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Thursday, December 17, 2009 OPRAH WINFREY GIVES THE RON CLARK ACADEMY $1.5 MILLION DOLLARS Hopes her gift will spark others to support the school’s mission
ATLANTA (December 17, 2009) — Ron Clark, Founder of The Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, GA recently received an email from Oprah Winfrey that stated she realized the struggles the school was having raising funds and that she would be sending him a “donation that she hoped would inspire others to follow her lead.” When Clark received a check for $1.5 million dollars, he invited the entire school to the lobby in order to share the news, and within minutes tears, cheers, and laughter filled the building. Co-founder of the school, Kim Bearden, expressed Clark's joy, “We work so hard to provide scholarships for students of all academic backgrounds and to share our successful teaching methods with the world. We are incredibly thankful for Ms. Winfrey's support." Along with the check, Winfrey included a note praising the school for its great work at motivating students while also training 3,000 teachers from across the world each year on how to implement the school's methods into other educational settings. Of the donation Winfrey said, “I hope my gift will inspire others to join in to support RCA—a place that’s not only uplifting students but also training teachers across the globe how to do the same for their students.” While extremely grateful for its current resources and support, the school continues to have financial needs to operate and grow the school’s unique programs. With an annual operating budget of $2.8 million and plans to expand its campus—with the addition of a cafeteria, gymnasium, and performing arts theatre—the school is constantly calling on the community for help. This donation wasn't the first from Ms. Winfrey. Last December Clark received a card on Christmas Eve that contained a check for $365,000. The two met in 2001 when Clark was named as Disney's American Teacher of the Year. He appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and soon wrote a book about his teaching methods called The Essential 55. Clark appeared again on the show, and Ms. Winfrey highlighted the book, giving it much praise. Within one hour of the show airing, the book was #2 in the nation. The proceeds from that book were used to start the Ron Clark Academy, a nonprofit, private school in southeast Atlanta that serves students from various socio-economic and academic backgrounds. ### About The Ron Clark Academy The Ron Clark Academy is a private, nonprofit SACS CASI accredited middle school in Southeast Atlanta that promotes innovation and inspires its students through energetic teaching balanced by a strict code of discipline. Each year, 3,000 educators from around the world visit the Academy to learn how to replicate the school’s style, philosophy and success in their own classrooms. The Academy currently relies on outside funding to provide scholarships to students from varying academic backgrounds. About The Oprah Winfrey Foundation Oprah Winfrey’s private charitable giving operates through The Oprah Winfrey Foundation. The foundation’s mission is to educate, uplift, inspire and empower women and children throughout the world. We open doors so that people can begin to define their best lives, their own possibilities for greatness. Ours is a lasting mission of fulfillment—of teaching, learning and growing. To fulfill this mission, the Foundation provides grants to nonprofit organizations that enhance the quality of education for children and families.
For More Information Contact: Kim Bearden 678-428-5472
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