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We know how much teachers invest in their students. First, there are endless hours of lesson planning and grading papers. Then, of course, there’s the hard work of creating a classroom space that is safe and welcoming for all students. Often, teachers will spend their own money on supplies to make sure their students have what they need for success. That’s why many companies, including Chipotle, often offer promotions to help teachers keep their classrooms stocked up.
Some organizations also work to not only support teachers but also focus on the greater good of our communities. The Crayon Project, a non-profit organization based out of Massachusetts, is sending out free packs of Crayola “Colors of the World” crayons in their multicultural art care packages to schools across the U.S. and the world.
If you are a teacher in a school or work for a non-profit organization who wants to receive these free crayons, just visit The Crayon Project’s Care Package Request Form website to apply.
According to the form, the small, family-run non-profit organization “cannot commit to fulfill all requests received but should your school or organization be selected you will receive an email from us noting that you were selected.”
In case you haven’t seen these special packs of crayons, Crayola released the Colors of the World 24-crayon collection back in 2020 on May 21, which was UN World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development.
“With the world growing more diverse than ever before, Crayola hopes our new Colors of the World crayons will increase representation and foster a greater sense of belonging and acceptance,” said Crayola CEO Rich Wuerthele in a company press release. “We want the new Colors of the World crayons to advance inclusion within creativity and impact how kids express themselves.”
This seemingly small move by a big company helped to inspire husband and wife Beth Ann and Kevin Bligh. Beth Ann, who is a teacher, told Boston’s WCVB how limited art supplies and lack of diverse colors make it challenging for children from different cultures to create pieces that best reflect how they look.
“If a classroom needs some crayons, I go to the supply room and get it,” she said in her WCVB interview. “It’s 8 primary colors.”
Once the Blighs saw the Colors of the World collection, the couple decided to start asking for donations so they could purchase the new crayons to pack up and send to schools in need. The Crayon Project was born and is growing into a phenomenon.
As of Sept. 24, The Crayon Project sent out its 1500th care package and celebrated the milestone on Twitter.
It’s another major milestone! Our 1500th care pack of multicultural art supplies is heading out in the mail!
Thanks to all our donors who have helped get us to here!
If you’d like to help us celebrate this milestone, please contribute here: https://t.co/c40UQ12Y2T.
On to 1600! pic.twitter.com/GLjnO8uWP1
— The Crayon Project (@crayon_project) September 24, 2021
The Crayon Project intends to keep sending out packages as long as donations continue. If you’re interested in donating, visit The Crayon Project’s donation website for more information.
Marie is a freelance writer and content creator with more than 20 years of experience in journalism. She lives in southwest Ohio with her husband and is almost a full-fledged empty nest mom of two daughters. She loves music, reading, word games, and Walt Disney World. You can find her writing about her personal health journey at marierossiter.substack.com and connect with her at [email protected] More.
