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When Whitworth senior Travis Hartanov and longtime friends Kohl Crecelius and Stewart Ramsey began crocheting and selling beanies to raise money for their high-school junior prom, none of them knew their small entrepreneurial interest would soon expand into an international non-profit organization. The summer before Hartanov's first semester at Whitworth, the three traveled to the Dominican Republic for a mission trip. Seeing the effects of poverty in that country prompted the men to figure out how they could help, Hartanov says. Little did they know that they would soon pick up their crochet hooks again, and this time, their vision would be much larger. That vision was the catalyst for Krochet Kids, the non-profit organization the three founded to teach Ugandan women to crochet and thereby provide employment, help end poverty and put money back into the Ugandan communities. "[The goal of Krochet Kids] is ultimately to put an end to poverty," Hartanov says. "We're really passionate about a quality product that people can purchase and help end poverty in Africa." During the summer of 2006, Ramsey went alone to Uganda to learn the heart of peoples' needs and discern whether crocheting could serve as a stable form of employment for the Ugandan women. After that trip, Hartanov, Crecelius and Ramsey spent hours discussing how they could make Krochet Kids into a viable international non-profit organization. Hartanov took the role of executive director of the financial department, Crecelius oversaw the missions department and Ramsey took the reins of the media department. By the following year, 11 people were involved in Krochet Kids, and the group started fundraising for a summer 2007 trip to Uganda. "We kept getting more and more affirmed by people saying, 'This is a good idea, you need to do this,'" Hartanov says. "So we sent out a huge letter campaign to get funding for initial yarn, etc." After fundraising for a year, a group of 10 people traveled to Uganda this past summer, including Hartanov's wife, Whitworth senior Leah Hartanov, who serves as the financial director for Krochet Kids. During their summer in Uganda, the group taught six Ugandan women to crochet beanies. Those women now work full time, making a maximum of three hats per day -– a comfortable pace. Four other women work part-time. In total, Krochet Kids generates 150 hats per month. In addition to teaching the women to crochet, Krochet Kids also wants to provide the women with other necessary skills and knowledge, including spiritual understanding and practical money-saving techniques. "In our program, we work with the women and equip them with spiritual development as well," Hartanov says. "The passion is just mixing business with mission. Make the two come together to help the most amount possible." The group is now working to put those hats on the shelves of stores in Seattle, Spokane and southern California, where Ramsey, Hartanov and Crecelius attend college, respectively. Hartanov says the long-term goal is to help the Ugandan women set up savings accounts and learn practical skills that will allow them to contribute to their communities. "Ultimately, we'd love to put it in the hands of the locals and have them run it all," Hartanov says. For now, Hartanov said he is looking forward to receiving his business administration degree in May and focusing on Krochet Kids full time. |