Tek4Kids

Category: Our Volunteers

  • 2019 Golf Scramble Thank You

    2019 Golf Scramble Thank You

    On behalf of Tek4Kids, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to all golfers, sponsors, in-kind donors and volunteers who supported the 7th Annual Golf Scramble for Haiti which was held on Tuesday, September 10, 2019 at Covered Bridge Golf Club.

    Thank you to our awesome volunteers who generously donated their time to another great golf outing!

    A special thanks to our Birdie Sponsors – Michelle Boice, Financial Architects,Inc., and Morgan Stanley Wealth Management for their continued and generous support! A very big Thank You to Penn Station East Coast Subs for donating lunch to our golfers, staff and volunteers!

    We would also like to recognize and thank our hole sponsors for their support: Accredited Wealth Management, CISCO, Commonwealth Bank & Trust Co., Elite Heating & AC, Encore Technologies, Jerry Mudd Consulting, New Albany Heating & Air Conditioning, Samtec, Trace3, Your Key Solutions – Angela Bauer Armes & Rebecca Potter.

    This special event raises awareness of the needs of school children in Haiti and support of our ongoing projects with our partner schools in Jeremie, and our three-year St. Francis School of Technology (SFST.) These projects include: providing reliable electricity to our nine partner schools, 10,000 gallons of purified water per week, 400 laptops and iPads for schools and supporting over 2,000 students; and our technology school St. Francis School of Technology. The students at SFST have been trained in networking, Microsoft Server, programming, database, web design, and other areas of study including English. In 2019, Tek4Kids Haiti offices and SFST moved into our new facility with 8 classrooms/labs, office space and internet cafe (for staff and students.) The extra space will allow us to expand our curriculum and outreach to the community. Tek4Kids reputation has grown through the years as well. Our partner schools’ enrollment has increased dramatically and our technology school only accepted 24 students out of the 150+ applicants for the 2019-20 school year. As always,100% of the funds donated/raised directly support our projects.

    Please keep all of the above donors and sponsors in mind when looking for products or services; their support is integral in making our event a success!

    Thank you to Covered Bridge Golf Club staff for their support throughout the scramble.

    We are truly grateful for your support and look forward to next year’s golf outing in September, 2020. We hope to see you there!

    Please visit our website www.tek4kids.org for information on our projects and how you can help.

    Gary and Cathy Boice
    Tek4Kids Founders

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  • Another Boice Joins Tek4Kids in Haiti

    Another Boice Joins Tek4Kids in Haiti

    Working with Tek4Kids has become a family affair for the Boice family! Gary and Cathy Boice are its co-founders, while son Michael joined the team full-time last year to lead and coordinate all our technology efforts in Haiti.

    Recently, son Brooke traveled to Jeremie, Haiti to teach a Python class for third year students at St. Francis School of Technology, the certified technology school Tek4Kids began in 2015. Brooke lives in Boulder, CO with his wife and three children and is currently a Senior Advanced Services Architect in the Data Center ATG with Trace3.

    Brooke created a lab environment where everyone in the class had access to their own virtual machine to run Python, which is a high-level programming language used primarily for web and application development. During the class, Brooke presented brief segments of lecture, immediately followed by a lab to apply the lessons learned. He focused initially on the basic concepts of Python and the labs then challenged students to customize Python scripts that query live websites for weather data, based on location. Finally, the students built a basic Python web server.

    Brooke commented that he was surprised by the students’ level of engagement and noted that almost every student followed along and constantly asked questions. He said it was truly a pleasure to teach students who were so eager to learn!

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  • Volunteer’s Efforts Evolve as Tek4Kids Expands

    Volunteer’s Efforts Evolve as Tek4Kids Expands

    In the summer of 2014, I began volunteering with Tek4Kids. I read an article in the Catholic Record about a former classmate of mine at St. Xavier High School, Gary Boice, who was doing some notable work in Haiti. I was retired and had moved home to Louisville, looking for a new purpose during my retirement years. After seeing the article, I was excited about the possibility of volunteering with Tek4Kids.

    My first trip to Jeremie, Haiti was in November, 2014. I was not yet sure how I would utilize my skills and talent to help with the needs of the organization. When I arrived, Gary and his team were in the final stages of completing a water filtration system and pump house at an orphanage in the hills overlooking Jeremie. I did whatever was asked of me: running pvc pipe, wiring, carrying materials and handing tools to those who knew what they were doing. The work was more about construction than using my skills in technology, management and personnel development. However, it was so rewarding to see the difference we were making in this developing country. I was hooked and decided I would continue supporting Tek4Kids and helping the people in Haiti.

    Over the next three years I made about two trips per year to Jeremie. The work varied but was always rewarding. We built classrooms for the partner schools we supported. This required painting, some light carpentry, wiring classroom workstations, installing laptop computers and hanging overhead projectors. At the end of each day, we would be tired, hot, dirty and the cold showers back at the house where we lived actually felt good. Though the work differed, by the end of each trip the feeling was always the same: I was glad to return home but knew I had to return to Haiti. I was full of gratitude for the blessings I had, yet wondered why I had so many opportunities while the people in Haiti had so many challenges.

