The Welman Project turns one man's trash into teachers' treasures

There were teachers waiting outside the door when The Welman Project in Fort Worth opened at noon on Wednesday.

The building is stocked with surplus and discontinued items that might have been bound for a landfill. Now they'll end up in a classroom.

"My co-founder and I notice a lack of resources in our schools and an abundance of waste going into our landfills," The Welman Project Co-Founder and Creative Director Vanessa Barker said. "So we're trying to tackle these two big issues of waste generated by businesses and lack of resources for teachers with one crazy solution, and that's creative reuse."

There are signs everywhere stating the philosophy. There are also cheery helpers on hand, ready to make teachers' creative visions a reality.

"You see the lightbulbs going off across a lot of teachers' faces in this building," Crowley Middle School teacher Kristin Johnson said. "Because it's like we get to come here and kinda be students."

Shopping at The Welman Project is a money saver for teachers.

"Saving the Earth and the environment, and get to fill a void for us too and get free supplies," Johnson said. "Coming here and just seeing all of the blank materials and just being able to create projects and things that are outside of what they see on a day-to-day, makes me very motivated as a teacher."

Johnson would have paid $44 for the items in her basket. "It's free," Johnson said. "Which is awesome!"

The Welman Project welcomes teachers from public schools and schools that are 501(c)(3).

"I spoke to a teacher from Alaska this summer," The Welman Project Community Engagement Enthusiast Lauren Watson said. "The pilgrimage is worth it. It's great for us, but it really kind of makes a statement about public education and what we could be doing for it."

There is no limit to how many times teachers can go to The Welman Project, or how many items they can get.