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Packing Day 2025

Packing Day 2025

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By Cara Bartlett

On Wednesday, April 30th, the 2025 Kenya Cultural Immersion Team came together for the true start in our journey, packing day. Over the course of four hours, we organized and carefully packed about 650 pounds of donations into 13 suitcases! The giving doesn’t stop there, our partners at Christian Brothers Academy are generously contributing an additional 150 pounds of supplies for the Child Discovery Center, continuing their ongoing collaboration with this impactful organization.

This semester, we’ve poured our energy into fundraising and collecting donations for our partners in Nairobi, driven by our Donations Coordinator, Olivia Roccia. Gift-giving holds a deep cultural significance in Kenya, and we’ve thoughtfully selected personalized tokens of appreciation for each and every one of our partners. These gifts, ranging from robes for the dedicated staff at the Homecare Retreat Center to mugs, tote bags, and other thoughtful items are just small gestures of gratitude for the hospitality we will receive there.

Packing day is no small feat. Each team member arrives with a 50-pound suitcase, fully dedicated to carrying donations and gifts. The room quickly fills with items such as puzzles, SU merchandise, soccer cleats, and so much more are spread out, waiting to be sorted. We begin by organizing donations by partner organization, then break them down further to ensure nothing gets lost or misplaced. It's a detailed process, each item logged, each suitcase weighed, each gift matched with care to the people and organizations we’re about to meet, including the Fleischer Foundation and Ubuntu Life Foundation.

We weighed, packed, repacked, and double-checked every item to make sure we were aligned with airline regulations to ensure smooth and easy travel. My favorite memory is when we zipped up the final suitcase and the entire classroom erupted in cheer. This moment made everything feel real, confirming we were finally ready to embark on our long-awaited trip!

The team is getting more and more excited as we get closer to departure date, May 12th. We can’t wait to finally meet our partners in person, to exchange stories, and build lasting relationships. This journey means the world to us, and we’re so grateful to be part of something that already feels bigger than ourselves.

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