Rahul's Story

Rahul's story

I sent approximately 1,150lbs of school supplies to children in Iraq. The 24 boxes were mailed through the US Postal System to Operation Enduring Freedom, US Army Corps of Engineers (USACOE), Baghdad, Iraq. From my initial contact with Aegis (who work with the USACOE in the rebuilding of Iraq) to the final shipment of the supplies on August 20, 2008, I spent about two years planning and carrying out the project.

I secured project funding from the Knights of Columbus chapter of my church; the plan was to solicit school supplies from the community, local businesses and schools.

I organized a door-to-door collection that would be paired with Scouting for Food and use scouts from my troop, Troop 626, and neighboring Troop 438. The scouts placed the Scouting for Food fliers and a bag with a flier explaining my project that I created, at houses in the Somerset, Eastgate, and Newport Shores neighborhoods.

I sent letters, which I followed up with phone calls and visits in my scout uniform, to Costco, Office Depot, Office Max, Wal-Mart, Staples, and Target. These stores donated me a total of $650 in cash cards as well as boxes of supplies.

Finally, I met with the administrations of Somerset Elementary and Tyee Middle School, and organized successful collection drives.

Due to the unanticipated high cost of shipping, I had to raise additional funding from two other sources — the Society of American Military Engineers and the American Legion.

The supplies, which arrived in time for the new school year, were distributed to three schools in the city of Kirkuk, Iraq to a mix of poor Sunni, Shi’a, and Kurdish children. I am proud that I was able to do my part to help provide an education and hopefully a brighter future for these children, as well as contribute to the continued fostering of a positive relationship between the people of Iraq and those of the United States. My contact in Baghdad, MAJ Todd Heuser, was very appreciative of my project; soldiers hand out school supplies to children and befriend the local people to reduce insurgent attacks and save the lives of solders in Iraq.

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