| Over the past few years, deep funding cuts have | | | | promote Earth-Friendly education and ensure that |
| forced school administrators to reduce the amount of | | | | children and classrooms across Arizona have the tools |
| basic supplies for the classroom and eliminate | | | | for learning by transferring the community's surplus |
| programs designed to raise awareness of | | | | materials into the hands of educators and students, |
| environmental issues. In addition, teachers are not | | | | regardless of economic status." With so much being |
| provided with funds to obtain adequate hands-on | | | | thrown away, and the tremendous need to help |
| training materials for each student in their class, which | | | | students excel in school, it would make sense if there |
| results in lower participation and graduation rates. This | | | | were a large number of agencies in existence to |
| results in teachers spending a yearly average of over | | | | handle the job. |
| $1000.00 out of their own salary, as well as countless | | | | Unfortunately, there are no other organizations in |
| hours after school, to purchase materials and produce | | | | Arizona doing what T4T does at this time. In April of |
| curriculum-based projects to overcome these hurdles. | | | | 2007, after 4 years of successful collaboration, |
| Meanwhile, local businesses are literally throwing away | | | | Resource Area For Teaching (RAFT) of Arizona |
| tons of usable products into our landfills, straining an | | | | combined its operations with Treasures 4 Teachers in |
| already overburdened ecosystem. Our society faces | | | | Mesa to form Treasures 4 Teachers, Inc. This merger |
| a crisis as growing demand for natural resources out | | | | provided the new organization with access to |
| paces our ability to replenish them. | | | | additional resources for its members through an |
| Treasures 4 Teachers (T4T) in Tempe, Arizona is | | | | alliance with the national Kids In Need Foundation. |
| changing that trend. An innovative, effective, and | | | | Treasures 4 Teachers is leveraging these resources |
| cost-saving 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that has | | | | to create satellite locations to serve additional |
| been instrumental in a paradigm shift within the | | | | communities throughout Arizona. |
| business and educational communities, T4T is getting | | | | By providing educators with repurposed materials to |
| noticed. | | | | teach students about the environment, while also |
| One of the primary goals of Treasures 4 Teachers ( | | | | enhancing their science, math, language, creative, and |
| is to facilitate a change in how businesses look at the | | | | problem-solving skills, Treasures 4 Teachers |
| materials they normally would throw away and find | | | | proactively addresses some of the most critical issues |
| creative alternatives to the existing "disposable" | | | | faced by our community. |
| mentality. Treasures 4 Teachers' overall mission is: "To | | | | |