Give the Gift of Education

Can't decide what to give that person on your holiday list who has everything? Why not make a donation in his or her honor to an education program ― an easy gift that will benefit a multitude of students and teachers. And, by making your donation online with a simple click on the "donate" button and your credit card, you'll even avoid the crowds at the malls.

You can keep your donation local by donating to a number of Burlingame and San Mateo County school-related, nonprofit organizations. A donation to the Burlingame Community Education Foundation (BCE) will help support music, drama, libraries and physical education programs for students, as well as grants to teachers, in grades K-8 in the Burlingame Elementary School District. BCE is a nonprofit, volunteer fundraising organization dedicated to enhancing the educational opportunities of the children of the Burlingame school district. With state budget cuts drastically effecting schools, the funds raised by BCE provide a significant resource for maintaining the high quality of elementary education in Burlingame.

The Burlingame High School Excellence Fund, a parent-run, nonprofit arm of the Burlingame High School Parents' Group, has been raising money to support programs at since 1982. In past years, funds raised have gone to support  the Career Center, Community Service Program, Latino Parents Outreach, instructional videos and resource materials, workbooks and textbooks for various departments, computers and software, theater upgrades and lighting, musical instruments, industrial technology equipment, classroom supplies, science materials and special education materials.

The San Mateo County Children's Fund has a number of programs that benefit children from low-income families throughout the county. One ongoing program, the School Supply and Clothing Drive, provides children in grades kindergarten through high school with brand new supplies and clothing for the school year. The program officially kicks off in the summer but accepts donations year round. The Children's Fund Holiday Program provides children, ages newborn to 18, with gifts during the holiday season. The gifts are requested through wish lists from low-income families known to San Mateo County services.

My New Red Shoes, a Bay Area charitable organization based in Burlingame, raises money to provide homeless children with brand new clothing and shoes so they can look and feel confident as they start the school year. The organization also rallies youth and adults around this effort through volunteer and educational opportunities for individuals, families, schools, corporations and community groups.

DonorsChoose, a national nonprofit, links donors with classrooms in need. Teachers from Burlingame and across the country submit requests ranging from pencils for a poetry writing unit, to violins for a school recital, to microscope slides for a biology class. As a donor, you browse project requests and give any amount to the one that inspires you. Once a project reaches its funding goal, DonorsChoose delivers the materials to the school. You'll get photos of your project taking place, a thank-you letter from the teacher, and a cost report showing how each dollar was spent. If you give over $100, you'll also receive hand-written thank-you letters from the students. You can also purchase DonorsChoose gift cards. That way, that special someone on your list gets to choose what classroom project to support.

Can't decide which charity to choose? You can let your gift recipient do the choosing by purchasing a JustGive gift card. Your recipient can choose from more than 1.8 million charities (including many in San Mateo County) in the JustGive database to designate your contribution. On the JustGive website, you can choose the design of your charity e-gift card and have it sent via email or regular mail.

And the good news about any of these charitable gifts? In addition to the needed help they provide, there are no expiration dates, returns and wrong sizes to worry about.