An Arizona elementary school teacher, who drew widespread sympathy last year when she shared her meager salary on Facebook, said a New York City businessman has “adopted” her classroom to ensure her students have crucial school supplies.
Elisabeth Milich, a mom of three and second-grade teacher at Whispering Wind Academy in Phoenix, made headlines in 2018 when she posted her annual salary of $35,621.25 on Facebook — just as thousands of teachers marched for the #RedforEd movement at the Arizona state capitol to demand higher education funding and a 20% wage increase.
“Every other week, my pay is $639. Every two weeks. That’s not livable,” Milich wrote in the now-deleted post, adding that without spousal support from her husband she would struggle to make ends meet, let alone afford supplies for her to do her job.
“I think that’s the thing people don’t understand, teachers buy like every paper clip we use, tape, staples, pens. Nothing is provided for us,” Milich told The Post.
“I make $35,000 and I’m buying my own supplies … this is the craziest thing ever that I needed a college degree for this.”
The devoted teacher also said she was forced to dip into her husband’s income to help low-income students in need, such as making sure they are fed lunch or can attend field trips.
But now, thanks to a good Samaritan, she will no longer have to worry about providing for her students as well as for her herself and her family.
Ben Adam, a father of three and real estate executive from New York, happened to see Milich’s post on Facebook and decided to take action. He reached out to her on social media and asked if he could help provide supplies for her classroom.
Soon, Amazon packages started to arrive, leaving the teacher stunned.
“So I am thinking this is crazy. This is too good to be true, there’s gotta be a catch or something,” she said.
“But genuinely there’s not a catch, and within a week I had supplies at my school from Amazon — paints, books, anything and everything that I would buy out of pocket or go without.”
The packages continued to arrive well into the semester — but Adam didn’t stop there.
In addition to sending school supplies to Milich, Adam adopted four more classrooms and started a fundraising website, ClassroomGiving.org, to make supplies accessible to other teachers in need.
The website allows people to purchase items on a teacher’s Amazon wishlist, which is then sent to the school directly.
“I’m sensitive to the people that get the short end of the stick and without complaining,” Adam told “Good Morning America” this week.
“Teachers work very hard and don’t get much in return.”
Adam said he’s since received requests from teachers in Alaska, California and Washington and that he hopes his website will gain national attention.
Milich — who has never even met Adam in person — said she is so grateful for all his help.
“It’s just this amazing story of this guy just paying it forward and wanting nothing in return. And just changing the lives of my classroom. my students and myself personally. I’m so incredibly thankful and blessed,” she told The Post.
“I sent him an email and was like if you’re ever close to Arizona please, please come by so I can meet you and just tell you ‘thank you’ in person because, it’s just, it’s amazing.”