OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A Hollywood actor and an Internet entrepreneur have donated money to Iowa and Nebraska classrooms in an education philanthropy website’s effort to fulfill wish lists of teachers across the country.
Actor Ashton Kutcher and Twitter co-founder Evan Williams are among nearly 60 athletes, business leaders, celebrities and philanthropists who pledged $14 million to fund nearly 12,000 projects across the nation this week.
Teachers posted their requests on DonorsChoose.org, where they asked for things such as books, tablets, art supplies and field trips.
Kutcher, a Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native, funded 131 projects in his home state and posted a video on Twitter crediting his teachers for his success.
In his YouTube video explaining his donation to DonorsChoose, Kutcher said he received an “extraordinary” education in the public education system in Iowa and wanted to give back.
“They took time – their own personal time – and applied their own resources to my education to put me in a position to exceed,” said Kutcher.
Williams, a native of Clarks, Nebraska, and his wife, Sara, funded 86 projects in his home state. Fifty projects were at Omaha schools.
