About the Helping Schools Tags Campaign

A Message from the Chairwoman

Thank you for your interest in education and for visiting our Web site.

When a group of fourth grade students at Leinkauf Elementary School in Mobile initially came up with the idea of a special automobile tag to help fund schools, the students wrote letters to all of their local elected officials to ask for their support. School funding for miscellaneous supplies was so limited that children literally had to take their own paper towels, soap, toilet paper and other essential needs to school.

My late husband, Michael A. Figures, who served as the President Pro Tempore of the Alabama Senate, was the only elected official who responded to the children's letters. He took up their cause and authored the legislation that created the Helping Schools Tags in 1990.

Education has always been dear to me, and I am privileged to continue Michael's legacy by serving in the Alabama Senate and by leading the Helping Schools Tags effort. The Helping Schools Tags campaign is being sponsored by the Michael A. Figures Legacy Education Fund.

Every vehicle owner in Alabama has the opportunity to make a difference in his or her local schools this year when they renew their automobile tags.

When you renew your tag, please ask for a Helping Schools Tag. The majority of the additional $15 will go directly to Alabama's public schools.

With your help, our children can concentrate on learning—and not whether there will be adequate supplies and materials in the classroom.

Thank you again for supporting public education in Alabama.

Peace and blessings,
Vivian Davis Figures
State Senator

Click here to see Senator Figures' biography

	The Helping Schools Tags program was initiated by the late Michael A. Figures, President Pro Tem of the Alabama Senate, in 1990.
	The program currently generates approximately $500,000 annually for local schools throughout the state of Alabama.
	Nearly 75% of the purchase price of the tag ($11.63 of the $15 purchase price) goes to local schools.
	The $15 purchase price is tax deductible.
	The money generated by Helping Schools Tags is earmarked for miscellaneous supplies for local schools.
	Money generated by the Helping Schools Tags program helps to free up other education funds that can then be applied toward teachers' salaries or capital improvement projects.
	Alabama State Senator Vivian Davis Figures, who represents Senate District 33, and who chairs the Senate Education Committee, serves as chairwoman of the Helping Schools Tags campaign.
	The Helping Schools Tags campaign is sponsored by the Michael A. Figures Legacy Education Fund.
	Funding for the Helping Schools Tags campaign is provided by corporate donors and concerned citizens who want to improve public education in Alabama.