Share In Their Future

Backpack Food Program

Many of our Appalachian children rely on their schools for breakfast and lunch—and go hungry on days when classes are not in session.  We want to ensure that these children have enough to eat on the weekends, so at some of our projects we have started sending students home on Fridays with backpacks full of food. 

A $20 donation provides a child with a backpack containing enough filling, nutritious, non-perishable food items to last for a weekend.  A typical backpack contains oatmeal packets, granola bars, bread, peanut butter, canned meats, canned soups, and canned and fresh fruit.  Project volunteers strive to distribute foods that children can prepare on their own if necessary.

Click here to make a contribution! The first backpacks of the new school year will be distributed in September. 

Letter from a Former Sponsored Child

As a child, Leah was sponsored through Children, Incorporated.  Her sponsors provided her with the resources she needed to stay in school, and Leah now holds a university degree.  She recently signed up to be a sponsor herself, and she sent us this note with her initial correspondence:

Dear Children, Incorporated:

I have wanted to sponsor a child for a while, and I chose CI because, as you know, a CI sponsor made a big difference in my life as a child.  As I was growing up in the Appalachias, my parents always had a lot of love to give, but often struggled to provide the physical necessities for myself and my sister.  Neither of my parents had graduated high school, so they worked in factories and in the agricultural industry most of the time. 

The first time I received a voucher from my sponsor, it was like Christmas.  I was able to buy clothes that hadn't already been worn and faded, to replace my tattered shoes, and to get school supplies which allowed me to feel more confident in class, and able to excel rather than to blend into the background.  I was fortunate to be involved in a couple of other programs targeted toward at-risk youth as well.  The support and gifts from my sponsors (I think I remember having one in late elementary school, and a separate one in High School) helped to raise me up out of my less than fortunate circumstances.  Knowing that there were people who had never met me, and yet had an honest interest in my success gave me the motivation to finish high school (only the second in my extended family to do so) and recently to graduate from university. 

Now that I am in a stable financial situation, I hope that I can make a difference in some child's life myself.  I am so grateful to organizations such as CI, whose constant vigilance enables children to succeed in even the hardest circumstances.  Thank you again.

Sincerely,
Leah

Featured Project: Mount Rogers Combined School in Whitetop, Virginia, USA

Located in southwest Virginia’s Grayson County, the Mount Rogers Combined School is nestled in the foothills of Virginia’s two highest mountains – Mount Rogers and Mount Whitetop, both of which are well over 5000 feet high. This area is known for its natural beauty, but much of its population suffers economically due to geographic isolation and dwindling employment opportunities.  Agriculture once thrived in this region, but today farming is done on a small scale. Some families have turned to the increasingly popular and profitable business of raising Christmas trees.

 

The original Mount Rogers School was built in 1932 and was expanded over the years.  Attendance has gradually declined since 1979, so the elementary, middle, and high schools have been combined into one institution that serves kindergarten through twelfth grade.  The entire school now has just ninety students, and it employs only a few teachers, each of whom must teach several grades and multiple classes. In a region where poverty has become widespread, the Mount Rogers Combined School provides the children of Grayson County with a comprehensive education and a compassionate teaching staff.  

 

The school is home to a unique program called the Albert Hash Memorial Band, which is named in honor of its founder, a noted local fiddler and fiddle maker.  Mr. Hash founded the program in 1982, and today it is led by Emily Spencer, a banjoist.  Most of the school's children play at least one instrument (banjo, fiddle, guitar, mandolin, and bass are the most popular), and in grades eight through twelve they receive academic credit for their participation in the band.  The band has performed throughout the United States, and it has received attention from a variety of arts and culture organizations, including the Virginia Department for the Humanities.  The Mount Rogers Combined School is believed to be the only public school in the nation that houses a band specializing in old-time music. 

 

The original school building is still in use; it is now part of the larger school complex:

 

The school has a small library that contains three computers.  Many of the students at Mount Rogers have never left southwest Virginia, so they greatly enjoy the internet, which provides them with a window to the wider world:

Read Across America Day

On Monday, March 3, many of our United States schools celebrated Read Across America Day, an annual event commemorating the life and works of Dr. Seuss.  At one Appalachian elementary school, teenage volunteers dressed as Dr. Seuss characters read classics like The Cat in the Hat to students enrolled in kindergarten and Head Start.  Older children took turns reading to one another.  Through a partnership with The Pajama Program, we provided the children with new pajamas and copies of Dr. Seuss books. 

A volunteer from the local high school reads to children in the Head Start program:

Some of the volunteers in costume:

In the older grades, the children took turns reading to one another:

A Sponsor's Inspirational Letter

Dian Griesel has been a devoted and generous sponsor for many years.  When she heard that one of her sponsored children was struggling in school, she sent him this wonderful letter:

"Dear Cameron,

I heard from Mrs. Miles that you are smart, good in math, and crazy about tinkering on cars. She told me that you would make a great auto mechanic. She also told me you’ve been struggling a bit with reading.

I want to share a story with you.

 My younger brother, Greg, is an auto mechanic. He learned his skills at a local vocational school starting in the 11^th grade. Then he went on to intern at a local garage. Next, he spent a few years in the Army, where he learned to work on tanks and other large land vehicles. He is also qualified to work on high-voltage equipment. He recently went back for more training after several years in the workforce to get a good understanding of how complicated electrical systems work. Now, he has a great job as a mechanic, works with lots of other fun mechanics, owns a home, and has a lovely wife and two daughters.

