The gift of giving: IEU member’s charity

In 2019, IEU member Andrea McKellar set up a unique not-for-profit charity, Teacher Presence, which redeployed money spent on the traditional end-of-year teacher present to causes which help people whose voices are struggling to be heard. 

‘I love the sentiment of students and families giving me a gift,’ Andrea told The Point in 2021, ‘but I don’t need another mug, candle, or box of chocolates. I really just thought that the money parents spend could be used to help others’.

That simple, noble thought led to a burgeoning organisation.

‘Teacher presence is all about empathy, kindness and gratitude,’ says Andrea. 

That wonderful ethos is now captured by a mission statement: “To create a community of educators that spread the importance of empathy and gratitude through the gift of giving. We do this by helping redirect money that would otherwise be used for the optional end of year teacher gifts from families. This allows us to lead by example and show our students the impact of giving to others in need”.

Teacher Presence provides all the resources necessary for a school to participate in the program and 100% of donations go straight to the charities Teacher Presence is aligned with.

When it started, Teacher Presence partnered with Operations Toilets in India, its donation supporting the building of facilities that allowed some girls to attend school for the first time. In 2020, they added the Berry Street School and Eat Up charities to their roster.

‘We have received some very heartfelt and inspiring messages from teachers and families. Teachers can make a real impact not only with the children they teach but also in the greater community and world’.