Teach For America

As we celebrate our love and commitment, we invite you to share in our joy by supporting something truly meaningful. In lieu of traditional wedding gifts, we are raising funds for Teach For America, an organization dedicated to ensuring that every child, regardless of their background, has access to quality education.

Your donation will help empower leaders to make a difference in underserved communities through:

• Providing resources and training for exceptional teachers to inspire and uplift their students.
• Creating opportunities for systemic change in schools that need it the most.

We chose Teach For America because we believe in the power of education to transform lives. Your generous gift will not only honor our special day but also contribute to a brighter future for countless children. Thank you for helping us spread love and hope!

Want to join me in making a difference? I'm raising money to benefit Teach For America, and any donation will help make an impact. Thanks in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to me.
More information about Teach For America: Our mission is to enlist, develop, and mobilize as many as possible of our nation's most promising future leaders to grow and strengthen the movement for educational equity and excellence.
Teach For America has built an entrepreneurial force of over 53,000 diverse leaders who have pioneered classrooms, schools, systems of schools, social innovations, laws and public policy that challenged the notion that poverty is destiny and now acting to ensure educational equity.

Over the past four years, Ric has been teaching at Canyon View Prep in Prescott Valley, Arizona. While there, he discovered that teaching was more than a profession; it was his calling.

Nothing motivated him more than to see his students learn, grow, and gain confidence through their achievements. He spent countless hours designing lesson plans that would truly resonate with a class. He spent countless more worrying about the progress and welfare of each individual student. He gave them tools. He gave them knowledge. He gave them agency.

While it is a loss for all of us that this kind of teacher (and person) is no longer in our midst, we hope that his work can continue on. Many of you have asked over the last few days what you can do to help during this difficult time. Our family requests that you consider a donation to Teach for America, an organization focused on helping all students in the U.S. gain access to an excellent education.

We thank you all for your thoughts, prayers and kind words over these last few days. Your unwavering support has been a blessing and a source of strength.

A word from Cat: I'll be administering this campaign on behalf of the family. We'll leave the page up for you to make your donations through the end of the year. They made us specify a goal, so that $100 was chosen at random. Thank you again for your love and support.

Below are notes left by Ric's students on his whiteboards.

We're beating Banjo Kazooie for charity!  Join us!

It's my birthday, and this year, I've decided to celebrate by giving back! Instead of gifts, I'm asking you to contribute to Teach For America, an organization dedicated to ensuring all children, especially those in historically marginalized communities, have access to quality education. Your support will help transform lives and empower future leaders!

Here are a couple of ways your donations can make a difference:

• Provide essential resources and training for teachers in underserved classrooms.
• Support leadership development programs that inspire students to become change-makers in their communities.

By contributing, you're joining me in this important mission. Together, we can create opportunities and foster hope for countless children. Thank you for considering a donation in lieu of a birthday gift!