On Friday, an area teacher was picking out $10,000 worth of free furniture.

Mary Margaret Kemp, a teacher at the William E. Burkett Center for the Multi-Handicapped, received the furniture as one of the rewards for being a top-five finalist in the “LIVE! with Regis and Kelly” annual Top Teacher contest.

She chose furnishings for her living room and bedroom from La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries and Kincaid Home Furnishings, which provided a $10,000 gift certificate after hearing Kemp’s story.

The mother of one of Kemp’s students sent a letter about Kemp to the show for the second annual contest, where she told about how the teacher was one of the first to reach her son.

“I could write a book on her kindness and how she has changed our lives. She always reassures us that she will do whatever she needs to get our child to communicate and be successful,” the parent wrote. “And she has. Our withdrawn little boy has said some words, he will make eye contact with us and interact with us… (it) means the world to me that I have in a small way connected with my child and we wouldn’t be where we are if it weren’t for Ms. Mac [what Kemp’s students call her].”

As a finalist, Kemp received a $10,000 gift card from Michael in addition to the $10,000 worth of furniture.

She received the gifts during an appearance on the show in May.

Kemp, who is 27, said she was shocked when she found out she had been selected.

“I found out I was in the top 12 while I was in class,” she said. “And I was in a meeting when they announced the top five. It’s been a wild ride, and very flattering.”

Kemp realized she wanted to work with children when her sorority was involved with a charity that involved special-needs children. Kemp also has a family member with cerebral palsy, so she has a heart for people with special needs.

Kemp has taught at the Burkett Center for three and a half years. She shared the $10,000 Michaels gift card with her fellow teachers, with speech and occupational therapists and others.

“All the teachers I work with are deserving of the recognition I received. It’s a really great group of people I work with. They’re really supportive,” Kemp said. “This is very helpful with proration. … it’s really nice to know we have that to use. We spend lots of money out of our pocket, so it’s very helpful.”

For her own home, Kemp chose a couch, chairs and tables for her living room, as well as a new bed for the house she bought April 30 in the Crestwood area.

“This happened right afterward,” Kemp said. “It’s so wonderful. I would have never been able to have all new furniture in the house so soon.”

Curt Morris, co-owner of the three Birmingham La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries and Kincaid Home Furniture stores, said he was happy to donate the furniture because of Kemp’s dedication to her students.

“Ms. Mac is dedicated to making a difference in and out of the classroom. She spends all of her time comforting, supporting and enriching the lives of her students and her families,” Morris stated in a press release. “As soon as we heard her story, we wanted to help. It’s exciting for us to bring a little extra comfort into her home to thank her for what she does for the developmentally-challenged children in our community.”

The Burkett Center is scheduled to move to the current Mortimer Jordan High School campus in Morris, as the new Mortimer Jordan school is set to open in Kimberly this fall.

The drive will be a bit farther for Kemp, but she is not worried about going the extra distance.

“I love the group of people I work with and I love the kids we work with,” she said. “I’ll just have to look into a smaller, more economical car.”