Yesterday, classrooms around the country were hit by a mob—a philanthropic flash mob that sought to fulfill the dreams of students and educators. Long Beach was among the cities targeted by that mob as part of #BestSchoolDay.

Alison and Mark Pincus, co-founders of Zynga, have “flash funded” all of the 35 DonorsChoose.org classroom projects in Long Beach, according to the website. Through this generous donation, classrooms can now fund various projects, including Speech Therapy iPad, Creativity in Technology, Help Me Read, Music Makes a Difference!, Technology With Students With Disability and Plant a Book, Grow More Knowledge, among others.

High functioning Long Beach classrooms hit close to home for the Pincuses—leading to their motivation for participating in the flash fund effort.

“When I first heard about this opportunity, I dreamed of helping the Long Beach Unified School District,” Alison Pincus said in a statement. “I went to public school in Long Beach for grades one through 12. I couldn’t be more appreciative of the experience, the knowledge, and the friendships. For this, it’s my responsibility to pay it forward. And the LBC is always in my heart!”

William McKinley Elementary, Polytechnic High, Jordan High, Woodrow Wilson High, Jackie Robinson Academy, Burcham K-8 School, Theodore Roosevelt Elementary and Leland Stanford Middle School are among some of the schools whose classrooms were funded by the Pincuses.

Yesterday’s flash fund was attributed to 58 actors, athletes, philanthropists and founders (including Paul Allen and Stephen Colbert, to name a few), who collectively gave over $14 million to support about 12,000 classrooms projects nationwide, providing science equipment, field trips, art supplies and books. Together, they have encouraged the public to join them in donating to classroom projects.

“We all remember special days at school, whether it was going on a field trip, doing a science experiment, or performing in a school play,” Charles Best, founder and CEO of DonorsChoose.org, said in a statement. “Teachers have a hard time providing these experiences when they have to go into their own pockets to buy school supplies. We’re so grateful to the people who have kicked off this philanthropic flashmob, and we hope that everyone—no matter the size of their wallet—will join this act of mass generosity by supporting a classroom project and committing to make every day a #BestSchoolDay.”

Serena Williams funded Compton classrooms and Gwyneth Paltrow funded Santa Monica classrooms.

Teachers, whose projects were funded, were notified today by DonorsChoose.org via social media, email and videos. Today marks the largest “flash funding” effort taken by the organization since founding in 2000.

Individuals interested in supporting a classroom project can do so at www.donorschoose.org.

Above left, photos courtesy of DonorsChoose.org and Mark Pincus’ Twitter.