arts to highlight our students' talent. The celebration of Hispanic heritage through all art forms was an aesthetic experience for all involved, thanks to your contribution.

My students performed Salsa, Merengue, and Bachatta dances that were illuminated by great speakers filtering the sounds of Tito Puente. With the addition of the wireless microphone my students were allowed to move around the space when performing a poem or song, instead of being stuck in one section of the stage. Students felt more confident when performing because there were no sound problems, just clear music and vocal qualities beaming throughout our production. Since the theme of Fiesta also centered around families, one of my vocal students performed Lean on Me. The wireless microphone allowed him to walk through the audience as he was singing, while still be heard clearly. This moment brought the audience and performers together as a united whole, allowing our school community to savor an artistic experience.

The theatre program has allowed many of our students at EFCS a chance to showcase talents that some of them didn't know they had. Thank you for providing the resources needed to strengthen theatre skills as well as allow my students to continue to blossom.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Miller