Edu-Pack Founder Adopts Haitian Teen
By Emma Pickle
A local nonprofit organization is raising the bar in its efforts to give children across the world the opportunity to expand their personal knowledge and horizons in education.
Man on a Mission
Edu-Pack is a nonprofit organization that was founded in 1999 by Cobb County resident Crawford Hitt. Hitt founded the organization after a short visit to Haiti in which he realized how poor the country was and how parents were barely able to send their children to school.
"On my dad's mission trip to Haiti, he helped distribute items on to the poverty stricken Haitian people. Once they ran out of gifts, they gave away golf pencils and notebooks. All of the mothers started crying because they were so overjoyed their children could go to school. He then realized that kids needed supplies to attend school, but most families couldn't even afford food," daughter, Sarah Hitt, said.
Getting Started
Hitt established this nonprofit organization as an international organization that operates off of donations from individuals and money raised through fundraisers. Not only does Edu-Pack help families of children in Haiti, it also helps individuals in countries such as Bahamas, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Honduras, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Mexico, and the U.S. In the U.S., Edu-Pack provided relief after Hurricane Katrina.
The items that are given to these children include but are not limited to: Composition Notebooks, crayons, erasers, glue sticks, manual pencil sharpeners, pencils, pens, rulers, scissors, pencil pouches, and Bibles. Anyone and everyone is encouraged to participate because they need all of the help they can get.
How To Be Involved
Getting involved in this organization and board of directors appreciate all help given. Edu-Pack operates year-round and is constantly encouraging individuals to donate money or supplies. The first thing to do is to contact a representative who will present more information on the organization and will inform you about the tools that are necessary to get started in transforming "Today's children into tomorrow's leaders."
"Volunteering is very simple with this organization. Nothing is expected and everything is appreciated," Hitt said.
There are two specific ways to become involved in Edu-Pack. The first is your group may buy the supplies needed and include a donation of $10 for each bag to be with that, Edu-Pack will buy a backpack, water bottle, Gospel track, domestic logistics, and handling and processing fees associated.
The other way to be involved is to simply send a donation to the organization. Each individual pack costs about $20, but every donation is appreciated, no matter its value. You may also wish to be more hands on. Everyone is encouraged to join Edu-Pack on the mission trips in which we distribute the packs.
What Now?
The purpose and mission of Edu-Pack is, "Edu-Pack is an evangelical mission organization that is non-profit and serves the poor by providing educational supplies to those in need in the U.S. and other countries. It is our goal to motivate Chrisitans to become active in service to the church worldwide and to empower indigenous pastors through partnership." In 2010, Edu-Pack has set and plans to implement their goal of delivering 15,000 Edu-Packs to children in need.
"Every penny counts. Every pencil matters. If we only change one child's life, then all of our hardwork has paid of. We really want to not only help these families, but also just love on them and help them understand how much Christ loves them," Hitt said.
