Tek4Kids

Category: Uncategorized

  • Looking Back and Looking Ahead!

    Looking Back . . .

    Tek4Kids is doing wonderful things in Jeremie, Haiti! We are educating over 2,500 students each week in technology and using technology for an improved educational process. As a result, students can lead more productive, safe and healthy lives, eventually becoming leaders in education, business and government.

    2020 was a difficult year world-wide and Tek4Kids did its part to support Jeremie through the pandemic. We distributed 676,000 gallons of free, purified water to residents from six locations. Since the community does not have easy access to clean water for drinking and handwashing, this was essential help as they faced the coronavirus.

    Looking Ahead . . .
    We are undertaking a major project to provide training and smartboards in more schools. The smartboards and educational content increases teachers’ effectiveness in the classroom and helps students engage with the material through collaboration and interaction.

    Our staff member in Haiti, Blondina, describes the experience for students this way: “The children can learn more. Something clicks for them when they are able to see, read and write at the same time. We all know this education method works best.”

    To help us continue this important work, visit www.tek4kids.org/donate.
  • Bequests: Another Way to Support Tek4Kids

    Bequests: Another Way to Support Tek4Kids

    Through various types of bequests to Tek4Kids, you may secure a charitable estate-tax deduction for the value of the gift. Best of all, you will know that your generosity will support Tek4Kids’ mission for years to come.

    You may prefer to state in your will or trust a sum of money or a percentage of your estate that you wish to give to Tek4Kids.

    Whatever form of bequest you choose, it is not subject to federal estate taxes and so significantly reduces the tax burden of an estate. The value of the bequest may be deducted when the taxable estate is determined, and there is no limit to the deduction.

    How It Works

    1. You include a bequest provision in your will or revocable trust.
    2. At your death, Tek4Kids receives the bequest you specified.

    Benefits

    • You may change your bequest or trust designation at any time
    • You control the funding property during your lifetime
    • Your bequest or trust designation will not be subject to any potential federal estate tax
    • You provide future support for Tek4Kids by making a transformational gift

    Gifts of Retirement Assets

    You can make a gift to Tek4Kids through your estate by naming Tek4Kids as a beneficiary of a qualified retirement plan account, such as an IRA, 401(k), 403(b), Keogh or similar account. Upon your death, all or a portion of the unused balance in your account is transferred to Tek4Kids as a charitable gift.

    Retirement plan assets are among the best assets to use for charitable gifts because if these assets are left to your heirs, they could eventually be taxed at 50% or 60%.

    Other benefits include:

    • Your estate benefits from a charitable deduction on the full amount given to charity
    • Charitable designations are free from all federal income and estate tax
    • These gifts are considered non-probate assets
    • The process of naming Tek4Kids as beneficiary is simple with no legal counsel needed

    You can name Tek4Kids as a beneficiary of your plan by contacting your plan administrator who will provide you with a form to designate Tek4Kids as a primary or contingent beneficiary of your account, and the amount or percentage of assets that you wish to give. If you are married, they may also ask you for the consent of your spouse.

    Gifts of Life Insurance

    If your goal is to make a gift to Tek4Kids at no cost and also to enjoy tax savings, a gift of life insurance is an option.

    If you:

    • no longer have use for your paid-up life insurance policy
    • wish to donate an existing policy
    • wish to create a new policy

    You can use it to make a charitable gift to Tek4Kids by designating Tek4Kids as beneficiary to your life insurance policy or giving the policy to the Tek4Kids outright. Either option may offer substantial tax savings.

    How It Works

    • Paid-up Insurance Policy – You can make an outright gift to Tek4Kids of a paid-up policy. Tek4Kids can accept the cash value of the policy or we can keep the policy until its death benefit is realized. You can receive a deduction equaling the cost of a replacement policy. This is based on a one-life policy based on your current age.
    • Existing Insurance Policy – You can maintain your current policy and continue to pay the premiums. You name Tek4Kids as the owner and primary beneficiary under the policy. You will receive an income tax deduction on the total of the premiums already paid or for the fair market value of the policy, whichever has the lesser value.
    • New Insurance Policy – You can create a new policy naming Tek4Kids as owner and beneficiary of the policy.

