Amazon Fully Funds Donors Choose Campaign of East Academy Teacher

Kindergarten students at East Academy and their teacher, Ms. Antoinette Reno, got a big surprise on Wednesday when the Amazon Business Team showed up to gift them hundreds of dollars’ worth of classroom furniture and supplies.

It started when Reno, a first-year teacher, put together a Donors Choose campaign to fund flexible seating and other projects in her classroom. “My Kindergarten students did not have the privilege of attending preschool and are in a classroom environment for the first time,” said Reno, “After months of being cooped up at home due to COVID, they cannot sit and focus on the task at hand.”

Reno’s answer was to create flexible seating arrangements within her classroom and a calming area for students to visit when they became anxious or emotional with the difficulties of learning and transitioning to routine. In need of funding, she created a Donors Choose campaign mainly comprised of Amazon Business furniture and supplies which caught the attention of an Amazon employee.

Following their 2020 track record of funding 447 projects focused on racial equity in schools, Amazon Business chose to fully fund Ms. Reno’s campaign as one of their first projects in 2021. They stopped by East Academy on Wednesday to deliver the products which included everything from floor desks and flexible seating balls to plastic folders and Play-Doh. “I am filled with gratitude,” says Reno, “Amazon’s donations are helping me provide the students in my class more options and opportunities to learn.”