image Q&A with Tom Davis, Author and Children’s HopeChest Ministry Leader

Q: How did you become interested in the plight of orphans worldwide? 

A: In the mid 90s, I started making trips to Russian orphanages.  The kids I met in those places changed my life forever.  They were beautiful kids filled with hopes and dreams for their futures, but without help, there was no way to fulfill them.  Most of them were forced to leave the orphanage at 15 or 16  years old.  15% of those kids would end up committing suicide in 2 years, 70% of the girls would end up as prostitutes and 80% of the boys would end up on the streets or in jail.  Those statistics shot an arrow through my heart.  I couldn’t walk away and do nothing.

Q: Who will pay for this?  How can our audience make contributions for the scholarships that you will award to the winners?
A: Anyone can give toward the Orphan’s scholarship fund through the website: www.scaredthebook.com.  All of the money will be raised from our partners, foundations and people just like you who find out about the contest.

Q: Will the winners be able to pick the university of their choice?
A: The goal is to work with these kids to help them plot out what their education track needs to look like.  We want them to go to the university of their choice as long as they have the credentials to get it.  If not, they may need to spend some time in a community college and then transfer.

Q: How are you getting the word out to the students in Africa about the contest?
A: We have staff on the ground in Africa who work with these orphans every day.  They are already busy going from community to community explaining the contest and encouraging the children to turn in their entries.  We’ll have some posted on the website in the fall.

Q: Can you share some of your experiences that inspired you to create this contest?
A: This contest was inspired by the people in Africa.  Whenever I would ask them what their number one need was, they never answered in the way I thought they would.  I thought they would say food or water, but instead they would say, “Our number one need is an education because without an education, we will die anyway.”

Q: How many entries do you expect to have for this contest?
A: We hope to have between five hundred and a thousand submissions for the first round of the contest.

For more information, visit www.scaredthebook.com

For review copies or interview requests contact Diane Morrow 800.927.1517