Donate savings to schools this weekend - Wayne-Wilson News Leader, Fremont, NC

2 August 2007 — North Carolina’s tax-free holiday takes place this year from Friday, Aug. 3 through Sunday, Aug. 5. As in previous years, the state sales and use tax, and any other applicable local sales and use taxes, are not imposed on items such as clothing, accessories and school supplies, up to pre-determined dollar amounts.

Traditional back to school supplies like pencils, pens, notebooks, book bags, lunch boxes and even computers will be tax free over the weekend, giving parents an opportunity to save considerable money on next year’s school supplies.

This year, DonorsChoose, a nonprofit organization that allows citizen philanthropists to donate money online to purchase supplies for classrooms, is encouraging North Carolina residents to donate a small portion of the money they’ll save from their tax-free shopping to help supply valuable classroom resources to those in need.

According to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, there were 1,369,493 K-12 students enrolled in school during the 2005/2006 academic year. And it’s estimated that teachers, on average, spend $552 out of their own pockets to provide resources and learning materials for their classrooms.

“If one person for each of our 1,369,493 students donated $10 from their tax-free shopping savings, we’d generate an additional $13.7 million to purchase supplies for our classrooms,” said Katie Bisbee, executive director of DonorsChoose in North Carolina. “Every dollar counts and can add up to make a huge difference in the amount of supplies our teachers have to better educate their students.”

Since DonorsChoose launched in North Carolina in 2003, it has channeled more than $1.3 million in resources to 95,847 students statewide. The North Carolina Business Committee for Education (NCBCE) selected DonorsChoose as a partner program this year, encouraging more businesses to fund classroom projects.

“We want North Carolinians to know that they can make a measurable positive impact on education right in their own neighborhoods,” said Bisbee. “More donations mean more books, more science labs, and more art supplies – more of the resources that our students need to gain that edge. We hope people will share some of the dollars they save from their tax-free holiday shopping to fund classroom projects posted in their area right now.”

For more information, go to www.donorschoose.org/NC.

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