The kids of Iowa are about to get Punk’D! Their teachers have all decided to cancel summer vacation and recess is to be cancelled INDEFINITELY. Just kidding. But Ashton Kutcher, the former host of the MTV show PUNK’d, did donate big to schools in Iowa. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa native has committed to funding 132 schools across the state.
My teachers made me who I am today. In their honor, today I’m sponsoring P.S. classrooms in Iowa. #BestSchoolDayhttps://t.co/n1sZ6sSuCd
— ashton kutcher (@aplusk) March 10, 2016
Kutcher is a reformed prankster, but he is showing the world that he cares greatly about quality education in his home state. Kutcher wants to make sure that what he received in school is available for all.
Kutcher will be helping out:
34 schools in the Des Moines metro area
6 projects at Howe elementary
5 projects at Jackson elementary
Kutcher will also be donating books, and funding activities to support the Lone Community School’s literature club. The list goes on!
Kutcher used the donor platform DonorsChoose.org- to join in on the #bestschoolday campaign, a national fundraising movement to ensure students have the supplies and opportunities they need to succeed. He's doing this because he believes he received an extraordinary public education and credits his own teachers for his success.
Ashton Kutcher: global citizen and hometown changemaker
Kutcher has a long history of advocacy and philanthropy.
Kutcher has used his social media prowess to encourage others to support worthy causes. Take for instance in 2010, when Nothing But Nets, a then fairly new United Nations Foundation organization committed to fighting malaria in Africa approached celebrities to tweet out and support their cause. When Ashton joined the team, he turned it into a fun competition. He urged media mogul Ted Turner and CNN to commit to donating tens of thousand of nets, as both sides attempted to gain over 1 million Twitter followers.
Additionally, Kutcher spends his time supporting UNICEF, GEMS, Habitat For Humanity, A Day Made Better, and Artists for Peace and Justice.
Kutcher and his former partner, Demi Moore, also created and founded the DNA foundation. The foundation works towards the elimination of sex slavery worldwide, the rehabilitation of former child sex workers and changing cultural stereotypes surrounding the children.
Kutcher is undoubtedly someone who understands that local service can yield global returns and vice versa. He also understands that time, commitment and a good understanding of the issues and problems at hand are necessary for addressing a problem.
Can I be a global citizen and a local activist?
Of course. Being a global citizen and a local citizen are one in the same. Ashton Kutcher shows us this. This reformed prankster (okay maybe not REFORMED) is iconic for his brash actions and his activism. When we give back locally, we are giving globally too.