Victor Kubik's place....

Earlier this year we received a phone call from a Minneapolis warehouse we used in 2001 for a container shipment to Malawi. They said that large boxes arrived labeled blankets and toys for Malawi. They were from a school in Missouri. We found the school and had a wonderful discussion with their service director who told us what and why the Whittier Alternative School did what it did. We shipped the blankets and toys to Malawi and they have just arrived and were picked up by Dr. Sam Chilopora. We hope to update this story with photos when we get them.

I asked Whittier service Director Kim Graves to tell me more what they did and why they chose LifeNets. He wrote me the following report in mid-March of this past year:

One of our elective credits involves providing community service. All students are encouraged to participate. However, none is required – all hours are voluntary. We work alongside Clubs and charitable institutions quite often. Sometimes we do entire projects on our own. Some examples would include Reading Buddies for Elementary Students, elderly visits, Veteran’s Day recognition, cemetery reclamation and beautification, raising funds for Habitat for Humanity ($4,000), raising funds for the Community Café Meals ($1000), mentoring middle school at-risk students, working at the food pantry, assisting Salvation Army throughout the year, food drives, Kids With Cancer, building improvements at Whittier, and many others. As a school, Whittier students/staff have performed over 2000 man hours of service in each of the past three years. Many of our students have over 50 hours, some over 100, a couple over 200, and one over 300!

Last winter we launched a project called One Thousand Blankets. It began when a student explained that she wanted to do something for the poor orphans she watch of a TV program. We made a presentation to the local Rotary Club, asking if they had any connections for international shipping. We also mentioned we intended to sew infant blankets. The rotary club donated two sewing machines and an individual also donated a sewing machine. The students learned some basic sewing skills and used them to create small blankets, repair torn quilts, and to repair worn edges. Some items were laundered. Some were discarded. A local girl scout troop also sewed and collected on our behalf. So did a nearby fifth-grade class. It was a collective effort. Finally, when all had been sorted, packed, and palletized, ABF Freight delivered the sixteen large boxes (four pallet cubes) to a collection point back east at no charge!

We collected 400 blankets and 75 stuffed animals and sent them to the Kondwa Childrens Foundation orphanage in Zambia. After the blankets were sent, more donations arrived. We continued to collect the offerings and when we had four large boxes (one pallet cube) we began to look for a different recipient. The palletized load weighed 301 pounds and cost nearly $200 to ship to your site in Minnesota. The cost was shared by the students ($75) and a community donation ($125.

LifeNets was selected based on a web search – during which we saw the photos of the blankets being distributed to the locals. The photos melted our hearts and we wanted you guys to have them.

Kim Graves
Service Director
Whittier Alternative School
Sedalia, MO

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Victor Kubik's place....

Dedication of IPFW Hagerman Sustainable Habitat for Humanity House