Trevon Milliard

tmilliard@rgj.com

Washoe County public schools received $67,000 in donations on Thursday through a surprise fundraising effort simultaneously occurring in more than 50 communities across the country.

Celebrities hosted each community giveaway, contributing a total of $14 million to fund 12,000 school projects, including books, art supplies, science equipment and more. Organizers challenged the public to join in and donate to specific classroom projects at DonorsChoose.org.

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The celebrity hosting Washoe’s fundraising effort was Tesla CEO Elon Musk. He vowed to meet the needs of school projects, submitted to DonorsChoose.org, that fundraising fell short to meet. That means Musk will donate $31,251.

“We all remember special days at school, whether it was going on a field trip, doing a science experiment, or performing in a school play,” said Charles Best, founder and CEO of DonorsChoose.org. “Teachers have a hard time providing these experiences when they have to go into their own pockets to buy school supplies.

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