Intensive Skills Classroom Vending Machine

My name is Kelly Robinson, and I am a Special Education instructor at Jackson Middle School in Portland, Oregon. I teach in the Intensive Skills Classroom, designed to support students with various behavioral, intellectual, and social/emotional challenges. Many of my thirteen students have severe disabilities and health impairments that limit their mobility and executive functioning. Most of them have an eligibility of Autism Spectrum Disorder, creating even more barriers to their learning. All are perfect in every way.

My classroom is truly a place of joy.

Last year I refurbished an old, unused vending machine and began using it as a way to motivate my students and help them gain important skills: they earn change throughout the day for various tasks they complete, which they can then use to get items from the vending machine, which is now electric blue and lit up like a starship. I have been purchasing these items- which range from new markers and gum to fidget spinners and small kites-myself. There are 25 spots to fill in the machine, and this cost adds up quickly. This year I am seeking $1500 to help fund the machine for the rest of the school year. If you can help, I would certainly appreciate it. This donation would mean that my students are getting the best items, and will only add to the joy in our class.

Thank you for your time.