ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — To honor the creative efforts teachers have made to maneuver their ever-shifting learning environments and keep students engaged this past year, SONIC Drive-In donated $1.5 million to teacher requests on national education nonprofit site DonorsChoose on Teacher Appreciation Day on May 4. As part of SONIC’s ongoing Limeades for Learning initiative, the $1.5 million donation helped fund more than 7,000 requests from teachers across the country in need of critical resources. On Teacher Appreciation Day, the brand matched 50 percent of each donation made to all teacher requests on DonorsChoose.
In Irvington, Angela Jaye-Oriaghi at Augusta Preschool Academy received $25 for the projects “Let’s Have Fun Learning!” and “Cuddle Up and Read.”
In Orange, two teachers from Lincoln Avenue Elementary School received a combined donation of $967. Dana Goerke received funds for the project “Technology Reboot!” and Tamica Jones received funds for the projects “Team Sped Going Ahead” and “Feeding Minds and Bodies.”
In West Orange, New Jersey, Joseph Postiglione at Mt. Pleasant Elementary School received $161 for the project “Seating for our courtyard!”
“Teachers took this past year head-on, engineering a variety of innovative methods to keep their students learning in both in-person and virtual classrooms,” said Lori Abou Habib, chief marketing officer for SONIC. “We express our gratitude to teachers like these, who create inspirational learning environments for students during a challenging time. With SONIC’s $1.5 million donation match, we were able to help teachers access much-need supplies to successfully complete this school year.”