Health & Fitness

A Day Made Better for EPCHS Teacher Mike Gallagher

October 1 marked the seventh year of A Day Made Better, in which OfficeMax associates surprise 1,000 teachers in their classrooms with $1,000 each worth of school supplies -- $1 million in sum.  Mr. Mike Gallagher, social studies teacher at Evergreen Park Community High School, was nominated by EPCHS principal Mr. Bill Sanderson, and selected to represent the south region covered by Office Max.   The national initiative aims to relieve and support teachers who spend their own money on much-needed classroom supplies. OfficeMax consumers and business clients contributed nearly $700,000.00 in additional school supplies through this summer's in-store supply drive held at OfficeMax stores across the country. These additional supplies were donated October 1 to the schools where teachers were honored through OfficeMax's A Day Made Better program.

"Teachers and education are a part of the crucial infrastructure necessary to build a promising future for our children, and yet many teachers and schools face significant challenges to make ends meet in the classroom due to budget shortfalls," said Carolynn Brooks, vice president, chief diversity officer and president of OfficeMax Charitable Foundation. "OfficeMax is proud to be hosting its seventh year of A Day Made Better, where we join our customers in helping teachers and schools secure the supplies they need to succeed."

To the average American teacher, "back to school" means spending $1,000 out of pocket on essential classroom supplies. The OfficeMax A Day Made Better program, in partnership with its non-profit partner AdoptAClassroom.org, aims to help end the need for teacher-funded classrooms. Since 2007, A Day Made Better and other OfficeMax Goodworks programs have contributed more than $25 million in grants and supplies to support more than 31,000 teachers and their classrooms. Additionally, through the annual event, OfficeMax has helped its nonprofit partner AdoptAClassroom.org secure funding for more than 100,000 classrooms nationwide.

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