Educator Chipotle Challenge
I'M KALA
Before Da Vinci, I was an elementary School Counselor for over 1,200 students in Blackfoot, Idaho. As a School Counselor for five years, I have supported students and families from a range of backgrounds that include high poverty, members of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribe on the Fort Hall Reservation, drug and substance use and abuse, and various levels of mental health challenges. No matter the background, it’s apparent that healthy relationships between students and their educators is a critical factor in students’ overall well-being and academic success. I have been privileged to work alongside extremely dedicated, com(passionate), resourceful educators who often put their students’ needs before their own. In our society’s current uneasy climate, I want my fellow educators to know - and be reminded - that they are valued and supported in one of the most influential professions. I want to take peaceful action and give back to educators, which is why I’m before you today.
Chipotle!
Chipotle, you and I have been going steady for the last 14 years, and I’m ready to take our relationship to the next level and make it official. My good friend challenged me to eat Chipotle once a day for one year. I ran with the challenge idea and combined two things I love - education and Chipotle, and that is how the Educator Chipotle Challenge (ECC) was created. Chipotle, I invite you to sponsor my Educator Chipotle Challenge during the 2018-2019 school year. Sponsoring the ECC will support your philanthropy efforts - and take them to a new and fresh level with great return potential for the entire company. The ECC aligns with step one of your philanthropy criteria by supporting Da Vinci Charter Academy, a Project-Based Learning school for grades 7-12 in Davis, California, as well as a “University Group,” specifically the School Counseling Program in Lewis & Clark College’s Graduate School of Education in Portland, Oregon.
To kick off the fundraiser, I will begin eating Chipotle once a day for one year on August 29, 2018 (the first day of school). The purpose of the ECC is to highlight stories of how educators have positively impacted people through video recorded Educator Shout Out Interviews, and inspire people who support educators to donate money to an educational cause. The goal is to raise $100,000. I will distribute the money raised as a one-time donation of $35,000 to my fellow educators at Da Vinci Charter Academy, $35,000 as a one-time scholarship to a School Counselor in training at my alma mater, Lewis & Clark College, and use the remaining $30,000 to pay back a sliver of the $177,367.94 of student loan debt that I currently owe from my educational journey to become a School Counselor. Daily photos and videos documenting my year-long journey of eating Chipotle, the Educator Shout Out Interviews, and fundraiser for the ECC will be housed on a personalized website that will launch this summer. Updates will also be blasted on Twitter (@educatorcc), Facebook (educatorcc), Instagram (educatorcc) and the Educator Chipotle Challenge (ECC) YouTube Channel.
The Educator Shout Out Interviews would not fulfill their purpose without student perspective, and having you as an official sponsor of the ECC may increase the likelihood that I will be allowed to include students’ stories. From August 29, 2018-August 28, 2019, I will spend over $3,336 at Chipotle for myself and the 52 interviewees. Your sponsorship could involve helping me fund the year of eating Chipotle; matching a certain percentage of the money that is fundraised; permitting me to film some of the Educator Shout Out Interviews in Chipotle’s across the United States; helping me to market the ECC; and/or developing positions for a team of Chipotle employees who have the skill sets and enthusiasm necessary to assist me with creating the most impactful Educator Chipotle Challenge fundraiser. Imagine the marketing and public relations opportunities we could have fun creating together! I am also determined to share my Educator Chipotle Challenge idea with Ellen Degeneres, Oprah, Michelle Obama, and other influential public figures.
Over the last 14 years, I’ve been a voluntary billboard and spokesperson for you; check out the Chipotle swag I’ve acquired. This Chipotle lanyard is a great conversation starter; it usually begins with, “Do you work at Chipotle?” or “Does Chipotle sponsor you?” It’s time for me to be able to answer that question with, “Yes, Chipotle is sponsoring my Educator Chipotle Challenge!” I am going on a 10,625 mile road trip this summer that includes all the Southern and Eastern Coastal United States, back home to Minnesota, through Denver, CO, up to Portland, OR and back to California. Picture Lily, my Trailblazer, wrapped in a Chipotle decal as we’re cruising across the United States. We can gather footage along my road trip for you AND the Educator Chipotle Challenge. I will also begin handing out promotional cards that are in the shape of a burrito.
Chipotle!
Chipotle, you and I are alike in that we value integrity and being proactive; we thrive on opening doors of opportunity for people; and we value keeping it real and leaving a positive imprint on this world. It’s evident through your partnership with Guild Education that you value your employees and their educational endeavors. If you choose to sponsor the ECC, not only are you supporting your employees, current and future educators, but you will help me affect change in the lives of future generations of Chipotle lovers.
After the Educator Chipotle Challenge and fundraiser wrap up, I foresee our 15 year relationship continuing to strengthen as a long-term engagement with sustainable reciprocal benefits. By sponsoring the ECC, together, one burrito, one educator, one student, and one day at a time, we will “cultivate a better world” (Chipotle website - “Food with Integrity” tab). Full bellies. Educated minds. Full circle. This sponsor-relation-ship is a win-win for both of us!
What do you say, Chipotle, can we make this official?
Love, Kala Ebbe (@educatorcc)