About Us
Founder Westenior Valmera chose to give back to his community with the hope to promote growth through education. What started out as a dream to make an impact eventually became reality.
In 2017, he sat down with a team of five members and started Haiti-Ed For Kids (HEFK). Within the first year, 25 children received school supplies from the founder. A year later, HEFK supplied 125 children with school materials and granted 13 scholarships with the help of a few donors. A total of 33 scholarships and more than 400 students received school supplies two years later.
In June 2021, HEFK became a 501(c )(3) tax exempt organization, which makes the donations tax deductible. The organization continues to expand its programs by integrating more ways to promote growth in the Haitian community. Outside of scholarships and school supplies, HEFK has partnered with Haiti Compost Business to start a gardening program to teach children basic agriculture. In 2022, we introduced a grant program and assisted six merchants with their businesses with the help of Dr. Dacelin St. Martin.
Westenior Valmera
Westenior Valmera is a native of Haiti who graduated from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a master’s degree in Public Administration. He's currently pursuing a PhD in Political Science at Florida International University and is the Chief Executive Officer & Founder of Haiti-Ed For Kids. He is also the Vice President & Founder of Sylvestre's H.O.P.E, a nonprofit that supports individuals who have psychological and mental health needs.
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Jenny Ferme
Jenny Ferme was born and raised in the capital of Haiti. Jenny is currently a resolution specialist at Step Up For Students, a small non-profit Organization that empowers education in the state of Florida. She is also a medical student in the physical therapy program. Jenny serves as the Secretary For Haiti-Ed For Kids and wants to devote her life to helping others.
Edmund Hershberger
Edmund Hershberger is an Associate Professor of Marketing and Chair of the Management and Marketing Department in the School of Business at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in business from Western Carolina University and a Ph.D. in Marketing from Georgia State University. His areas of expertise include marketing research, marketing communication, and nonprofit marketing.
As Treasurer for Haiti-Ed For Kids, Dr. Hershberger contributes his knowledge of marketing to help set organizational goals and administrative practices to help HEFK do as much good with as little as possible.
John Evans
John is a board member and was born and raised in the Midwest United States of America. He worked for 9 years as an independent electrical contractor, and now works as a maintenance electrician at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
John served as an adult leader for Boy Scouts of America, Troop 216 in Glen Carbon for 8 years, volunteering to mentor youth to become leaders in their community. He currently serves as an officer in the Fraternity of Ancient, Free, and Accepted Masons, where he has the opportunity to promote charitable efforts in the State of Illinois.
Todd Burrell
Todd is a board member and has been working within higher education since his graduation from Quincy University in 1992. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management. Presently, Todd is the Director of Undergraduate Admissions at SIUE, where he earned a Master’s in College Student Personnel Administration, overseeing undergraduate recruitment as well as registration and orientation programs.
Through his 22 years of involvement in IACAC, Todd has served on conference committees and as a delegate to the National Assembly. He is passionate about helping others and giving back as much as he can, especially regarding education for our youth and helping today’s students have the opportunity to accel and achieve their dreams.