    This vehicle is especially attractive and manageable for younger donors who want to assist Tek4Kids. When you purchase this new policy and donate it as a gift to Tek4Kids as the owner, the premiums you pay are, as a rule, deductible on your federal income tax.

    Benefits

    Gifts made via insurance policies provide an excellent way for you to make a significant gift to Tek4Kids—a gift you may not otherwise be able to make at the time. Modest payments for policies are spread out over the years and will enable you to leave a significant bequest gift.

    Additional Options

    Gifts of insurance can also be leveraged for wealth replacement not only to protect your heirs, but it can enable you to make a significant charitable gift now.

    You can also use your company’s or Tek4Kids’s life insurance (part of your benefit package) by naming Tek4Kids as the beneficiary of the policy.

  • Supplying 676,000 Gallons of Purified Water, Tek4Kids Completes Project as Schools Reopen in Haiti

    Supplying 676,000 Gallons of Purified Water, Tek4Kids Completes Project as Schools Reopen in Haiti

    As the Covid-19 pandemic emerged in the United Sates and Haiti in late March, Tek4Kids responded immediately by providing free, purified water for hand washing and drinking in the community of Jeremie, Haiti using six distribution points, its partner schools that were forced to close due to the coronavirus outbreak.

    Four months and thousands of dollars later, Tek4Kids has wrapped up its water distribution project. Since its partner schools recently reopened, Tek4Kids could not continue using the schools’ facilities, space and infrastructure for water distribution, but resumed its primary mission to provide technology education for more than 2,000 students in Jeremie.

    From April 1 through August 7, Tek4Kids purified and distributed 676,000 gallons of free water to the residents of Jeremie. Recording nearly 156,000 visits to its distribution points, Tek4Kids purchased 315 truckloads of water to purify using its infrastructure already in place, which employs a chlorination system. Here’s how Tek4Kids’ water purification systems work. More than 30 Tek4Kids staff members managed the water distribution project.

    Since Tek4Kids did not charge residents for the water, its expenses were significant. If you would like to help us continue our mission to bridge the poverty gap and provide hope for a brighter future for students in Haiti through education and technology, please donate here.

  • Tek4Kids Fall Virtual Tech Summit

    Tek4Kids Fall Virtual Tech Summit

    The Tek4Kids Fall Virtual Tech Summit takes place on Wednesday, September 2, 2020 from 12:00-12:45 pm. Learn how Tek4Kids uses education and technology to change students’ lives in Haiti. The summit will explore new possibilities for learning and invite your ideas for improving education, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. The free event will live stream presentations, panel discussions and interviews with leaders engaging the theme: The Art of Possible.

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    Guest Speakers

    Margarett Lubin, Country Director J/P Haitian Relief Organization, CORE – Community Organized Relief Effort
    William ‘Skip’ Hahnert, Dean, School of Information Technology, Ivy Tech Community College


    Event Agenda

    • The Story of Tek4Kids: Gary Boice, Tek4Kids Founder and Board Chair
    • Women in Tech: Maryse King, Tek4Kids Country Director (Haiti) 2017-18 and current volunteer; Michelle Boice, Tek4Kids volunteer
    • Personal Stories from Haiti: Daphna Jean-Pierre and William Philippe
    • Guest Speakers: Margarett Lubin and Skip Hahnert
    • Open collaboration and questions
  • As Coronavirus Cases Increase in Haiti, Tek4Kids Continues Its Life-Saving Efforts

    As Coronavirus Cases Increase in Haiti, Tek4Kids Continues Its Life-Saving Efforts

    The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Haiti has risen to 456 as of May 18, with more than 100 cases reported in the previous 24 hours. In its continuing efforts to stop the spread of the virus in the community of Jeremie, Haiti, Tek4Kids has surpassed the 230,000 gallon mark in total number of gallons dispensed since the pandemic began. The free water for residents is purified at six partner school locations and distributed by 32 Haitian Tek4Kids staff members.

