Drop off supplies to Boesen the Florist and get a free rose! See below for drop-off locations and what items they need! Donate through March 31st!
An Iowa soldier is trying to help the children of Afghanistan get an education at Cowles Elementary in Windsor Heights, students are on a mission.
“They just need supplies,” explains seventh grader Etienne Porras, “So we’re giving them supplies.” For them, it’s simple. Other kids need this stuff, so they’re going to send it to them.
“There aren’t as many things there,” says fifth grader Chloe Moorhead, “The stuff we take for granted, they don’t have.” You probably think Chloe Moorhead and her classmates are talking about Haiti, but this mission will help people in a different part of the world.
“We ask him what he needs and he says pencils to make others’ lives better.” Dave Dkystra is talking about his son, Kyle — a Sergeant with the 82nd Airborne, serving in Afghanistan.
“The Taliban prey on the uneducated and people with no means,” Sgt. Dykstra explains on the phone. It’s his second deployment and he keeps hearing the same thing from the Afghan people. “We could definitely use improvements on the schools,” is what they tell me, “there are no supplies, no formally trained teachers.”
The desire for education is there but the resources are not. According to the CIA the overall literacy rate in Afghanistan is just 28 percent. Fortythree percent of males over the age of 15 can read and write, and only 13 percent of females can. In the Uruzgan province where Sgt. Dykstra is based, the literacy rate is less than 20 percent.
“The impact education can have is huge,” says Sgt. Dykstra, “Is it going to win the war? No, but it can have an impact.” He’s seen it firsthand, it’s why he now has two missions in Afghanistan — security and school supplies.
“It makes me feel good,” says third grader Tes Paxson, “Afghanistan is a poor country and this really helps.” Tes is doing more than bringing backpacks or crayons to school. “I went to church and set up a table at coffee hour and they’d drop money in a bucket.” So far Tes has raised more than $100 for the school supply drive, and her enthusiasm is contagious. “It makes me happy,” Marie Angier says with a smile, “We’re doing stuff for kids that don’t have what we do.”
Sgt. Dykstra’s dad isn’t surprised. After all, a mission like this is what Iowans do best. “We’re always looking to make others lives better,” says Dave Dykstra, “If we can do that by donating a few pencils to kids in Afghanistan, well that’s not much of a
cost.”
By Erin Kiernan
Project Sponsors:
- Friends of Sgt. Kyle Dykstra
- Boesen the Florist
- Cooney’s Tavern
- Cowles ElementarySchool
- Grace United Methodist Church
- Walnut Creek YMCA
Drop Off Locations - Boesen the Florist on Beaver Avenue, Ingersoll and in Clocktower Square.
Items Needed…
- Paper
- Notebooks
- Pens
- Pencils
- Backpacks
- Anything that will help a child succeed in school.
Can you believe it’s already Easter weekend coming up? We’ve put together some beautiful arrangements to help make you Easter Holiday even more beautiful. We anything from blooming plants to Spring flowers to Easter Lilies. As the festivities of this weekend approach you can also decorate your table with one of our beautiful Easter centerpieces. If you have any questions or want something made just for you be sure to stop on by or give us a call and we’d be happy to help you out. Remember to say it with flowers this Easter holiday. Visit us online today!
