I was recently fortunate to get invited to iRobot in Massachussets, and now I and some other mom bloggers are hosting a contest that I am very excited about. We are their official That’s Ingenious Challenge “LeadHers.” Believe me, being associated as idea leaders with the company that made robots a household name (a robot that vacuums? how genius is that?) is pretty cool! First of all, it provides a chance for all of us to share $10,000 in Donor’s Choose money to spend right in our own children’s classrooms. Better yet? If you’re sick of people assuming moms just change diapers, this is a chance to show off just what geniuses we moms truly are. Who’s in?
So here is how it works. We, the community of Type-A Moms, are competing to win $10,000 by sharing our great ideas. I know we can win this. Who accomplishes more and is more resourceful than a mom? And we type-As take even that up a notch.
The Prize
The prize itself is pretty amazing: $10,000 to donate to school projects. But that is so much money. You should see some of the projects that are getting funded for merely $500! If Type-A Mom wins, then I will share the $10,000 amongst all of you who participate! We don’t want it to get to be so small an amount that it isn’t helpful, so I will set a cap at 20 projects. If we have more than 20 participants, then I will randomly draw 20 names from those who participate. Still, those are some killer odds.
After that (and if we win, of course), you will be informed that you are getting part of the prize. You can then go to your child’s teacher if you want it to go directly there and encourage him or her to submit a project of the specified amount (at least $500). Once it’s in and approved, we will go fund it.
If your child is not yet school-aged or you simply choose, you can also pick a different project. The great thing about the Donor’s Choose site is that you can even search by various criteria, such as subject, poverty level and urgency.
What Can $500 Do for a Classroom?
If you think $500 doesn’t sound like much to donate, think again. Right at this moment, there are more than 7,000 projects at Donor’s Choose that need $500 or less!
Here is just one example project that would cost only $221 to fund and has just 13 days left to get funding.
“I am a middle school Special Education teacher in a high-need community. My students range in age from 12-15 years and have a reading level that is in the 3rd to 4th grade range.My students lack basic supplies such as pencils, paper and notebooks. They do not have books to read at home, and the majority of my students have never finished a novel. I believe that reading a novel like “Bull Rider” would be an extremely rewarding experience for them.
If I have a book for each of my students, they will have everything they need to become invested in a novel and therefore in reading. This will benefit them greatly and improve their reading comprehension. Also, they will feel the satisfaction of reading a novel from start to finish.
Your help will ensure that my students will have access to resources that will greatly impact their achievement in school. By donating these books, you are giving the students who are usually denied, the same high expectations and resources of students in wealthy areas, the chance to prove that they can be successful in school.
My students need 18 copies of “Bull Rider” by Marilyn Halvorson. The cost of this proposal is $221, which includes shipping for any materials requested and fulfillment.”
How to Enter
To enter share a genius idea below! I know all of us moms have to be resourceful and clever just to get through the day.
The main thing you do not want to do is share a robot idea. That becomes a legal issue for iRobot. Also, just as a mompreneur, I would discourage you from sharing something proprietary.
For example, my idea I had when my twins were infants, my daughter was three, and I was returning to work was to speed up mornings by placing whole outfits into large Ziplock bags. Then there was no scramble for outfits or matching socks, etc. I could have clothes plus new backups (which spit-up-in’ baby twins needed constantly) in a second instead of 20 minutes. That is an example of an idea that isn’t particularly proprietary. If I came up with an idea for a special bag type to do that in, that might be a potential business venture.
Mainly, just remember that what you share here will be viewed publicly, both here and on my That’s Ingenious page and on their contest site. So please don’t share an idea you wouldn’t want others to see or steal.
To enter, simply share your genius idea below! To come up with one, think about these questions:
- What clever ideas have you had to solve a problem?
- How have you handled a challenge?
- What is an idea that was so cool, you just had to share it, tweet it, call a friend to tell all about it?
- What is an idea you had that you still find makes your life or your friends/families’ lives?
Post your genius idea in the comments below. Be sure to include your email where it asks, but do not add it in the comment body itself. The deadline is Sept. 1.
Let’s show off just how genius we moms really are!
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Kelby Carr
Kelby Carr is the founder and publisher of Type-A Parent. She also is the organizer of the Type-A Parent Conference. She is the author of the soon-to-be-published Pinterest For Dummies, Portable Edition. You can follow her on Twitter at @typeamom and circle her on Google+.
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