At Americans Helping Americans®, we understand that many school systems in Appalachia have tight budgets and, in many cases, cannot afford to provide additional funding for classroom needs and other expenses that teachers would like to have to enhance the learning experience for their students.
That’s why, with the help of our supporters, Americans Helping Americans® launched our “Americans Helping Teachers” grant program in 2022 to provide teachers and other educators, including school librarians, counselors, administrators, and staff members, with cash grants to help them meet an unmet classroom or school need.
Our goal is to provide educators working in Appalachian Title I schools that have high percentages of students participating in the free and reduced-price lunch program with grants of up to $4,000 to promote new, innovative lesson plans or curriculum development, field trips, and more.
This month, we are pleased to announce our three Americans Helping Teachers grant recipients for the 2026-2027 academic year who are each receiving grants of $4,000 to enhance educational opportunities for hundreds of students at their schools.
Tammy Spoon is a school counselor at Bean Station Elementary School in Bean Station, Tennessee, who is receiving her third Americans Helping Teachers grant this year.
Bean Station ES is a Title I PreK-6 grade school with 425 students where 80 percent of students qualify for free/reduced price meals and most students come from low-income families, as well as being raised by grandparents, great-grandparents or other relatives.
Tammy tells us she became a school counselor “because my passion is to help and encourage students.
“I want them to believe in themselves and have the necessary skills to rise above any circumstance to live the best life they can have.”
During the previous two years she received AHT grants, she focused on students, faculty, and staff and the areas of self-regulation and trauma.
The title of her project is Strengthening Home/School Partnerships, and she will use her grant funding to host family/parent nights at school to build stronger relationships as well as to purchase resources and materials to send home for family/parent education on social/emotional topics to provide families with strategies to support social/emotional learning at home.
“This year I want to focus on parent/family education on Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and also work on strengthening the home-to-school connection,” she told us in her application.
“Research shows that when parents engage in SEL activities and discussions, it reinforces understanding, which then helps children navigate emotions,” says Tammy.
“Strong school/home relationships translate into higher student academic achievement, better classroom behavior and improved social-emotional well-being.”
She noted that focusing on educating families strengthens partnerships with families, which in turn reaps benefits for students, families and schools.
Bean Station principal Susan Kinser commented that the grant funding will help fill a crucial gap in our rural community: school-to-home connection for parents.
“These toolkits and parent nights will extend essential social-emotional learning beyond the classroom, giving families practical resources to support emotional well-being, positive relationships and healthy coping skills at home,” she said.
“Providing these tools to families will strengthen the connection between school and home while helping students develop the confidence, resilience and self-regulation skills they need to succeed both academically and personally.
“This initiative has the potential to create a lasting, positive impact on our students, families and school community.”
Sandy Rose is a librarian at Central Elementary School in McArthur, Ohio, whose project is titled “Fiction with Flavor: A Recipe for Success,” to provide more books for the school’s students to enjoy.
“As I evaluate our library collection, it is clear that our fiction section is in need of significant updating,” she told us in her grant request.
“While our current collection has served students well over the years, many of the titles have become outdated and no longer reflect the books that today's young readers are excited to read,” she explained.
“By refreshing our collection with the newest and most popular children's fiction titles, we can increase student interest, encourage independent reading, and help foster a lifelong love of literacy.”
In addition to expanding the school library’s fiction collection, this grant would allow her to create a hands-on “Creation Station” within the library.
“This space would provide students with opportunities to explore creativity, problem-solving, and self-expression through activities such as do-it-yourself bookmark kits, puzzles, sensory materials, art supplies, LED light-up boards, rainbow scratch paper, Play-Doh, and other engaging resources.
“Together, an updated fiction collection and a well-equipped Creation Station would transform our library into an even more inviting and inspiring space where students can read, create, imagine and grow.
“These resources would support both literacy development and creative learning, benefiting every student who walks through our library doors.”
Sandy adds that “To cultivate enthusiasm for reading and meet the interests of today's students, we must provide access to current, high-interest fiction titles that reflect the latest trends and capture young readers' imaginations.
“Expanding and refreshing our collection will help ensure that every student can find books that engage, inspire, and encourage a lifelong love of reading.”
Principal Kim Arthur states, “I am confident that this project will be a valuable asset to our school community and will align perfectly with our goals for improving literacy, enhancing student learning, and providing access to information.
“We believe that this project will not only benefit our students and staff but also enhance our school's reputation as a leader in educational innovation, technology integration, and community engagement.”
Kelly Waddell, a second-grade teacher also at Central Elementary School, is using her $4,000 AHT grant for her project titled QUEST – Quality Understanding through Experiential Science Teaching.
“Many of our students have little exposure to opportunities outside their immediate community,” she told us in her grant request.
“Most have never traveled outside the region or experienced family vacations that broaden their understanding of the world around them.”
She describes her students as energetic, enthusiastic, and possessing a genuine love of learning, adding that “their curiosity and excitement provide the perfect foundation for meaningful educational experiences that extend beyond the classroom walls.”
Through the grant, she will be able to fund an innovative educational project designed to expand her students’ knowledge and experiences through hands-on science exploration.
“Through this program, students will visit science museums, participate in interactive STEM activities, and experience a planetarium, for many of them for the very first time.
“These immersive opportunities will allow students to connect classroom learning with real-world scientific discovery while inspiring curiosity, creativity, and a deeper understanding of the world beyond rural Appalachia.”
Through this project, students will have the opportunity to take field trips to COSI (the Center of Science and Industry, a science museum) in Columbus, Ohio, about 75 miles from the school, as well as to a planetarium and nature centers where they will engage in hands-on, sensory-rich, immersive learning experiences.
There, “they will interact with experts, participate in meaningful social and shared learning opportunities, and explore concepts in ways that cannot be replicated within the classroom alone,” says Kelly.
“These experiences will provide students with rare and authentic opportunities to expand their understanding of the world, spark curiosity, and inspire a lifelong love of learning.
Central principal Arthur commented that the QUEST project exemplifies the type of innovative educational experience their students need and deserve.
“This project represents an investment not only in science education but also in the future success of rural Appalachian students who are eager to learn and explore the world around them.”
And to the supporters of Americans Helping Americans® who make the AHT program possible, she says:
“Thank you for your commitment to supporting educators and students across America.
“Your generosity helps make transformational learning experiences possible for children who need them most.”
Last year, AHT grants benefited 1,315 students who went on an overnight field trip, created two trauma-informed safe spaces in schools, enhanced school curriculums to improve the mental fortitude of students and even covered the cost of having the Columbus Zoo bring about six “animal ambassadors” from its “Habitat Heroes Program” to teach students about conservation, best practices in animal care and welfare and the connection between people and animals.
Americans Helping Americans® executive director Cameron Krizek notes that the purpose of the AHT grant program is to provide educators across Appalachia with the opportunity to enhance their classrooms, libraries and schools.
