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WWW United, Inc. Learning Board Project
Eight-year-old Sheila needs a board. Not a surfboard. Not a snowboard. Not even a skateboard. What Sheila needs more than anything is a chalkboard. You see, Sheila has never been to school. This is mostly because, where Sheila lives, basic school supplies like paper and pencils are extremely rare or completely non-existent. WWW United, Inc. is working hard to change this situation for many children in our world who desperately desire the simple gift of literacy. With your help, Sheila and many other children like her will have a chance to learn to read and write. Volunteers can help WWW United, Inc. by making small chalkboards, called Learning Boards™, which are a lot like the slates used in American pioneer days. With the Learning Boards™, children in other countries who have no paper or pencil can learn to read, write and do arithmetic with the help of their teachers. Volunteers can also collect chalk and white socks (to be used as erasers) and write letters to children to accompany the boards overseas. The chalk goes inside the sock and is tied to the Learning Board™ through a hole which is pre-drilled into the board. This way, the sock acts as both an eraser for the board, as well as a storage place for the chalk. Learning Boards™ last up to 10 years and can accompany a child throughout his or her entire primary education. WWW United, Inc. distributes thousands of Learning Boards™, chalk, white socks, and letters to schools in countries like Afghanistan, Iraq, Egypt, Mexico and Kenya. Along with helping to increase literacy rates, this project helps children regain some sense of normalcy in an often chaotic world and gives American citizens the opportunity to help internationally. Josanna B. Smith of Houston, Texas founded the 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization, Worldwide Wisdom United, Inc. (WWW United) out of a belief that education is important for all children, no matter what country they live in, no matter how wealthy or poor they are. Soon after the September 11th attacks, Smith decided to mobilize a group of people who believe as she does: that with education and increased cultural understanding, the world can move away from hatred, conflict and destruction. With your help, WWW United, Inc. can make this dream a reality. Please help WWW United, Inc. to spread their mission of “Lighting Lamps for Education Worldwide.”
Five ways you can help
1 -- Paint Learning Boards™ 2 -- Collect new socks 3 -- Collect white chalk 4 -- Write letters to children overseas5 -- Make a Donation
1 -- Paint WWW United, Inc.’s Learning Boards™ WWW United, Inc. hosts "painting parties" or training sessions where you learn how to paint the boards. At these painting parties the pre-cut Learning Boards™ are supplied by WWW United, Inc. for a $2.00 donation per board to offset the cost of board materials and shipping. A. Group Leader or Individual Volunteer responsibilities prior to painting: § Contact WWW United, Inc. and arrange to attend one of their upcoming painting demonstrations. § Contact WWW United via their website: www.wwwunited.org or call @ 713-924-5909. § Attending demonstrations is extremely important to learn the proper procedure, and raw boards can be picked up from a WWW United representative immediately following the demonstration. The entire process should take about 30 minutes. § At least one representative from each group should attend to learn how to paint the boards. § Collect/purchase supplies such as paint, rollers, and table covers as needed. These can be purchased easily and inexpensively from either Lowe’s or Home Depot. At the demonstration, you will learn exactly which brands of paint and types of rollers to purchase. § A quart ($10) of the chalkboard paint completes 50 boards, both sides. § Usually, in a one-hour sitting, each volunteer can sand, paint and dry about 2 Learning Boards each. B. Painting responsibilities:
§ Sand edges of raw board first before painting. § Cover a flat surface with plastic or newspapers. § Use foam rollers to paint only one side of the board first. THIS SIDE MUST DRY BEFORE YOU PAINT THE OTHER SIDE. § To dry the first side quickly, use a hairdryer on the paint for a few minutes. Otherwise, leave the board flat to dry or lean the boards against a wall until they are dry. § Do not lean or stack boards against each other. § Once the first side is dry, repeat the process with the unpainted side. § Replace work surface with a clean covering for each new side of a board. § Try not to get any paint drips on the second side while painting the first. § If paint does drip, it needs to be sanded off before painting that side. § Please do not paint on rough sides, sand them first. § Smoothly painted boards insure a quality result. § Adult supervision is required at all phases of this project
2 -- Collect socks to be used as board erasers
Purchase NEW, cotton, medium, white, men’s crew-length socks only. One sock is needed for each board. After shipping, the sock is tied through the hole to be used as the eraser. Please keep socks separate from the boards for shipping purposes. Socks can be purchased in large packs for a cheap price at Wal-Mart. 3 -- Collect white chalk to be used with the boards Purchase only white chalk. (long-lasting, non-toxic, 12-16 pieces to a box is preferred) . This chalk serves as their pencil and is stored inside the sock. Please keep chalk in the box. Do not package in the socks. Small boxes of chalk can be found for good prices at Wal-Mart or Office Depot. 4 -- Write letters to children overseas to be shipped with the boards Create hand-written general short notes in large block print letters. Use only first names - no full names or addresses. Include messages of worldwide friendship. If desired, add creative artwork to brighten the message. 5 -- Make a Donation All monetary donations are 100% tax-deductible and will go entirely to the production of Learning Boards™, the shipping of educational materials, and the further promotion of education worldwide. Donations can be made out to WWW United, Inc. and mailed to the address below. Donation delivery Donations of painted Learning Boards ™, socks, chalk, and letters can be brought directly to the following address:
WWW United, Inc. 4600 Gulf Freeway Suite M-160 Houston TX 77023 Please call in advance to arrange a drop-off time, and thank you for your interest in WWW United!
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