People and businesses helping Michigan schools

There are several different ways that companies are working with our schools.

Some businesses trade advertising for providing school supplies, sports equipment, and lunch programs.

There are websites that put individual and business donors together with teacher recipients. DonorsChoose.org encourages public school teachers to describe what equipment and supplies they need. Donors give money online toward specific requests. When the total cost of the request is covered, the material is acquired and sent to the school.

Image from StartDonating.com

StartDonating.com matches teachers' needs with people and companies who have those items.  There are no funds collected. Companies can "register" the items they have to donate.

Logo from SchoolPictures.com

A different and unique idea comes from longtime Michigan businessman Skip Cerier.

He runs a successful company well known for commencement and special event photography, and a second company that produces school yearbooks. When he learned about declining State funding for classrooms, he started thinking about how companies could provide help to schools with tight budgets. He wanted a way to give back to education. He wanted to take some of the pressure away from teachers who couldn't get the supplies they needed in the classroom and schools that couldn't provide the equipment they needed.

He knew his idea would take advantage of his 30 years in photography. He had no experience with taking school pictures, but he could see the potential. After considerable research and interviews with educators and principals, he devised a new business model where a portion of the proceeds is donated to the school and used at the discretion of the principal. Five years later, he is still glad he did it. "I love going to work every day," he says. "I have fun doing what I do. SchoolPictures.com is a business dedicated to the schools and not the photographer."

SchoolPictures.com has a professional staff who work with onsite school professionals to organize picture taking into an event that is easy on school officials and students. Parents, office staff, teachers, principals, and students are happy and excited about picture day. And donations to the schools are buying books, playground equipment, student supplies; the principal knows best what the school needs. Cerier's company has donated over $2 million so far. And he is looking for more school clients.

Skip Cerier and his Michigan-based company are putting funds into the strapped budgets of Michigan school principals. Do you know of other Michigan companies that are working to build stronger schools? Please let me know.

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