Office Depot shines light on teachers

BOCA RATON, Fla. — Office Depot is partnering with Real Change Productionsto recognize teachers for their positive influence on today’s youth, as well as raise awareness for a donation program benefiting classrooms throughout the country.

To officially kick off the partnership, Office Depot is the founding sponsor of the 2013 Real Change Artists For Education TV special, which will air April 23 on CBS as well as other syndicated networks (check local listings). Alongside Justin Bieber, Pitbull, Miley Cyrus, Jason Mraz, and others, Office Depot will shine the spotlight on teachers while rallying the nation to help give back.

The telecast will include visits to the artists’ hometown schools to acknowledge their most inspiring teacher, and Pitbull will celebrate his teacher that made a difference with a special performance at his former high school in Miami.

Starting today, teachers can visit www.officedepot.com/realchange to register for the program, which will then make their classrooms eligible to receive direct donations. Parents, students and friends can then visit www.officedepot.com/realchange to make a general donation or search for a specific teacher or school to make a donation that will benefit the specific classroom.

All funds donated will be distributed through AdoptAClassroom.org, an organization that connects donors with teachers to be classroom champions.

“We applaud Office Depot for their support and partnership in the Real Change program. Their contributions will significantly impact classrooms across the country by bringing supplies to teachers and students with limited resources,” said Liam Murphy, founder and CEO of Real Change.”

“At Office Depot, we recognize that teachers not only educate our children, but most importantly, have the power to change lives,” said Bob Moore, EVP and chief marketing and merchandising officer for Office Depot. “By providing teachers and students with the necessary resources, we hope to create healthy and happy learning environments for future growth.”