“A great way to start the new school year.”
That’s what Jill Houlden, a 3rd grade teacher at the McCarthy Elementary School, had to say after learning she had won a raffle conducted by Mass Teacher Resources and the OneView Commerce.
The prize? Nearly $1,000 of free classroom supplies delivered right to her classroom door.
Houlden admitted she was stunned to learn she had won the raffle. She received an email prior to the start of the school year informing her about MTR and its mission of providing up to $1,500 of classroom supplies to teachers in the Greater Boston area free of charge. She filled out a teachers’ survey attached to the email. One of the items on the survey was a wish list. She said she filled it out and thought that was the end of it.
“I filled out the survey and wish list and sent it in, but I had no idea there was a raffle,” Houlden said. “All of a sudden, the supplies were being delivered to my classroom. It was great.”
The initiative came into existence after MTR and OVC joined forces to help make a local teacher’s wishes come true. This donation was made possible by the generous support of OneView Commerce employees from across the country through their “Act of Gratitude” Program.
“The Act of Gratitude Program began during the COVID pandemic as a way to give back and remain connected as the company went fully remote,” said OVC’s Chief People Officer Jo-Anne O’Brien-Fay. “We were thrilled this year to connect with MTR and make a difference for a local teacher and her students.”
This year, OneView Commerce (OVC) chose to support Mass Teacher Resources (MTR), and its’ important mission to help teachers in Greater Boston at economically disadvantaged schools access the resources needed to create welcoming, inclusive, and safe learning environments for students. Mass Teacher Resources provides free classroom supplies to teachers through its MTR Free Store. Its’ work supports the efforts of teachers at Title 1 schools to help relieve the financial burden many teachers take on to ensure that their students have the tools they need to learn.
“We are so grateful to OneView Commerce for partnering with us as we kick off the opening of the MTR Free Store”, comments Barry Star, MTR Founder and Board Chair. “Teachers spend an average of $750 of their own money each year on school supplies for their students. This donation not only ensures that Mrs. Houlden has the resources she needs at no cost to her, but also makes her students feel excited to learn.”
Employees from OneView Commerce shopped from Houlden’s wishlist and shipped their purchases to their Boston area colleagues, who joined the MTR Team to deliver the items to the classroom in person. Houlden said headsets were tops on her wish list.
“That was my big item because we never have enough,” Houlden said. “The kids were so excited because MTR and OVC sent representatives who brought the items to school,” Houlden said. “I don’t know a single teacher who does not purchase their own supplies with their own money, so this was like Christmas for me. And it was for the kids to see that there are people all over the country who are so very generous.”
Other supplies included basic pencils, special highlighters, books for the library and social studies and math-related items, all adorned with images of penguins.
“Math ST is a program used by all of Peabody and their mascot or logo is a penguin, so they sent all kinds of supplies with a penguin theme, so the kids really enjoyed that,” Houlden said.
Houlden said that while the primary benefit is obviously not having to buy supplies out of her own pocket, there is a greater – and more important – lesson for her students.
“This is a life lesson for them,” Houlden said. “Third graders in Peabody learn all about George Peabody and his philanthropy, which is still felt to this day. We refer to him as ‘Generous George” so for the students to be able to experience the qualities that he espoused for themselves, and to see it applied in this way is such a great lesson for the kids. For them to know that this is happening all over the country, including their own school is invaluable.”
To learn more about Mass Teacher Resources and the MTR Free Store online at www.massteacherresources.org. To learn more about OneView Commerce, go to https://www.oneviewcommerce.com/.
