Will Cravens

Will Cravens is the Founder and Director of “99 for 1”and has been working in the non-profit industry for 30+ years. Will is passionate about impacting the homeless crisis in the USA by educating and engaging more people in the cause.  He is a firm believer in the golden rule, loving and treating others the way we would want to be treated if the roles were reversed.  When Will’s childhood friend (Ed Pelzner) went missing in late 2014, Will simply asked the question, “How would I want to be loved if I were the one missing on the streets?”  His answer, “I certainly wouldn’t want to be forgotten. I would hope someone would come looking.” And that is precisely what he did.

Since that time, Will made 14 trips in hopes of locating and bringing his friend home. In addition, he enlisted and trained 38 other individuals to join him in the hunt, teaching them how to befriend people living on the streets.  In 2021, he and two close friends (Steve Bowman and Brian Silvestri) joined Will in a 12-city homeless tour, living in cities around the USA to find out what they could learn about this national crisis. Since the journey began, Will and his teams have made 25 trips and engaged more than 40 people in this adventure. While this has had a profound impact on the homeless, it has changed his life as well as those who have joined him on the quest.

Will is happily married to Sandra Hidalgo Cravens, who is presently leading their charitable work with Endurance Leadership.  In addition, he is the father of 6 beautiful children, in addition to being a grandfather.  He is passionate about changing homelessness in the world by engaging more people in the fight.  Will is the author of two books: “99 for 1” and “Along the Way,” and is currently writing his third book, “12 Cities” (available in summer of 2022).   He received his M.A. in Theological Studies from Liberty Theological Seminary and his B.A. in Psychology from George Mason University.