Eagle Scout Project Sends Books Overseas
He just graduated from Huntington High School in June and he’s preparing for his first semester of college at Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute, but Christopher Kouttron was busy this summer finishing his Eagle Scout project, which involved sending textbooks to the poor and needy overseas.
Mr. Kouttron collected 1,037 books, which eventually filled 86 large boxes. He inspected and sorted the volumes, labeled the boxes and then hauled the books to a Hands Across the Water drop-off location in Vernon, Connecticut. The non-profit organization ships lightly used books to schools and libraries in poor areas in the United States and overseas.
“There was originally 4,010 lbs. of textbooks, but we had to dispose of 12-18 books or so due to profanity, utter destruction and water stains,” Mr. Kouttron said.
The recent graduate rented a 6’ x 12’ U-Haul trailer for a recent weekend and headed north. Many of the books came from the Huntington School District after trustees declared them out-of-date and surplus and authorized their disposal.
The project grew to include so many books that plans had to be altered. “The original drop-off point could not take the capacity of books that we had,” Mr. Kouttron explained.
"Christoper Kouttron's Eagle project exemplifies the type of dedication and commitment to community ideals that all other youth should strive toward,” said Joseph Leavy, Huntington’s director of humanities. “He worked tirelessly to coordinate efforts which not only helped our school district organize space, but also regenerated gently used textbook recourses declared surplus by our district, in a direction of effective use for less fortunate and needy children."
According to the Hands Across the Water website, “The typical child growing up even in the more stable countries of sub-Saharan Africa rarely, if ever, has the chance to borrow a book, even if he has been taught to read. We seek to correct this imbalance of resources. We distribute usable books to needy schools, libraries and other community-based nonprofit organizations. We meet a pressing concern in poor societies all over the world by distributing "rescued" surplus books to promote literacy and education where it is needed most. In many developing countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, English is the language of choice for education and literacy, so our books are a good fit.”
The books Mr. Kouttron collected are destined for the Phillippines, a country that has received increased attention from Hands Across the Water. "Chris was the central catalyst in this significant charitable work which linked our high school and social studies department to an impoverished community in the Philippines,” Mr. Leavy said. “We hope this relationship with such a community overseas will continue."
“Since our inception we have provided more than five million books to needy areas ranging from Haiti, India, the Phillippines, Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Malawi, South Africa, Kenya, the Gambia, and Tanzania, to the newly independent states of the former USSR (including Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia),” the organization’s website states. “We provide books to schools and libraries globally, on five continents. We also provide books to needy areas here in the U.S.”
"I understand that a former ambassador has written to Christopher to thank him for his huge undertaking,” Mr. Leavy added. “Over two tons of unused books have found a home where they will support the learning of many young learners."
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