1:00 p.m. update: I’m hearing of slight delays in processing the e-gift cards at Target.  Just please make your contribution as soon as you can today and we’ll watch for them this evening if need be. You can also use Walmart, Staples or Amazon if you prefer.  I am extending the cutoff to donations until this evening due to the demand.    If, due to processing delays, the gift cards don’t arrive until after our delivery, we will attempt to do a followup delivery if necessary, but please, do not order more cards after today (12/18/12).   If you would like to contribute after today, I suggest the United Way relief fund here. 

Yesterday, I briefly mentioned a small personal collection project my wife and I were doing for 48 hours among our friends to get gift cards we could distribute to the Newtown Sandy Hook Elementary School teachers to help them restock their classrooms with supplies.

Indeed, at that time, I learned from one of my law partners who lives next door to one of the teachers, that the school will be reopening in a temporary location in a few days. (The timing, I understand, is still up in the air.)  Because the old building is still be off limits, each teacher is going to need to figure out what his or her classroom needs.

The goal was, and still is, to collect these gift cards by 6 p.m. on Tuesday (today!) so we can bring them to Newtown on Wednesday morning.

Frankly, I mentioned it only in passing yesterday because I did not want to use this blog draw attention away from the many worthy charities out there taking collections.  After talking with a friend whose son goes to Sandy Hook, my wife and I just started this little “pass the hat” project to help the teachers and never dreamed others would want to help too.

But, this idea seems to have hit a nerve among my friends and colleagues, raising a whole lot in just 24 hours.  And several blog readers contacted me directly to help.

After sleeping on it, I came to one simple conclusion: what’s the point in having a blog if we can’t use it in times of real need?

(NOTE: The donation period has closed)

So, for today only (and please, nothing after today!), if you’d like to help, you can go to Target.com, and buy an e-gift-card in any amount. You can then send them to me via e-mail at dschwartz@pullcom.com.  (If you’d like to use a name, use Sandy Hook teachers or Sandy Hook PTA).   It takes the website several hours to process so the sooner the better.  We’ll take the cards over to Newtown in the morning.

(If you’re in Hartford, you can also drop off physical cards by 5 p.m. to my office at 90 State House Square, 13th Floor.)

Again, this is just a very short-term, targeted little collection effort from my wife and I to get it to teachers on an emergency basis.  Please be sure to donate generously to the many worthy charities that are going to need funds to help this community for years to come.

Thank you.