Award-winning actor and singer Taye Diggs is teaming up with Burlington Stores again to support more classrooms with AdoptAClassroom.org.
There’s Still Time – Join Taye Diggs to Support Teachers
Now through August 9th, Burlington customers are invited to donate to AdoptAClassroom.org at checkout to help support classrooms nationwide. Donations raised at Burlington’s 780+ locations across the country will provide school supplies to teachers and students in each of Burlington stores’ very own communities. Find a store location near you here.
Taye Diggs’ Big Surprise
In celebration of AdoptAClassroom.org and Burlington’s fifth consecutive year of partnership and Taye Diggs’ passion for education, together we surprised Taye Diggs’ alma mater. We awarded The School of the Arts in Rochester, NY, with an AdoptAClassroom.org donation of more than $75,000. The donation will provide each teacher at the school with $750, the average amount teachers spend out of pocket for classroom supplies each year. Teachers will be able to use these funds to get the tools and materials they need for their classrooms and students ahead of the upcoming school year. Watch the surprise below:
“As the son of a teacher, the importance of education has been instilled in me from a young age and my mother always pushed me to follow my passions,” said Taye. “I am honored to have the opportunity to team up with AdoptAClassroom.org and Burlington again and, because of this partnership, students and teachers across the country will have the resources to discover and pursue their own dreams.”
That’s Not All, We Surprised Taye!
What Taye didn’t know is that we also had a surprise for him! One of his most influential teachers, his dance teacher MaryLee, joined our surprise announcement. It was clear from Taye’s response that the bond they had as teacher and student still impacts him to this day. We asked MaryLee a few questions about Taye and her own experience as a teacher.
“[Taye] was a fantastic student! Always in attendance, creative, focused, disciplined, hard working, wide-open and funny,” MaryLee said.
MaryLee also said that she learned just as much from Taye and his fellow students as they learned from her.
“From my students I learned humility, tenacity, honesty, diplomacy, how to meet challenges head on and find a way even when it seems impossible to do so and to give unconditionally,” she said. “I am a firm believer that good teaching and learning cannot happen without a strong, positive relationship. Because of this, I always took the time to get to know my students the best I could and to know at least something of their lives outside of the studio.”
MaryLee is retired now, but as a teacher, she spent a lot of her own money on her classroom. She said she even purchased tickets to dance performances so her students–including Taye–could have the opportunity to see a professional production. Clearly her dedication made a difference for her students.
“Teaching is hard and teachers all too often don’t get the support they need in order to provide the best educational experience possible for their students,” MaryLee said. “The support that Burlington Stores and AdoptAClassroom.org give to teachers means that someone is watching. Someone sees that teachers need help. Someone cares. Teachers are the backbone of education. By investing in teachers we are investing in the future of our students and our communities as a whole.”
This is the second time Taye has helped us surprise teachers in a big way. In 2019, Taye joined us in awarding the New York City Department of Education with $100,000 for instruments and supplies to support music programs at the districts’ high-needs schools. Read more here.
Join Burlington in Funding Supplies for Classrooms Nationwide
You can join Burlington to help teachers and students return to the classroom with the school supplies they need by donating at checkout to AdoptAClassroom.org. Burlington is a caring partner in education who has raised more than $7 million with AdoptAClassroom.org to provide learning materials to 1 million students nationwide since 2017.
Do you want to help local teachers provide their students with the school supplies they need to succeed? Burlington has more than 780 stores nationwide where you can shop and donate. Find a store near you here.