READ! READ! Read!
BEFORE APPLYING, READ ALL OF THE RULES!
Art of Recycle’s free programs are in high demand, your application can take several weeks to process. Applications are only accepted through this website page. Do NOT show up in person with the expectation of being able to enter the Resource Center if you have not received an approval e-mail.
Your children, friends and family members are NOT allowed to accompany you into the free resource center. Please make arrangements for your children in advance. The store and free crafting area is open to the public and anyone arriving with you may enjoy the comforts of free crafting in our Undersea Crafting Area, browsing our extensive book section, shopping in the craft store and roaming about our amazing center.
Please respect our staff and our rules at Art of Recycle. The teacher area is not a place for you to “shop” for things that you WANT, it is a selection of educational materials and art supplies that your school, church, or organization NEEDS. The items that you take do NOT belong to you, they belong to the organization or school that you work for or volunteer for. If we suspect that the items that you take are not going to the needs of your students or clients, and we confirm that your school or organizations did not receive those items, then we will revoke your permission to enter the free resource center. Ask your schools or organizations if they want you to pick up free materials from us, before applying to our program. If your school, church, or organization that you work for or volunteer at, does NOT want you to pick up items in their name, then do not apply. It is a crime to solicit donations for a non-profit or school without their permission.
There is no fee for this program. However, Art of Recycle raises funds to pay staff to process applications, and to pick-up donations, sort, clean, organize donations and maintain AoR’s free resource center, AoR is also responsible for the rent, utilities, insurance, taxes, and overhead and liabilities associated with the free center. The program is free only in the sense that we gift our paid labor and resources to those in need, it is not free to run the program. To keep AoR’s programming free, AoR staff must raise over $30,000 a month to pay for the program expenses and every year those expenses rise to a higher cost.
AoR’s staff researches the validity of your claims of being a teacher or an activity director and does call schools and organizations to ensure that you have the authority to pick up resources for your school, organization, or church. These background checks protect our organization from theft and assures our donors that their donations are going to actual classrooms and are not being sold for profit or used for personal use. Breaking our rules or abusing our staff will result in an automatic ban from Art of Recycle. AoR is proud of our strong ethical practices and we will not permit anyone to compromise our integrity. Art of Recycle’s free resource center is paid for by Art of Recycle’s craft store and book store via the hard work of AoR’s paid staff and AoR volunteers. We do our best to make these resources available to communities in need, but the cost is very high for our organization to pay for this service and to make it available as a free service. Please respect the people who make this happen.
How AoR Teacher Resource Center Works
Read About How Our Program Works Before Applying
- Art of Recycle’s Teacher Resource Center is available to non-profits, schools, churches, home school co-ops, and organizations who are paying for education material out of their own pocket for multiple students/clients who are not related to them. It is for programs who have little to no budget for classroom activities.
- AoR cannot ship items anywhere. All items are pick-up only.
- Your School or Organization does not need to reside in Pennsylvania, but an authorized person must be able to pick-up the items you need.
- To receive the benefits of accessing Art of Recycle's Teacher Resource Center you must apply in order to determine your organization’s or school’s eligibility.
- School teachers that teach quarterly or seasonally may only access the teacher area during the periods in which they are actively teaching.
- Our Resource Center is going digital. We are finally able to save trees by using fillable online forms that help us to track the impact of the resource program. Soon, you won’t need to carry a clipboard around.
- Upload your driver’s license and a letter from your organization stating that you have permission to receive free school supplies in that organization‘s name and bring those ID’s with you when you visit us. Receiving donations in the name of an organization without their permission is a crime. You may not sell the resources that you receive.
- If you are receiving free classroom resources for one time use, such as for an event or a theater production, fill out the online application. AoR will loan out free classroom tools and other school equipment to your organization/school.
- After you have received a confirmation e-mail that your school or organization is eligible, you muse check in at the front desk when you arrive to enter the Teacher Resource Center every time you visit.
- AoR’s friendly staff will provide you with a clipboard with an impact sheet attached. You must fill out an impact form every time you take free classroom materials from the free teacher section.
- Please keep the resource center as neat and tidy as possible. It is staffed by generous volunteers and paid employees who work hard to make this program available for those in need. Please treat our staff and volunteers courteously.
- Homeschool parents who are not part of a co-op are not eligible for a membership in the teacher resource center, but AoR provides free resources and sometimes student snacks for all parents when those items are available. Check the homeschool free resources in the Undersea Room when you enter our facility.
- Your behavior means everything. Do not abuse our staff or treat them with disrespect. We do not tolerate bad behavior of any sort. Any yelling, cursing, or demeaning of our staff will result in you being removed from our premises and banned from ever entering AoR again.
- Everything in AoR’s resource center is generously and kindly donated to Art of Recycle with the knowledge that those items will be used for the purpose of education. If you take items for your own personal use, or to sell online, you will be banned from Art of Recycle’s facilities and issued a trespass notice that will be filed with the police department.
- AoR staff has the right to put a cap on the amount of items any organization is taking from the resource center.
- Permission to visit our center can be revoked at any time if our staff believes that there is good cause.
- Art of Recycle’s free resource center is paid for by Art of Recycle’s craft store and book store via the hard work of AoR’s paid staff and AoR volunteers. We do our best to make these resources available to communities in need, but the cost is very high for our organization to pay for this service and to make it available as a free service. Please respect the people who make this happen. Art of Recycle does not have corporate sponsors, big donors or receive grants for our programs. All funds are raised through AoR’s store.
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