Teen created LEGO charity
Charlie Jeffers has been playing with LEGO since he was 4 or 5 and believes LEGO, one of the world's most famous toys, helps him learn math and engineering concepts, and how to be focused, flexible, and creative.
One day, it occurred to him that many kids don't have access to toys like LEGO, and their emotional and cognitive development suffers as a result. The senior high school student realized that by getting LEGO into the hands of kids who couldn't afford the toys, he could also avoid seeing them ending up in wasteyard.
He launched Pass the Bricks in 2020 to address both issues. He and his volunteer-based team turn used LEGO bricks into new original sets for kids who don't know about them or can't afford them.
Pass the Bricks has an open model program template with four key steps: collect used LEGO bricks, sanitize and sort them, create new sets with the used bricks, and deliver the sets to kids in need.
The team distributes the sets to kids in need directly or through partnerships with 11 nonprofit organizations. One in particular is Jeffers' ongoing relationship with the Boys and Girls Club of America. As part of these ongoing relationships, Pass the Bricks delivers a specific umber of sets every month, which the nonprofit can include in its larger deliveries to kids and families in need.
So far, the organization has delivered over 3,055 sets to kids in need, and people immediately see the value in it.“We sent our LEGO bricks to Ecuador with my son's middle school years ago. I love to think of kids there playing with them,”said Paola, a neighbor of Jeffers who contributed to the project.
With over 20 volunteers, Jeffers has developed the program in several cities in America, and is now looking to expand the program further to create as much impact as possible. In the end, he hopes to see that every LEGO brick has a second life and that as many kids as possible get access to this incredible toy.
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