State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman recently visited Alexander Elementary School for a surprise announcement from comedian Stephen Colbert.
Colbert made the announcement from New York through a live stream to the Alexander cafeteria. Colbert, who is from Charleston, partnered with Scan Source and Share Fair Nation to fund more than $800,000 in grant requests from 375 teachers across South Carolina.
Damon Qualls, a teacher at Alexander Elementary who has received significant funding through DonorsChoose.org, was with Colbert as the announcement was made.
Colbert told the school audience his company used funds from auctioning off an old set from the Colbert Report, along with funding from Share Fair Nation and Scan Source, to flash fund all 1,000 projects for South Carolina that have been requested though DonorsChoose.org.
“This is such exciting news. Everybody got their wish. Every student in South Carolina no matter where they live, they will be ready for the next step,” said State Superintendent Spearman.
Lillian Brock Flemming, Vice Mayor Pro Tem for the City of Greenville, was thrilled to be on hand for the announcement. “Listening to teachers and funding their creative projects will make a world of difference for our children. I hope this example will be used to encourage the people of Greenville to embrace the giving spirit,” she said.
Christy Thompson, Worldwide Vice President of Marketing for ScanSource, said their company was instrumental in bringing DonorsChoose.org to South Carolina in 2005. “Our employees give freely of their time, talent, and treasure to support DonorsChoose.org. We saw this as a great opportunity to partner with Stephen Colbert and to create awareness for DonorsChoose.org,” she said.