Samuel Richard » Mustache For Kids

Pocket Poetry Or: How I Made This Personal

Samuel Richard — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 00:00:00 +0000

I know, I know. You’re shopping for gifts, eating, and keeping the lights on. But I’ve been growing this so-called mustache for almost a month now and I’m just itching (literally) to get rid of it. But before I do, I would love to raise some money for poor school kids…

And now, I’m making it personal. Laying down the guilt trip. Playing the sympathy card. Ok, that’s enough. My mom teaches kindergarten at a Title I school here in The Valley and she just posted a project up on DonorsChoose.org called Pocket Poetry. Here’s a little snipet of her salespitch:

Twinkle, twinkle, little –

Jack be nimble, Jack be –

Apples, peaches, pears, and –

You know the missing word in each line, don’t you? You are a literate adult, and have mastered the concepts of the language. The kindergarten children I teach don’t have those language skills mastered just yet. Star, quick, and plum. Those are the missing rhymes from above. My students are learning many poems, and I would love to re-create those poems into a collection that each child could keep forever. However, I need 3-ring binders.

This is exactly the type of project that made me sign up to help out DonorsChoose.org. Yeah, there are flashy projects that will send a group to Washington, DC, or fund a rad science experiment linking cafeteria food to possible alien life forms. But sometimes Federal and State money fail to meet even the most basic needs in a classroom. Sometimes, a teacher’s need to better serve her students is surprisingly simple. Like 3-ring notebooks.

Will you help me get this project fully funded? Don’t go to Starbucks for the rest of the week. Don’t fill your tank all the way. Give this gift in lieu of a boring gift card or an ugly sweater. Take a side job. It’s that important. However you do it, every donor gets thanked by a grateful classroom. And that’s pretty cool.

We’re almost to the finish line, and would absolutely love having something to celebrate once we get there. On behalf of the kids benefiting from these projects, thank you for your support of public education.

Feel free to come hang out with us for some beer foam retention practice and general hairy revelry on Thursday night. The ’stache growers of Phoenix – including Justin and Zack – will be at The Roosevelt on Thursday night at 8PM. See you there, hopefully with a fully funded project or two!

Cheers,
Sam
“Poetry heals the wounds inflicted by reason.”
Novalis

Note: If you’re one of the 50 or so people getting this in a reader or through email, come visit the site so you can click through to my Giving Page on the sidebar.

Support My ‘Stache

Samuel Richard — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 14:30:00 +0000

My friend Morgan is a fan of mustaches and DonorsChoose.org, so I think you should listen to what he has to say:

What does this have to do with readers of Deserted After Dark? I’m growing my mustache for the next four weeks in order to raise awareness and money for two projects here in Phoenix, that’s what. Supplies For Small Fries will equip an underfunded first grade classroom in West Phoenix and set up Mrs. B’s students at Fowler Elementary School for success.

Then there is Mrs. Z’s students at Excelencia School who would love a multi-colored carpet to sit “Criss Cross Applesauce” on. My mom uses one of these carpets in her classroom, and I’ve seen firsthand what an integral role it plays in the students’ day. The kids love having a square to call their own, and in the meantime learn valuable lessons about boundaries and sharing.

If neither of those project inspire you to dust off and crack open your checkbook, check out this list of other projects teachers in Phoenix would love to have funded or search for one that matches your own personal interests. Even $10 makes a big difference for kids in classrooms that desperately need big differences. Thanks in advance for your support, you’re making bright futures more possible for kids like these:

Cheers,
Sam
“The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate the deserts.”
C.S. Lewis

Growing A ‘Stache For Cash

Samuel Richard — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 15:00:00 +0000

This is what I looked like up until a few days ago:

Yep, that’s me doing my best Fidel Castro (Don’t worry, Mom, the cigar isn’t lit…). I grew that beard for the better part of three months. I loved it. But you know what I love even more? Funding public education. So I shaved it all off, and started over; for a cause.

That’s right, a few friends and I are going to be growing Mustaches For Kids for the next four (4) weeks to raise money on behalf of DonorsChoose.org. I’m hoping that if I publicly humiliate myself by shooting for the Selleck Star, I can raise some awareness and some cash for public schools. I’m also hoping that having a mustache feels like the color blue:

Over there on the sidebar –> I have a link to the projects I am hoping to fully fund over the next grueling twenty-eight (28) days. If you don’t like either of those, check out some other projects happening in Phoenix. Either way, with your checkbook and my testosterone we are going to make a big difference in the lives of these kids! Here’s how I’m doing so far:

Your donation will bring a better chance for success to these students. Thanks for your support!

Cheers,
Sam
“When I went to the Olympics, I had every intention of shaving the mustache off, but I realized that I was getting so many comments about it – and everybody was talking about it – that I decided to keep it.
Mark Spitz

PS – If you want to grow with us (or just join in on the fun), we will be meeting again on December 4th to compare ’staches at The Roosevelt Tavern (816 N 3rd St) at 8PM. We’ll also be practicing our Beer Foam Retention skills…