After a summer of rising costs due to inflation, teachers are voicing even greater concern for their students and their families who are unable to afford the school supplies needed for the new school year. Populus Financial Group has stepped up to help students from across the country return to the classroom with some of the learning tools they need to succeed in school.
A longtime supporter of education, this is the ninth consecutive year that Populus Financial Group has joined AdoptAClassroom.org to help teachers and students in need. Since 2014, they’ve donated nearly $540,000 to AdoptAClassroom.org to support classrooms in communities across the country.
Inflation’s Impact on Classrooms Nationwide
Ninety-six percent of teachers said in a recent survey that rising costs are negatively impacting their access to school supplies. As a result of the pandemic and on-going supply-chain issues, classroom material costs have risen dramatically. Since 2020, the cost of pencils has increased by 40%, and the cost of a ream of paper is up nearly 60%.
Educators like high school math teacher Maria M. have always spent their own money to provide their students with school supplies so they don’t go without. However, the financial burden has become far too great for teachers alone to cover the added expense out of pocket. In 2021, the average teacher was already spending an all time high of $750 of their own money on classroom supplies for the year.
“High inflation is squeezing school districts, families, and teachers’ budgets. Donations from AdoptAClassroom.org are a great help for a teacher like me, for my students, and for their parents.” – Maria M., Oxon Hill, MD
This back-to-school season, classroom donations are needed more than ever from companies like Populus Financial Group.
Making a Difference, One Classroom At a Time
Maria was one of the many teachers supported by ACE Cash Express, a Populus Financial Group brand, through AdoptAClassroom.org. She received $785 to purchase learning materials through the AdoptAClassroom.org online marketplace to help her students learn math in a more dynamic and engaging way.
“We thank ACE Cash Express for thinking of us and our students. In these tough times, you make us feel that the projects we consider for our students are possible in spite of a tight budget and scarce funding. You get an A+ from us!”
Elementary English as a second language teacher Neisha D. received more than $450 through AdoptAClassroom.org from ACE Cash Express. Without this donation, some of her students would have gone without important classroom essentials for learning.
Neisha was able to purchase basic classroom supplies, books, ever-needed snack food, and other learning tools that helped create a welcoming learning environment for her students to thrive in.
“I will be forever grateful for this donation. As a teacher, having enough funds at the beginning of the school year to make sure our students are ready and have the tools necessary to succeed is so important. I was able to provide a variety of supplies that our families sometimes have difficulty accessing.” – Neisha D., Deland, FL
Kindergarten teacher Julie S. believes it’s important to foster technology skills in students at a young age to prepare them for the future job market. Unfortunately, she didn’t have the budget to purchase all of the tech learning tools that she knew her students would benefit from.
When ACE Cash Express donated more than $450 to Julie’s classroom through AdoptAClassorom.org, she was able to purchase programmable robots that help teach coding to young learners. She also purchased printing supplies for her lesson plan, as well as fun learning games to keep students engaged.
“When I got this donation, I was immediately able to purchase things that would increase engagement and learning in our kindergarten classroom. I cannot thank you enough for your generous donation and support of public education. It is heartwarming to see how local businesses are helping the schools in their communities!” – Julie S., Lynchburg, VA
Teachers know best how to make classroom funds go a long way for their students. Thanks to Populus Financial Group’s continued support of education, thousands of students nationwide have received access to a quality education, without their teachers having to spend their own money.
You can join Populus Financial Group and support teachers on a daily basis. Read more about giving back with the Flare Account and Porte #DoorToChange.
The Flare Account® is a demand deposit account established by Pathward, National Association, Member FDIC, and the Flare Account Debit Card is issued by Pathward, N.A., pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. Netspend is a service provider to Pathward, N.A. Certain products and services may be licensed under U.S. Patent Nos. 6,000,608 and 6,189,787. ACE Cash Express donates $0.05 for each $100.00 in debit card purchase transactions (net of refunds and chargebacks) made with a AdoptAClassroom.org branded debit card associated with a Flare Account to AdoptAClassroom.org, a 501(c)(3) organization. Pathward, National Association, Netspend®, and Visa® do not endorse or sponsor this offer.
PORTE is a deposit account established by Pathward, National Association, Member FDIC. Certain products and services may be licensed under U.S. Patent Nos. 6,000,608 and 6,189,787. After selecting a charity through your Mobile App, Populus Financial Group will donate an amount equal to 0.05% of every debit card purchase transaction, subject to certain terms and conditions, made with your Porte Debit Card to a charity selected by you through the Mobile App. Netspend, Pathward, National Association, and Visa are not affiliated in any way with this offer and do not endorse or sponsor this offer.