Mystery donor who ‘loves Southern Nevada students’ funds school supply drive

A mystery donor is funding school supplies for Southern Nevada students on the DonorsChoose platform used by teachers to solicit donations to their classrooms.

According to a DonorsChoose representative, donations to Las Vegas-area projects under $1,000 will be multiplied five times and matched by the donor, who wishes to be anonymous and known only as “someone who loves Southern Nevada students.”

Projects will be matched until funding runs out, which depends on how many projects receive some other donations, but is expected to last into late fall, the representative said.

The match means that some projects — such as a request for supplies for a second-grade class at Kenneth Divich Elementary School— can be funded for just $18.

Other supplies sought by teachers include paper, crayons and glue sticks at Hickey Elementary and sensory items at Thiriot Elementary.

One project already funded through the match was Shana Prue’s request for earbuds and eight-pocket folders for her third-grade students at Long STEAM Academy in order to help them stay organized during virtual learning.

Prue said she was not expecting the match at all, and felt bad soliciting donations during a time of economic stress for many families.

“I work in a high poverty school, and my students often don’t have the supplies they need at home,” Prue said. Her school operates supply deployments and has provided whiteboards, markers and other supplies to students but is still waiting on a shipment of Chromebooks.

Prue said she doesn’t have any future projects planned, but that she expects elementary classrooms may need additional supplies once schools reopen in order to meet health standards, such as the math manipulative devices that kids have traditionally shared.