DANVILLE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--It’s a colorful world to most children but not for the many who due to illness or an accident need to spend time in the hospital. That has been changed by Bryan Ware, founder of The Crayon Initiative, a non-profit (501(3)-c) started in 2014 that recycles used crayons and donates to Children’s Hospitals throughout the United States. https://vimeo.com/177928623
“Since founding the initiative, we have collected 28.5 million crayons, produced 200,000+ packs of eight-to-the box crayons and donated to 240+ hospitals in all 50 states touching the lives of pediatric patients nationwide. Through generous and increasing crayon donations from restaurants, schools and homes, we are outpacing our production capabilities. We have enough crayons to keep us operating 24-hours a day for 365 days. Unfortunately, we can’t manufacture as quickly as children are arriving at hospitals due to the need for funding,” says Ware.
Though the work is done by volunteers – sorting, melting, pouring and packaging – and Ware does not take a salary, there are fixed costs to operate equipment, warehouse and operational space, printing and shipping, which limits Ware from increasing his distribution. “We greatly appreciate the generosity of our supporters but we need consistent funding to keep the doors open. I love crayon donations but now I am looking for the green and I don’t mean green crayons,” he laughs.
“The Crayon Initiative for 2019 is seeking annual sponsorships that can be paid monthly, quarterly or in-full, from small businesses to major corporations to support their Children’s hospital in their community,” Ware explains. With different levels of pledge programs, any size business can participate to ensure that a hospital(s) serving their community will be able to receive crayons for an entire year. Ware adds that by donating to The Crayon Initiative, participants are “bringing color” to a child while also protecting the environment. As of year-end 2018, the non-profit has diverted 205,000 pounds of crayons from landfills. Since so many companies are practicing “going green”, Ware thinks it is an ideal partnership.
“For many children, when they leave the hospital with their pack of crayons in hand, it is their only good memory of their stay. We can’t let these young patients down.”
For more information on The Crayon Initiative please go to www.thecrayoninitiative.org.
