You probably didn't know that today, March 10, is National Blueberry Popover Day. Let us pause to honor this fruit-filled pastry.
At DonorsChoose.org, we're celebrating for a different reason. Today, hundreds of thousands of students in classrooms across the country will experience #BestSchoolDay.
They won't realize it immediately. For many of these students, it may be the day they borrow an inspiring book from the class library, not realizing they've unlocked a love of reading. Or the day they explore an aquarium on a class trip, unaware they've stumbled upon a passion for marine biology. Others will practice scales on a piano, unleash chemical reactions in the science lab, or read passages about the pyramids -- with no idea that they'll grow into musicians, scientists, and historians.
Everyone's #BestSchoolDay is different. Before Blake Mycoskie became the founder and Chief Shoegiver of TOMS, his #BestSchoolDay was reciting the Emancipation Proclamation dressed as Abraham Lincoln. Actress and comedian Yvette Nicole Brown remembers the time her third-grade teacher returned from Africa and taught the class Swahili. Twitter co-founder Biz Stone won the "Bicycle Safety Essay Contest" on his #BestSchoolDay. For Samuel L. Jackson and Russell Simmons, EVERY day of high school was a #BestSchoolDay -- for Jackson, because he walked to school with the same group of friends, and for Simmons, because he was bused to a different community that gave him greater opportunity.
Too many students, however, don't have the classroom resources they need to realize their passions and unlock their potential. Students can't dream big when classrooms lack books, microscopes, and robotics kits -- or even paper, pencils, and paste.
Today, more than 50 actors, athletes and founders are stepping up to provide a boost to those students and their teachers. They've created a philanthropic flash mob, giving more than $14 million to 11,000 classroom project requests across America. That means Ms. D's students in Connecticut will have the technology to perform a play with the custom-designed robots they've built, and Ms. Leak's first graders will finally have the tennis balls, volleyballs and other sports equipment they need to play, stay fit and build teamwork skills.
This group of #BestSchoolDay leaders is now passing the baton to you.
I hope that, after you enjoy that blueberry popover, you'll join us in our quest to fulfill 20,000 classroom dreams. Support a classroom and share your own #BestSchoolDay memories. You can track our progress and learn more about the campaign on our Huffington Post Big News Page.
Together, let's start making every day a #BestSchoolDay for students across our country.
This post is part of #BestSchoolDay, a national fundraising movement to ensure students have the supplies and opportunities they need to succeed. Visit here to see a map of all the classroom projects being funded and join more than 50 actors, athletes, entrepreneurs and philanthropists in supporting classrooms across America. To join the conversation on Twitter, use the hashtag #BestSchoolDay.