Giving Tuesday DON Campaign Appeal
Dear AUSD Community,
Albany students are asking for your help on Giving Tuesday to realize their dream of a diverse, inclusive curriculum. In response to national events last spring, some Albany High students formed a group, Diversify Our Narrative AUSD, to advocate for local change. Here’s their plan and their demands: https://linktr.ee/ausddon
Albany teachers and administrators have embraced our students’ passion. This is not just an issue for Albany High―at every grade level, our curriculum needs to expand. The DON students have been meeting with elementary school principals to work on a history project appropriate for their age that represents diverse points of view.
Please join us in the fight for grass-roots, local change! We have the will, but the way is difficult. The biggest hurdle in making changes at Albany schools this year is the money to buy books by nonwhite authors with underrepresented perspectives. Albany Unified School District hopes to make a huge leap forward this year by doubling the funds devoted to new book purchases. Our students, administrators, and teachers want to raise $50,000 in the Diversify Our Narrative 2020-21 Campaign. So far, only $4,079 has been raised.
Donate on this Giving Tuesday! You can make an earmarked donation expressly for Diversify Our Narrative curricular materials, $300 buys a classroom set of paperbacks. This year, there is a special $300 tax deduction available, even for those that do not itemize. All donations to AUSD are fully tax deductible and receipts are provided, and all earmarked funds received this school year will be expended by June 30, 2021.
Donate today online via MySchoolBucks (account set up is easy and free), drop a check through the mail slot on the door of the Student Enrollment Center at 1200 Solano Ave., or mail a check to:
Albany Unified School District
Diversify Our Narrative Campaign
819 Bancroft Way, Berkeley, CA 94710
Albany High School student statement:
“AUSD Diversify Our Narrative would first like to express our gratitude for all the support and positivity we have received throughout our campaign. We would like to encourage you to donate any amount to our collaborative fundraiser with the Albany School Board. Our goal is to double the current budget available for literature at all AUSD schools in order to purchase the materials needed to meet our demands. Recently, we added seven new members to our group in preparation to begin work on a new history project. We hope to work directly with elementary school faculty and teachers to evaluate and diversify the curriculum. Once again, your encouragement means a lot to us and we will continue to work towards a better Albany.”
Together with our students,
Frank Wells, Ed.D.
Superintendent, AUSD