Southeast Delco Teachers Win Friendly Challenge to Support Fellow Educators and Students

Teachers Teammates is a nonprofit dedicated to assisting teachers and students with the tools and supplies that are needed in the classroom to excel.

During this year’s Delco Gives Day, a 24-hour community-wide fundraiser hosted by The Foundation for Delaware County, one nonprofit’s challenge stood out—not just for the cause, but for who showed up: the teachers themselves.

Teachers’ Teammates, a Delaware County-based nonprofit that provides free classroom supplies to teachers and students in under-resourced schools, launched a lighthearted Teacher Challenge to encourage educators to get involved in Delco Gives. The concept was simple: teachers across the county were invited to “give it forward” with a $10 donation—the cost of a pencil pack that could help stock another teacher’s classroom. The school with the most participating staff would win a Chick-fil-A lunch tray for their Teachers’ Lounge.

 

The Kindergarten Center in the Southeast Delco School District earned the top prize—and on Thursday, Teachers’ Teammates board member and retired Southeast Delco educator Aileen Crossan hand-delivered the celebratory lunch donated by generous businessperson, Gene Ontjes, owner of the Springfield Chick-fil-A.

“As a teacher, you’re used to giving everything you’ve got to your students,” Crossan said. “Did you know, that on average a teacher spends one paycheck for her students and classroom supplies.  So to see teachers giving to support other classrooms across the county—that’s what makes this mission so special. We’re all in this together.”

While the broader Delco Gives Day event raised nearly $2 million from over 10,000 donors for nonprofits county-wide, the Teacher Challenge spotlighted a smaller but mighty movement: educators helping educators.

Teachers’ Teammates serves 86 schools in Delaware County—public, charter, and parochial—where 65% or more of students qualify for the National School Lunch Program. That translates to approximately 2,500 teachers eligible for membership in the organization, which allows educators to shop online for up to four free orders of classroom materials per year, with each order averaging over $500 in retail value.

From basic school supplies like pencils, folders, and glue sticks to larger items like donated filing cabinets and surplus materials from corporate partners, Teachers’ Teammates has already distributed over $2.5 million in classroom goods since its founding.

The Teacher Challenge was more than just a fundraiser. It was a reminder that the teaching community in Delaware County is strong—and united. The message behind the effort was clear: when teachers support one another, everyone benefits because when we support teachers, we are directly supporting students!

“Teachers don’t teach in a vacuum,” said Teachers’ Teammates founder Raelyn Harman. “They’re part of a larger system that works best when the whole community—educators included—can rally together. Delco Gives gave us a chance to celebrate that.”

For more information on Teachers’ Teammates or to get involved, visit www.teachersteammates.org.

 

Photos Provided by Teachers’ Teammates

The first picture (sitting at table/ left to right): Ms. Brittany Purdy, Ms Jessica Tait, Ms Linette Bonner, and Mrs Stephanie Cohen

2nd picture (standing / left to right): Ms Marissa Phillips, Ms Artensa Johnson, Mrs Claudia Ciepiela, Ms Nicole Barrella and Ms Diamoni Jones

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