    Now in 2019, the Tek4Kids organization has grown from building water filtration systems and classrooms to teaching computer skills to Haitian children, supported by nine full-time teachers and maintenance personnel. Tek4Kids has opened a three-year technical school for high school graduates, now occupies a new building with eight classrooms and partners with an Information Technology business to supply jobs for our school graduates. Including the new business, the staff has grown to over 35. As a result, my role has changed.

    Now my experience and knowledge of business management and employee development are values I can contribute. Both Tek4Kids and TIC, the new for-profit company which was started to support our work in Jeremie, can benefit from what I have to offer. Although I didn’t mind helping with construction and more labor-intensive work, I now enjoy spending my time working with people.

    On this latest trip, I made presentations both to our different employee teams and the students in our technical school. The presentations covered the need for organization values, teamwork, accountability, professionalism, business ethics and other skills needed to be successful in the business world. I also spent time with our management team to train and mentor them on leadership skills, the importance of setting goals, communicating job responsibilities and measuring performance. I am working to develop some resource tools such as an employee handbook, discipline documentation, hiring guidelines and other HR processes that are currently needed. I participate in organization design discussions and planning for future growth.

    The work I am doing now has resulted in a new commitment to return to Jeremie every three months so I can be more involved in the development of our team there. I have also started working with another non-profit in Jeremie to help their staff with leadership skills. I am so thankful for the opportunity to assist Tek4Kids in its mission to improve the life of the people in Jeremie through education and technology. It is nothing short of amazing to see the growth and success I have witnessed in the five short years since I became involved in this worthy effort.

    — by Bob Glaser

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  • IT Expert Shares Knowledge with SFST Students

    IT Expert Shares Knowledge with SFST Students

    Gary Boice, Michael Boice, Maryse King, William Philippe and Lindsay Anderson made many important connections with technology experts and entrepreneurs at this year’s Haiti Tech Summit, one of whom is Adib Khozouee. Adib was born in Haiti and his family has been involved in successful businesses in both Haiti and the US.

    After visiting technology companies with Adib in Colorado last summer, Gary invited him to tour our Tek4Kids organization in Jeremie, Haiti. They spent time in one of our partner schools, St. Louis High School, and with our St. Francis School of Technology (SFST) students. Knowing the students could benefit from Adib’s knowledge and experience in the IT field, Gary asked him to teach a class at SFST. Adib met with 7 groups of students through the course of one day to demonstrate how the Internet of Things works.

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  • A New Way to Support Tek4Kids!

    A New Way to Support Tek4Kids!

    Are you a Kroger’s shopper? If so, you can support Tek4Kids with each purchase you make! Simply enroll in the Kroger Community Rewards program and select Tek4Kids as the organization you want to support. Participants can enroll annually to keep supporting Tek4Kids year after year!

    Here are the simple steps to enroll:

    1. Create an account with Kroger.com or use the account you already have.
    2. Login to kroger.com/communityrewards.
    3. Click “I’m a Customer” on the Community Rewards page.
    4. Search for and select Tek4Kids or KM106, then click “Enroll.”
    5. You’re enrolled and every purchase you make will help Tek4Kids!

    We appreciate Kroger’s Community Rewards program and this opportunity to support Tek4Kids students in Haiti through technology education!

  • 2018 Golf Scramble Thank You!

    2018 Golf Scramble Thank You!

    On behalf of Tek4Kids, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to all golfers, sponsors, in-kind donors and volunteers who supported the 6th Annual Golf Scramble for Haiti which was held on Tuesday, September 11, 2018 at Covered Bridge Golf Club.

    Thank you to our awesome volunteers who generously donated their time to another great golf outing!

    A special thanks to our Birdie Sponsors, Commonwealth Bank & Trust Company and Morgan Stanley Wealth Management for their continued and generous support!

    We would also like to recognize and thank our hole sponsors for their support: Boutin Chiropractic, Data-Strategy, Financial Architects Inc., LG&E-KU, Jerry Mudd Consulting, New Albany Heating & Air Conditioning, Relax The Back, Samtec, The Travel Authority – RuthAnn Hale.

    Silent auction items were donated by the following: Angels Envy, Boombozz Pizza & Taphouse, JD Becker Superstore, Helen Heddens, Hull & High Water, Irish Rover, Jackie Lydon, Louisville City FC, Louisville Stoneware, Muth’s Candies, Shalimar, Old Forester Distilling Company, Omni Hotels & Resorts, Relax The Back, Rhonda Schladand, LMT, Tek4Kids Employees, Toast On Market, The Post and Wild Eggs.

