EduLink Outreach
EduLink, Inc. is an organization built around the spirit of helping others. In some ways, that’s doing our part to bring quality software solutions to educators, but in other ways, it’s serving and empowering others.
Beverly’s Birthdays
Edulink has partnered with Beverly’s Birthdays, a Pittsburgh organization that provides birthday cheer and critical baby care items for families in need or experiencing homelessness. Through the work of Beverly’s Birthdays and the programs they offer, 31,000 birthdays are celebrated annually! The organization provides:
- Birthday Parties: Group birthday celebrations hosted by Beverly’s Birthdays
- Birthday Cheer Bins/Gift Baskets: Custom gift bins/baskets distributed to over 8,000 children annually
- Newborn Care Packages: Cheer bins containing essentials for newborn babies
- Classroom Cheer: Essentials for teachers to recognize a student’s birthday
- Birthday In-A-Bag: Pre-assembled bags that include decorations, cake mix, frosting, plates, napkins and other items needed for hosting a birthday party
- Birthday Boutique: A birthday fashion truck available at all group birthday celebrations for children and families to shop for free for new clothing
We couldn’t be more excited to partner with Beverly’s Birthdays to spread birthday joy to those in need throughout the Pittsburgh region!
Malayaka House
EduLink is extremely proud to partner with Malayaka House, an orphanage for abandoned and abused children in Uganda. In 2010, we learned about the work of Robert Fleming and how he started Malayaka House with one abandoned infant in 2005. Since that time, Robert has rescued 50 children from the most desperate situations and given them a chance at life. Malayaka House was initially built as a safe haven for deserted children. Today, it has become a self-sustaining home and educational center with a range of small businesses and environmentally-friendly projects. Robert immediately knew he wanted more for the kids of Malayaka House because he recognized that opportunities for a quality education and employment are rare in Uganda. He’s made education, vocational skills, and training a priority for the orphanage. He not only ensures the children are healthy and safe, but he’s made it his mission to provide them with the very best education available so that they can acquire the skills necessary for a bright future.
Several years ago, Robert started developing small businesses and environmentally-friendly projects that could propel the orphanage into a self-sustaining entity. Today, Malayaka House operates several small businesses, including a small farm where vegetables are grown and animals are raised, a craft shop, a pizza restaurant, a mozzarella making business, and an Instructional Technology (IT) Department that provides IT services within the area. Additionally, Robert has implemented green energy solutions, including solar energy, water collection, and permaculture systems – allowing Malayaka House to run more independently while providing the children with opportunities to learn these cost saving and conservational strategies. Most recently, Malayaka House has started a safari business (malayakahousesafaris.com), taking groups of people on 2 to 10 day excursions. Safari goers can visit national parks in Uganda and see gorgeous landscapes and thousands of animals, including elephants, rhinoceroses, lions, chimpanzees, and gorillas. In terms of safaris, Uganda is an unknown gem.
Edulink supports Malayaka House in many ways. Over the years we have provided financial support and advice on various ventures. In particular, we have helped Malayaka House establish an IT department. The goal of the IT department is to expose the children to technology and teach them how to be effective consumers and producers of information. The IT department is also positioning itself to deliver website development services to local businesses. We are thrilled to help support Malayaka House as it grows and evolves into a self-sustaining home, educational center and source of entrepreneurship in the region.
EduLink Partners with Wilkinsburg School District To Donate Books to Malayaka House
EduLink founders, Dr. Reed Hankinson and Dr. Dave Myers make it part of their business to give back to others. EduLink recently partnered with Wilkinsburg School District to donate unused High School books to the orphanage the company sponsors in Uganda called Malayaka House. EduLink founder Dave Myers along with a student run organization from Penn State University, called Empower Orphans, took a trip to Uganda to deliver those books in person.
Wilkinsburg School District took the opportunity to teach their students about a country across the world. Turner Elementary School’s 5th and 6th grade students sent letters along with the books to the children at Malayaka House. Before the students wrote their letters, Jordan Manos, Turner’s School Counselor, and their teachers showed students a video about Malayaka House. Afterwards, they discussed topics including poverty, poor living conditions, and the effects of having a lack of food, clean drinking water, clothing, electricity, and medical care.
The children at Malayaka House were absolutely thrilled to read the letters from the Wilkinsburg students and are anxious to write back. They are always very interested in learning about the United States and communicating with children their own age here in the U.S. The children and Founder of Malayaka House, Robert Fleming, were extremely appreciative of the new books they can now explore! The children truly embrace every opportunity to learn and feel blessed to have a safe environment to do so in such an impoverished country. Thank you Wilkinsburg School District for giving Malayaka House the gift of reading and learning! EduLink was honored to share this experience with you!
Mission to El Salvador (MTES)
Several years ago, EduLink began supporting MTES through donations and the collection of needed supplies. The mission of MTES is to help the people of El Salvador in their quest for freedom from addiction, poverty, and slavery.
The brutal 12 year civil war in El Salvador left the country in poverty and it continues to struggle with violence, and crime. Jon and Danielle Snyder founded Mission to El Salvador in 2009 and it has since grown to include a team of people invested in serving those in need in El Salvador. EduLink is proud to participate in this mission.
Clear Thoughts
Each year, EduLink donates to and supports the mission of the Clear Thoughts Foundation.
Clear Thoughts Foundation is a non-profit organization established in Pittsburgh in 2010. The purpose of the foundation is to raise funds for the discovery of drugs and therapeutics to help stop the progression of dementia and eventually the disease. All of the founding members of CTF have had personal experience with dementia or other related cognitive disorders, such as Alzheimer’s, and have been disappointed with the lack of available and effective drugs and therapeutics in today’s market. CTF funds research both nationally and internationally, targeted at developing and screening drugs and therapeutics for dementia treatment that are cutting-edge, innovative and clinically promising. EduLink is happy to support the foundation in its mission.
A Night to Remember
http://www.discovertogether.com/anighttoremember
A Night to Remember 2023 Video
EduLink is a proud sponsor of A Night to Remember —a fantastic evening of dinner, dancing and enjoying friends for people ages 16-40 with developmental, physical and mental delays. We couldn’t be more honored to be part of this special evening. 2022 marked the tenth Anniversary of this special event, and the expression of appreciation from a participating family couldn’t express more accurately the reason why we support this amazing celebration!
Words cannot describe John’s and my gratitude for last evening. This was the first time we attended A Night to Remember, and we were “in total awe.” John was soooo happy and didn’t want to leave. It was such a judgment free zone you could just see the kids, their families and buddies just relax. The logistics with the planning were unbelievable. No waiting, the red carpet, the food, the DJ, and of course the countless volunteers that were so helpful and kind. John was very hard to handle when he was younger. Attending an affair like this would have NEVER been possible. John went in the limo, ate, did not run all over the place and sat, danced with a big smile. It truly was one of the best times John and I had together. Please let folks know how much we appreciate all of you!
Thank you from the center of my heart,
~John’s Mom
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