Kieve Wavus Education Inc

To celebrate Libby's 40th birthday, I wanted to honor two things Libby loves most:  helping others and Kieve-Wavus.
 
As many of you know, Libby spent six summers working at this camp in Maine through high school and college. Libby's father (Hap), her brother (Luke) and now her son (Grant) have attended this Camp Kieve.  Charlotte will attend Camp Wavus in 2021.  The thing Libby loved most about her experience at Kieve-Wavus was that she helped the next generation grow into positive, confident role models by finding these qualities within themselves.
 
To continue this tradition, we are raising money to fund a scholarship which would allow one African child, newly immigrated to Maine, to attend Kieve-Wavus for 3 1/2 weeks In the summer of 2020. 

Thank you, in advance, for your support, it will undoubtedly make Libby's birthday very special.

Please see additional details below.

-Marshall

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Kieve-Wavus Education (KWE) strives to help kids grow into resilient, independent, confident adults who learn how to be successful teammates and leaders. They do so by empowering people to contribute positively to society through the values of kindness, respect for others, and environmental stewardship.
 
Summer campers have traditionally come from white, upper-class families. For many years KWE struggled to find children from more diverse socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds to attend Kieve and Wavus. Often, these children joined the summer program at age 12, 13 or 14-years-old, after many of the other campers had already bonded for several years. This initiative is to enroll these campers at younger ages, so they may take advantage of the years of this powerful experience, and to best serve them in the future.
 
Two years ago, a friend introduced Henry Kennedy (Camp Director) to Claude Rwaganje, the founder of ProsperityME, an organization that helps the significant number of Africans arriving in Maine with resettlement. Claude (now a Kieve and Wavus parent) fled his homeland in 1994 during the violent era of the African World War. He says of himself and of other African immigrants now living in Maine, “We are not here by choice, but because of what happened in our home countries. Unfortunately, we can’t be home, because of what has happened. I would love to be in my home country to give my knowledge and skills back, but I can’t be there because it is too dangerous.” The opportunity to welcome brand-new Mainers to our camps so that they could have the same opportunities as some of America’s luckiest, most elite, kids was almost too good to be true. Perhaps we could help jumpstart these opportunities from a young age, changing the trajectory for their whole family and community.
 
When Henry met with Claude about the idea of welcoming 8, 9 and 10-year-old newly immigrated children to Kieve and Wavus, Claude lit up and suggested that his 10-year-old son be one of the first to join us. A few weeks later Claude gathered 3 other children and their parents in the Portland area to learn more about Kieve and Wvus from Henry and Kirstie. All four of the children (2 boys and 2 girls, between 8-10 years of age) attended the junior session two years ago. They all loved their experience, were embraced by their peers, and returned for another great summer this year.  Four additional newly settled African children joined them for a full 3 1⁄2 week session this year, and also wish to return next summer.

Kieve Wavus Education provided full scholarships of $6,900 per child for a total of $55,200 in 2019. KWE hopes to offer 10 scholarships next year at $7,100 per child for a total cost of $71,000.