Total of $75,000 in Classroom Grants Awarded to 30 Teachers Across America to Drive Positive Change in their Classrooms

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Farmers Insurance, one of the nation's largest multiline insurers, today named 30 teachers around the country who each will receive a $2,500 grant, totaling $75,000, through the company's Thank A Million Teachers program. This is the fourth out of five rounds of $2,500 grants awarded to deserving teachers as part of the company's Thank A Million Teachers program, which invites America to offer heartfelt thanks to teachers, present and past, for their positive impact on students and communities across the United States.

Since the beginning of the year, close to 900,000 "thank yous" have been extended to teachers on ThankAMillionTeachers.com. As part of the national program, Farmers has also been inviting teachers who have been thanked on the website to submit proposals for $2,500 grants. During the months of August and September, the public voted on hundreds of proposals with the top six vote-getters in five regions selected as winners. In all, Farmers has committed to donating $1 million to teachers and education programs in 2014.

"The teachers receiving these Thank A Million Teachers classroom grants truly exemplify the types of positive and unique education strategies being implemented across the country to help our nation's young people learn and succeed," said Randy Rice, National Manager of Education Programs for Farmers Insurance. "These educators have developed successful approaches to captivate their students and help them experience new ways of learning, and Farmers is proud to be able to provide them with the funds necessary to help advance education in communities throughout America. Over the course of this program, it's been exciting to see communities rally around their local teachers as they vie to win grants for their classrooms."

Among the grant winners:

• Amy Westrope teaches first grade at Bench Elementary School in Billings, Montana. She plans to purchase computer tablets for her classroom to better integrate technology into every part of the school day. The new tablets will help her students build vocabulary skills, preview books, and investigate inquiry projects. Apps will be used to help with math fact fluency and number sense concepts. Using special software, she will be able to share photos and videos of student work with parents, increasing communication and student engagement.

• Kimberly Stanfield teaches sixth graders at Marshall Ranch Elementary School in Glendale, Arizona and as part of her school's activities she prepares her students for the regular "Battle of the Books" reading competition where teams of sixth graders read books and are required to answer a series of questions based on the books they have read. Due to budget constraints, it has been difficult acquiring enough books and materials to keep the program alive. She will use her funds to purchase more books and other supplies to keep the program going throughout the school.

• Ray Rodriguez, who teaches at Lincoln Middle School in Rio Rancho, New Mexico intends to spark the imaginations of his students by purchasing tablet computers along with movie making and storyboarding software so they can make their own films. The students will use storyboards and learn how to craft scenes, while improving their writing. The students will learn how to use movie making software and turn their narratives into a movie production.

• Kristen Smith works with children on the autism spectrum at Crestwood Intermediate School in Chesapeake, Virginia. She understands first hand that technology is essential for ensuring success of today's learner, particularly those with special needs. With her grant she intends to purchase tablet computers to differentiate instruction, remediate skills, and make content more engaging for her students.

Below is a complete list of winners (note to editors: details of the winning proposals and access to the winning teachers are available by contacting Farmers Media Relations representatives listed below):

Farmers Insurance is working in partnership with AdoptAClassroom.org, a national non-profit, to help teachers acquire the supplies and equipment they have requested in their proposals.

Farmers announced the launch of the Thank A Million Teachers program in late December 2013 at a special event featuring Jack Black, who thanked his former teacher Debbie Devine, who he credited with saving his life.  Several days later, Farmers brought additional attention to its campaign to thank educators across America with its Thank A Million Teachers New Year's Day float in the Tournament of Roses parade.

The Thank A Million Teachers website is continuously accepting the public's thank yous and continuously posts a live tally of the number of "thank yous" received. It is also the place where teachers can submit their proposals for the chance to win grants of $2,500. Farmers invites teachers to submit proposals for the final $2,500 grant program, which are being accepted through November 30 to help them in making an impact on students in their classrooms. Additional details and submission requirements are available at ThankAMillionTeachers.com.

In addition to the $2,500 grants being distributed throughout the year, Farmers is also giving away five grants worth $100,000 apiece. In May, as Farmers announced the launch of the Dream Big Teacher Challenge, an extension of Thank A Million Teachers, educators were invited to submit comprehensive proposals describing their visionary program, implementation plans and timelines, expected outcomes and a detailed budget for a chance to win five $100,000 grants. Fifteen finalists were announced on October 1, 2014, and Farmers is urging the public to vote at ThankAMillionTeachers.com for one finalist in each of five zones across the country. Voting runs through November 30. The five winners will be announced in early December.

About Farmers Insurance
Farmers Insurance Group of Companies is a leading U.S. insurer group of automobiles, homes and small businesses and also provides a wide range of other insurance and financial services products. Farmers Insurance is proud to serve more than 10 million households with more than 20 million individual policies across all 50 states through the efforts of over 50,000 exclusive and independent agents and approximately 22,000 employees.

For more information about Farmers, visit its Web site at www.farmers.com or at www.Facebook.com/FarmersInsurance.

About AdoptAClassroom.org
AdoptAClassroom.org is a national 501(C) (3) nonprofit organization dedicated to giving teachers a hand through the provision of essential classroom supplies so that students can succeed. Many teachers spend as much as $1,000 annually of their own money to equip their classrooms. Since 1998 AdoptAClassroom.org has raised over $20 million to benefit classrooms across America. AdoptAClassroom.org has earned a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator. To adopt a classroom, visit http://www.adoptaclassroom.org.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130731/LA56061LOGO

SOURCE Farmers Insurance