Mr. L

Thousands of Students Lack Essential Learning Supplies; Lambert Fan Groups Compete to Donate the Most to Classrooms

NEW YORK, NY–(Marketwire – August 24, 2009) – Online education charity DonorsChoose.org announced today that Adam Lambert, “American Idol’s” eighth season runner-up, will support high-need public school classrooms and inspire his fan groups to compete for the most donations. Lambert will ask tens of thousands of fans to donate directly to classroom project requests posted by teachers at DonorsChoose.org. When the challenge concludes, Lambert will deliver supplies to a randomly selected classroom and reward the fan group with the most donations with signed photos and exclusive online interviews. The new challenge campaign represents an unusual intersection of star power, Web technology and collective citizen action for social change.

The Adam Lambert Network fan group (adamlambert.ning.com, ALN) is one of the 13 groups participating. Tomi Morris of Wilmington, Delaware, is coordinating the project for the group. The ALN Giving Page is under this link.
Adam Lambert Network has nearly 2,100 members in 56 countries.

DonorsChoose.org has created a unique giving page for each fan group, in addition to a general giving page, which displays classroom projects in need of funding. Fans can donate any amount to any project of their choosing; each contribution helps that particular fan group (or the general giving page) push forward in the competition. A “Lambert Leaderboard” at www.donorschoose.org/AdamLambert tracks and displays real-time results.

“My fans have been so amazing in their support that I would love for them to contribute to something I believe in,” said Adam Lambert. “Every kid deserves a great education and access to the materials and experiences that make it possible. I’m so thrilled to team up with DonorsChoose.org and encourage my fans to support arts and music projects in classrooms. Plus, I can’t wait to see the results of the competition!”

Across the country, thousands of classrooms lack the materials that are essential for learning. As school budgets tighten, learning supplies and tools become increasingly outdated, broken and scarce. School teachers nationwide spend $1 billion out-of-pocket each year, which rarely even covers each classroom’s needs.

“Adam is championing a campaign for public education that will positively affect thousands of students and teachers, and we couldn’t be more appreciative to have his support,” said Charles Best, founder and CEO, DonorsChoose.org. “So many students have a tremendous disadvantage simply because they don’t have the learning materials they need. Luckily, people like Adam and tens of thousands of everyday citizens are stepping in to help.”

For more information about the challenge, to visit a fan group’s giving page, and to view the “Lambert Leaderboard,” navigate to www.donorschoose.org/AdamLambert.

About DonorsChoose.org

Founded in 2000, DonorsChoose.org is a nonprofit website where public school teachers describe specific educational projects for their students, and donors can choose the projects they want to support. After completing a project, the donor hears back from the classroom they supported in the form of photographs and student thank-you letters.

To date, 102,000 public and charter school teachers have used the site to secure funding for $36 million in books, art supplies, technology, and other resources that their students need to learn. Through www.donorschoose.org, individuals from all walks of life have helped 2 million students from low-income families.

About Adam Lambert

Adam Lambert, the 27-year-old singer, captured the nation’s imagination when he competed on the eighth season of “American Idol.” During his “Idol” journey, he sang songs from many different genres and impressed the judges every week with his “out there” performances and tremendous vocals.

Adam has already conquered the Billboard charts, with multiple debuts on the Hot 100 and the Hot Digital Songs charts. His debut album on 19 Recordings/RCA, will be released this fall.