    This special event raises awareness of the needs of school children in Haiti and support of our ongoing projects with our partner schools in Jeremie and St. Francis School of Technology (SFST.) These projects include: providing reliable electricity to our nine partner schools, 10,000 gallons of purified water per week, 400 laptops and iPads for schools and supporting over 2,000 students; and our technology school which graduated its first class of 20 students! These students have been trained in networking, Microsoft Server, programming, database, web design and other areas of study including English. For the 2018-19 school year, Tek4Kids Haiti offices and SFST moved into our new facility with 8 classrooms, office space and internet cafe (for staff and students.) The extra space will allow us to expand our curriculum and outreach to the community. As always, 100% of the funds donated/raised directly support our projects.

    Please keep all of the above donors and sponsors in mind when looking for products or services; their support is integral in making our event a success!

    Thank you to the Covered Bridge Golf Club staff for their support throughout the scramble.

    We are truly grateful for your support and look forward to next year’s golf outing in September, 2019. We hope to see you there!

    Please visit our website www.tek4kids.org for information on our projects and how you can help.

    Gary and Cathy Boice
    Tek4Kids Founders

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  • Thanks for Supporting Tek4Kids!

    Thanks for Supporting Tek4Kids!

    Thank you so much for your caring and generous support of T4K during the past year. With your help, we continue to build upon our programs and projects which impact the lives of more than 2,000 students in the community of Jeremie, Haiti. Through the use of iPads and laptops, we utilize hundreds of educational applications, iBooks, university lectures and other content specifically customized for the Haitian education system. Water purification and reliable electricity continue to be the cornerstones of our projects, helping to improve the quality of life for students and teachers in their learning environment.

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  • Good to Be Back in Haiti by Eric Hoffman

    Good to Be Back in Haiti by Eric Hoffman

    I had been talking with Gary Boice for the better half of a year about returning to Jeremie, Haiti but outside events kept arising to delay the trip. First, there was the onset of Hurricane Matthew in October, 2016. Then there was political unrest in January, 2017. Finally in late April, after a speedy road-trip across the country from California to Louisville, I found myself on the plane to Port-au-Prince, and then the small one traveling to Jeremie.

    It was a little surreal to look over the same cliffs that form the Haitian coast as we approached Jeremie from the air. It had been almost a year and a half since I left in December, 2015, and I could already see some of the changes that had occurred. Most noticeable was the damage done by the hurricane. Many trees had been stripped of their vegetation and even blown over, while buildings were severely damaged or in ruins. Nevertheless, the familiar signs of life seemed more or less the same, with motorcycles and cars dodging the potholes in the roads as men leading mules laden with charcoal and women carrying their burdens on their heads made their way to the market. Still, it wasn’t until I began to see my old colleagues that it truly hit home that I was back. Their warm greetings assured me of what a good thing it was to be back in Jeremie volunteering with Tek4Kids again.

    As usual, with Gary’s arrival a flurry of activity and excitement ensued, in part because Gary’s son, Michael Boice, gave a week long IT seminar at St. Francis School of Technology. This was received with great enthusiasm by the students who often continued to ask questions even after the allotted time. As for myself, I found a place in the classroom at St. Francis where I had the privilege to work with Mr. Reginal Remarais, Tek4Kids’ English language instructor. Together we prepared lessons and activities for the students at St. Francis, giving me the opportunity to know them on a more personal level, for which I am grateful. In addition to this, I also held English classes for the Tek4Kids teachers during the evenings, much to my delight as it is our quality staff of intelligent, hardworking individuals that is one of the best parts about working with Tek4Kids.

    All in all, it was good to be part of an organization like Tek4Kids again. I know of few places where one can find such a dedicated group of people committed to helping others improve themselves as well as their communities. Truly, it was refreshing to be back.

  • Tek4Kids Director Bridges Past with Present

    Tek4Kids Director Bridges Past with Present

    “I have been trying to figure out what to do with the rest of my life since retiring after 22 years of service with the US Army. My kids are adults now and I am basically free to explore a new life. The answer to this dilemma came via a phone call from my friend Jeanne Hammond, whom I had not talked to in more than 10 years. Jeanne and I were parents at Sacred Heart Model school and it was a welcome phone call to catch up about our college-age kids and life in general.

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  • Dreams Come True for Tek4Kids Volunteer

    Dreams Come True for Tek4Kids Volunteer

    Many older folks like to exaggerate about their long treks to school when they were kids, saying they walked miles in the rain or snow to arrive at their destination. But Tek4Kids volunteer Yemi Sulaimon does not need to embellish his story of hardship. As a child growing up outside of Lagos, Nigeria, he literally walked nine miles to and from school, often without shoes.

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  • Bravo to Our Tek4Kids Volunteers!

    Bravo to Our Tek4Kids Volunteers!

    Bravo is an exclamation used to express approval when someone has done something well. Certainly, our Tek4Kids volunteers meet this criteria!

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  • Teaching English is a Joy for T4K Volunteer

    Teaching English is a Joy for T4K Volunteer

    Tek4Kids volunteer Rose Yunker has been teaching English at our new St. Francis School of Technology in Jeremie, Haiti since September. She recently shared this reflection of her time there.

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