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    The Pan American Health Organization is warning of an impending humanitarian crisis in Haiti due to the pandemic. Since many Haitians lack access to clean water for handwashing and drinking, Tek4Kids ramped up its efforts to distribute this vital resource free of charge and plans to continue doing so for the foreseeable future despite mounting costs.

    The actual number of coronavirus cases in Haiti may be significantly higher than 456, but testing is limited. Health officials are also concerned that Haiti will be unable to provide enough personal protection equipment for medical staff or oxygen for those with severe cases of covid-19. Economic and political factors are also contributing to the crisis in Haiti.

    If you would like to help Tek4Kids continue its life-saving work to distribute clean water, please consider donating here. Thank you!

  • Tek4Kids Distributes 676,000 Gallons of Clean Water in Pandemic Response Efforts

    Tek4Kids Distributes 676,000 Gallons of Clean Water in Pandemic Response Efforts

    An update from Gary Boice, Tek4Kids Founder:

    Tek4Kids responded to the coronavirus pandemic in Haiti by providing purified water to the residents of Jérémie, Haiti at no cost. Tek4Kids redirected 32 staff members and provided 676,000 gallons of purified water from 6 locations around Jérémie the first of 2020.

    Because school is not in session, we are utilizing Tek4Kids’ six partner school water purification systems located in Jeremie as distribution points where people can come for purified water. Most people in the community do not have access to clean water for drinking and hand-washing, so this is an essential step in stopping the spread of the coronavirus.

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    In addition to the important work Tek4Kids is doing, we have partnered with several other groups in the community to extend our reach. Hopestart International is working to provide 5000 sanitation stations (buckets with spigots and other handwashing necessities) to the community. You can find out more here: https://bit.ly/STOPTHESPREAD

    Tek4Kids has teams of four at each partner school location, plus one team purifying water and one management team, for a total of 32 Tek4Kids staff members working on this project. They purify and distribute the water six days per week.

    Our goal in all these efforts with purified water is to minimize the threat of the coronavirus to the people of Jeremie in hopes they can weather this storm as they have so often in the past.

    Tek4Kids staff in Haiti produced this video highlighting our efforts.

    If you’d like to help Tek4Kids continue its efforts in responding to the pandemic in Haiti, please click here: www.tek4kids.org/donate/. Thank you!!

  • SFST Receives Significant Certification

    SFST Receives Significant Certification

    Our technology school in Jeremie, Haiti, the St. Francis School of Technology (SFST) recently received its certification from the National Institute of Vocational Training (INFP). Created by presidential decree in 1973 and later (in 1983) entrusted with managing vocational schools, INFP’s mission is to develop and organize permanent vocational training programs and coordinate various means of such training in Haiti.

    INFP certification is required to operate a vocational school in Haiti and mandated by the Minister of National Education. SFST can now participate in Haiti’s official examinations and persons who graduate from a school with this certification are considered highly qualified and eligible for employment in their chosen field.

    In addition to the recognition for students, the certification sends a positive signal to the community that SFST meets all the quality, excellence and administrative standards required to be certified. The diplomas SFST confers will carry both an exceptional reputation and the official signature of Haiti. The certification will also allow some educational partnerships between the US and Haiti and make it possible to prepare duty-free applications for importing technology materials. The designation could lead to funding from both US non-governmental organizations and Haiti’s government, which supports the education sector.

    Normally, the INFP certification process can take anywhere from five to eight years. But thanks to a great team effort from Gary Boice, William Philippe and Michelet Jerome, SFST is now certified after only four years in existence! Jerome followed up on Gary and Philippe’s initial work toward certification by travelling to Port-au-Prince several times to meet with INFP officials and its director, Maguy Durce’.

    SFST offers a three-year intensive program of study in areas such as database, networking, programming and Microsoft Server training. English is also part of its curriculum. With its new classrooms, lab space and this certification, the stage is now set for St. Francis School of Technology to become one of the premier technology schools in Haiti!

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