OfficeMax Honors Library/Media Teacher Marge Lawrence

(October 2007) One thousand teachers at 1,000 schools across the United States were surprised with in-class ceremonies featuring more than $1 million worth of donated school supplies (nearly $1,200 worth per school) in October, as OfficeMax® Incorporated kicked off its 'A Day Made Better' campaign to eliminate 'teacher-funded' classrooms. Every Office Max retail store collaborated with a principal, who nominated one of the teachers in their school who exemplifies a passion for learning and innovative classroom techniques. The teacher chosen in the Riverhead Central School District was Marge Lawrence, who is the Library/Media teacher at the Roanoke Avenue School.

Manager William Douglas and Associate Manager Melissa Fellrath of the Riverhead OfficeMax honored Mrs. Lawrence at the Principal’s Book of the Month Assembly in October. Mr. Douglas spoke about her enthusiasm and dedication to education.

“It was very exciting when Mr. Douglas rolled a new utility cart over to Mrs. Lawrence, decorated with balloons and ribbons, stocked with $1,200 worth of classroom and technology supplies,” stated Melissa Silverman, who works in the computer lab with Mrs. Lawrence. “The students cheered as Mrs. Lawrence was handed her award and the faculty gave her a standing ovation. Her eyes welled up with tears as she received the surprise. And, true to her nature, she gave many of the supplies away to younger teachers, but she kept the office chair. Hers was over 30 years old.”

"Outside of the home, the teacher is the primary influence on our children," said Jamie Rosenberg, Founder and Executive Director of Adopt-A-Classroom, which raised more than $6 million on behalf of classrooms since its inception. "In spite of increasing demand for qualified teachers, 50 percent of our teachers quit within their first five years due largely to a lack of support. OfficeMax's 'A Day Made Better' campaign began the process of rallying parents, local governments and businesses to eliminate teacher-funded classrooms by giving teachers the support they deserve."

"It's astounding that teachers have to reach into their own wallets to buy billions of dollars worth of basic school supplies - markers, posters and pencil sharpeners," says Bob Thacker, senior vice president of marketing for OfficeMax. "Our 'A Day Made Better' campaign has one message: it's time to act together so that our teachers can focus on educating our children, without worrying about where their basic classroom supplies will come from."

"Community participation is key to resolving this resource crisis - OfficeMax alone can't bring all the support teachers need," adds Carolynn Brooks, vice president, diversity and inclusion for OfficeMax. "We challenge everyone to show their support for just one teacher in their community and, together, let our teachers know that we will not fail them in their mission to educate our children."

Related Link: Newsday, October 14--Marge Makes Newsday!

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