99-Year-Old Retired Teacher Spent A Year Saving Her Bingo Winnings To Buy Supplies For Her Local Elementary School
She wanted to make sure that the elementary school kids had everything they needed for a successful school year.
Rido | Canva Pro A retired teacher decided to go above and beyond when it came to helping out her local community and proved that it's never too late to get involved and make a difference.
Martha McMullan, 99, refused to let her age get in the way of helping the little kids at the elementary school in her town who may not be able to have all of the resources and necessities required to get a well-rounded and comprehensive education.
She spent a year saving up her bingo winnings to buy supplies for her local elementary school.
According to WSAZ, McMullan and the rest of the residents at the Hermitage Roanoke retirement community played bingo every Wednesday. Each time McMullan won, she put her quarters into a piggy bank. She told the news outlet that she averaged anywhere from $1.50 to $2 a week from her winnings, but she had a larger plan for spending it.
"I knew that there were probably children who wouldn’t have something they needed," McMullan said. For an entire year, she saved her bingo money to spend it on the local elementary school.
As a former fourth-grade teacher, McMullan made it her mission to buy school supplies for the students at Fairview Elementary School.
Not only was McMullan dedicated to helping the elementary school kids, but other residents at the retirement community decided to join in as well, and together, they managed to collect $500.
McMullan printed out the fourth-grade school supply list and bought 24 of everything on it, including backpacks.
"Now they have a whole list of things that they want the child to have, like glue sticks, scissors, crayons, pencils… and earbuds," McMullan said.
"I understand now that they use a lot of technology — tablets and computers — and they use earbuds with those. But I didn’t even know what earbuds were."
The elementary school teachers were blown away by the kind gesture.
When the list for the fourth graders called for four composition notebooks per child, McMullan decided to buy 96 notebooks, which was more than enough for every single kid.
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When the teachers at Fairview Elementary School were made aware of McMullan's gesture, they were taken aback by her kindness and eternally grateful.
"I think that heart can really only come from someone who’s seen it firsthand, who’s seen the kids who didn’t have it, and who wants to make sure they are provided for," fourth-grade teachers Abby McDonald and Jacob Honaker told WSAZ. "That means a lot to us — that she wanted to see exactly where her donations went and how they impacted us, our students, and our community," fourth-grade teachers Miranda Lewis and Ashley Duffey added.
"It’s a big deal because it means so much," Lewis and Duffey continued. "The students are no longer embarrassed about not having the supplies they need. It alleviates a lot of stress and anxiety related to having insufficient supplies and allows us to provide them without question."
McMullan admitted that the best part of raising money was knowing that it was going toward a good cause — the children. And for now, she'll continue playing bingo and racking up her wins for the next project.
While McMullan's gesture was heartwarming and was able to provide elementary school children with the necessities that they needed, it also highlighted the reality that many public schools are unable to provide resources to their classrooms because of the lack of funds they receive from the school district.
Most teachers buy school supplies from their own paychecks.
According to survey data from the Association of American Educators, 97% of American teachers purchase their classroom supplies with their own money — spending on average $673 per school year.
Survey respondents said the money was primarily spent on everyday classroom and instructional supplies to support special projects, units, and activities.
Educators also often spend money on basic student supplies (notebooks, pencils), food and snacks, prizes and birthday cards, classroom decorations, cleaning supplies, and basic necessities for students, including deodorant, Band-Aids, and toothbrushes. Sixty-eight percent of survey respondents receive funds from their school districts to purchase supplies, averaging $294 per classroom of those who receive funds.
The 6% of survey respondents who receive between $500 and $1,000 per classroom report also spending $763 of their own money on average.
It's disheartening that, on top of all their other responsibilities, teachers don't earn enough to support themselves, much less stock their classrooms; they're still trying to make sure their students have the required supplies to succeed.
Teachers shouldn't have to break the bank just to afford basic school supplies, and 99-year-old women shouldn't have to scrape together their bingo winnings to provide resources.
As much as McMullan's efforts were appreciated, they highlight how much more work we need to do in regards to funding the public school system.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.