Des Plaines teacher receives surprise from OfficeMax

On Oct. 4, Mahjabeen Patel, a second-grade teacher from Plainfield Elementary School, in Des Plaines, received a surprise visit from OfficeMax and a school assembly where she was honored and recognized with an award and $1,000 worth of much-needed classroom supplies as part of the retailer’s “A Day Made Better” national cause event. One day each year, the nationwide program honors 1,000 teachers for their extraordinary efforts in the classroom.

Because teachers spend $1,000 out-of-pocket annually on essential classroom supplies, OfficeMax and Adopt-A-Classroom founded A Day Made Better to lead the fight to end teacher-funded classrooms. On Oct. 4, 1,000 teachers across the nation received surprise deliveries of school supplies from OfficeMax worth a total of $1 million dollars.

Winning teachers were nominated for this award by their school staff for demonstrating passion, dedication and innovation in the classroom.

Since 2007, OfficeMax’s A Day Made Better and its nonprofit partner, Adopt-A-Classroom, have funded more than 4,500 classrooms with more than $4.5 million in grants and school supplies and helped secure funding for more than 66,000 classrooms annually through donations to Adopt-A-Classroom. Learn more at adaymadebetter.com or adopt a teacher at adoptaclassroom.org.

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