Million Dollar Teacher Project provides to teachers in need
Staff Reports | Digital Free Press
OneAZ Credit Union is beginning its $12,500 Legacy Grant donation to The Million Dollar Teacher Project’s “In Teachers We Trust Endowment” to support Arizona teachers.
The endowment will serve as a capital base for supporting innovative strategies to increase teacher compensation, as well as scholarship programs, financial hardship grants and field trip assistance, according to a press release.
“The Million Dollar Teacher Project set a goal of raising $25,000 to establish this fund and with the support of OneAZ Credit Union, The Dougherty Foundation and our generous donors we exceeded that goal during our annual fundraiser on July 29, 2022, raising over $26,000 — in one night,“ said Lloyd Hopkins, executive director at the Million Dollar Teacher Project.
On July 29, OneAZ Credit Union presented the Million Dollar Teacher Project with the donation during its “Adult Field Trip Fundraising” event at the Children’s Museum of Phoenix. Along with a donation from the Dougherty Foundation and other private donations, the grant from OneAZ helped the Million Dollar Teacher Project exceed a goal they thought may take a full year, the release states.
“OneAZ and the OneAZ Community Foundation strive to improve lives in the communities where our members live and work,” said Sam Wheeler, chairman of the OneAZ Community Foundation. “This Legacy Grant allows the Million Dollar Teacher Project to accelerate its work of ensuring that local teachers have everything they need to shape the minds of Arizona’s most precious resource — our children.”
Joyce Medina Harper, executive director at the Dougherty Foundation, echoed a similar sentiment.
“Our goal in supporting the Million Dollar Teacher Project is to help eliminate the financial barriers for teachers to earn college degrees, certifications, and to engage in crucial ongoing skill development,” she said in a prepared statement.
