Share In Their Future

An Inspirational Visit

Mike Renzi has sponsored a Honduran girl named Jennifer for ten years.  This fall, he traveled to Honduras to meet Jennifer and her family.  The visit was a wonderful experience for everyone involved!  In a letter to Children, Incorporated, Mike wrote, "I am lost for words to describe my visit with Jennifer. It was the sweetest two days of my life. She is such a shining light. I have been truly changed by this experience. Children, Incorporated is wonderful. The work you do is remarkable. Having seen firsthand [Jennifer's community], I am happier than ever to be part of the Children, Incorporated family."

CI in the Philippines

Children, Incorporated maintains several programs in the Philippines.  Luis Bourdet, Director of the Foreign Division, recently visited that country and kept a photo diary of his travels.  We are excited to share with you some of the most striking images.

The Fortune Community Center in Marikina (built with funds from Children, Incorporated):

The typical house in Marikina measures about 8 feet by 10 feet.  This family's home doubles as a convenience store:

Children who participate in a food program funded by Children, Incorporated:

Many of the children in daycare at the Sa Ciudad Foundation in Paranaque are sponsored through Children, Incorporated:

Your Donations Go Far!

The support you send to our children truly changes their lives.  Both abroad and in the United States, a relatively small amount of money can substantially elevate a child's standard of living. 

This month, one donor was able to do a very great deal for his sponsored Appalachian child with just $250.  Like all of the children who participate in Children, Incorporated programs, this young girl lives in poverty.  Her family struggles to provide her with adequate clothing, shoes, and bedding. 

With the sponsor's $250, the child's volunteer program coordinator was able to purchase: 

• a new pair of good-quality athletic shoes (bought at a deep discount)
• three new outfits
• a new coat
• a set of sheets
• a comforter
• a pillow
• a lamp
• a set of curtains
• a small mirror
• and enough food for several weeks' worth of healthy midday snacks.

In addition to these necessities, there was $50 left over to cover the fee for a special class field trip, which the child could not have attended without her sponsor's support. 

Queen for a Day

Aide Rojas, who is sponsored through one of our Bolivian programs, is the top student at her school! 
Her teachers and friends recognized her achievements by crowning her Queen of the School for one day. 

Warm Clothing Fund

We would like to thank everyone who has contributed to this year's Warm Clothing Fund!  Your donations have allowed us to buy coats, hats, scarves, gloves, and blankets for children who would otherwise have gone cold.  We are very grateful for this support.

If you have not yet given to the fund, we hope that you will consider doing so.  The need for adequate winter clothing is very great, particularly in Appalachia. Our coordinators have informed us that they expect this year’s shortage to be markedly worse than last year’s. Several other charities that used to contribute warm clothing to indigent children are no longer doing so, and Children, Incorporated is working to compensate for this decrease.  Through a gift to the Warm Clothing Fund, you can help keep our children safe.

Celebrating a Milestone

Sandy Anderson has been sponsoring children through our organization since 1975.   She is grateful for the opportunity to give financial support, but she particularly loves being able to befriend and encourage the children she assists.  Exchanging letters with them, she says, is "what supporting an organization like C.I. is about." 

This year, Sandy is celebrating her sixtieth birthday by visiting each of the four youngsters she currently sponsors.   In September, she traveled from her home in France to the New Mexico reservation where her sponsored child Jason lives.  After almost four years of correspondence, Sandy and Jason were finally able to meet in person.  It was a joyful event for both of them! 

In addition to visiting with Jason, Sandy was able to tour the school and see Jason's classroom, where all of the children were  excited to meet her.   She used the classroom map to show the students how far she had traveled (see left), and she taught the class a few words of French!  The children were fascinated, and everyone was sad when it was time for Sandy to leave .

Sandy found her trip to New Mexico deeply rewarding.  "My visit with Jason was so rich," she told us in a letter. "I really enjoyed learning about the school and meeting the teachers."   We will post updates on her visits with her other sponsored children, so keep checking back to read more! 

Decades of Service

We were very pleased to recognize two of our most dedicated volunteers at the American Indian Division's recent coordinators' meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  Marie Begay (pictured at left with Steve Mitchell, director of the American Indian Division) has volunteered with us for more than 25 years.  Lois Lee (pictured with Steve at right) has contributed more than 30 years of service!  The two women have helped to facilitate hundreds of sponsorships.  Children, Incorporated could not carry out its mission without the unfailing assistance of volunteers like Marie and Lois. 

Mosquito Net Donation

Children, Incorporated is thankful to Steve and Penny Carlile of Marshall, Texas for their kind donation of twenty five hundred treated mosquito nets.  As part of our campaign to protect children from malaria, we will distribute these nets among our programs in Africa and India.  Malaria is of particular concern in sub-Saharan Africa, where it kills tens of thousands of people each year.  Treated nets, however, are highly effective in the prevention of this disease, and we are grateful to be able to provide them to our project sites.  Thanks to the Carliles, thousands of our children will sleep more safely this year.