Charles Best and Christi Woodworth From Sonic

Each year, teachers spend more than $1 billion on basic supplies and learning materials. According to a report from The NPD Group, 91 percent of teachers spend an average of $500 of their own money per school year to make sure students do not lack resources. As a former school teacher, Charles Best founded DonorsChoose.org, a crowdfunding platform where teachers post classroom project requests and the public chooses what to support. In the last 16 years, the non-profit has raised hundreds of millions of dollars to fund more than 750,000 projects. And for the eighth year, DonorsChoose.org is once again teaming up with SONIC® for the Limeades for Learning® fall voting campaign. Between September 26 – October 23, consumers across the U.S. will determine how SONIC will donate $1 million to teachers this fall by visiting the Limeades for Learning website and voting for the projects they want funded. Charles Best and Christi Woodworth, Vice President of Public Relations at SONIC® are available via satellite to discuss: Why crowdfunding has been a key part of education in AmericaThe impact funded projects have in the classroom and the types of programs most in needHow viewers can get involved and give $1 million to public school teachers in their communitiesDonorsChoose.org’s longstanding partnership with SONIC Drive-In and SONIC’s pledge to donate $15 million to public school classrooms over the next five years Limeades for Learning® is a national initiative of SONIC®, America's Drive-In® to support public school teachers in local communities which will provide essential funds needed for learning materials and innovative teaching techniques to inspire creativity and learning in today's youth. Since 2009, SONIC®, has donated $6,176,337 thru the Limeades for Learning® campaign. Through last year’s campaign alone, nearly 91,000 students were impacted and over 3,000 teacher projects were funded. DonorsChoose.org makes it easy for anyone to help a classroom in need. Teachers at 73% percent of all the public schools in America have created project requests, and 2,253,197 people have donated $457,457,861 to projects that inspire them. Over 19,531,416 students—most from low-income communities, and many in disaster-stricken areas—have received books, art supplies, field trips, technology, and other resources that they need to learn.