 Today, for fun, he is rebuilding from scratch a 1988 Ford Mustang with a 500+ horse power engine! The car is beautiful. I saw it over the holidays. What I could not believe was that he pulled out, separated, and polished every single piece of the engine—“for better speed!” he smiled.

School was not an easy ride for my brother. He had tutors and got tested for hearing issues. He got all kinds of testing, in fact. Ultimately, the tests indicated that he was dyslexic. When he looks at letters, they appear mixed up and out of order. So, school wasn’t fun for him. In fact, it was a major struggle.

Reading was never easy for Greg. But he stuck it out. If he hadn’t, he would likely be nowhere today. And he’ll tell you that himself, if you ever want to speak to him.

When he wanted to quit school—and there were many, many times when he wanted to—he visualized the kind of car he wanted to soup up and transform into a killer hot rod. At the time, it was a Nova. He persevered and managed to buy a Nova for cheap and had it painted at the local auto body shop for free in exchange for helping to detail cars. He built the engine himself. He ended up driving his Nova in the time trial races at Riverhead Raceway for kicks. And it was something that he did 100% ALL BY HIMSELF.

He was proud of his accomplishment, and we were all proud of him. We all knew it was never easy for him to get through school like it is for some of us. But he pulled through, kept his vision, and now he’s taken apart and rebuilt several cars that he uses for racing.

Don’t quit on your talent and dreams, Cameron. Believe me: you have a skill that will be extremely valuable if you choose to enhance it and build upon it by staying in school and learning a trade. The bottom line is this: when my car won’t start and I have to go to a meeting, the most valuable person in the world is the one who can fix my car!

I support you 100%. Finish school and get accepted to that vocational training program offered when you are a senior in high school. Learn to be a good mechanic. Stick it out and make your grandmother, teachers, and everyone else around you extra proud. Most of all, you will make yourself proud for working hard when quitting seemed like the easier option.

Stay in touch with me.

Lots of love,

Dian"

Sending Food to Your Sponsored Child

If you sponsor a child in the United States, you are very welcome to send presents to him or her.  However, please do not send food without first speaking to Children, Incorporated about your gift. 

Because of concerns about safety and nutrition, many schools will not permit their pupils to have food that arrives in care packages.  Also, there have recently been several incidents in which sponsors sent perishable food that turned rotten before reaching its destination.  In such cases, our volunteers have no choice but to throw the food away.  If you would like to provide food to an indigent child, we encourage you to donate to our "Food for a Weekend" program. 

As always, we deeply appreciate everything that you do for our children.  They benefit greatly from the support you provide, and we are very grateful for your generous assistance.  If you have questions about our policies on care packages and other special gifts, please contact Chuck Smith, Sponsor Relations Coordinator, at (800) 538-5381 or csmith@children-inc.org. 

Appalachian Snows Causing Delays in Correspondence

Many of the Appalachian communities in which we maintain projects have received massive amounts of snow this winter.  Some of our children have missed as many as nineteen days of school since the beginning of 2008.  Consequently, many of our Appalachian volunteers have had no opportunity to help their children compose and mail letters. 

This means that if you are expecting a letter from your Appalachian child, you may receive it up to a month later than you normally would.  We apologize for this delay, and we appreciate your patience and understanding.  If you have any questions, please call us at (800) 538-5381 or send us an email. 

Rest assured that the snow has not interrupted our dispersal of funds to Appalachia.  All of our children are receiving their sponsorship donations on time.  The children's letter writing  is the only part of our program that is experiencing delays.  Once our Appalachian schools return to their normal schedules, our Appalachian children will again be able to send mail.

A Sponsor's Trip to Appalachia

Long-time sponsor Sandy Anderson is celebrating her sixtieth birthday by visiting each of her four sponsored children.  She recently traveled to Appalachia to visit Jennifer, a girl she has sponsored for the past two years.  She shared with us her account of her visit.   

“Jennifer’s rural county is known for its beauty and rich cultural heritage.  Tourists visit for hiking, camping, and bluegrass music festivals. Sadly, however, fewer people actually live there as it also has one of the highest unemployment rates of the state. The isolation that helps to preserve the region’s natural beauty also means that resources are limited.  Indeed, one of the county’s most distinctive features is its calm.  When I got out of the car at Jennifer’s school after a 45 minute drive zigzagging up a mountain, I could almost hear the silence.

It was fun for us to finally meet. Jennifer was, understandably, a little shy at first, but we were soon chatting happily. I learned a lot in a short time. Though she looks like a typical American teenager, loves school, and enjoys spending time with her friends, there is another side to Jennifer’s story. She doesn’t see her father, her stepfather is too ill to hold a job, and her mother works night shifts at a facility an hour from the family’s home. I would guess that Jennifer’s after-school life is spent looking after her family, including her adored baby sister.

When the lunch bell rang, Jennifer ran off, but she saved a place for me at her table, and proudly introduced me as her “C.I.sponsor.”  After lunch, we went to her history class—six students including two of her siblings! I spoke to them about living in France while the teacher used the internet to find pictures of the places I was talking about.  The internet is a window on the world to these young people.  After that, I  met the school's music teacher and string band--very well known in the area--and had the fun of singing with them.  The music class marked the end of the school day, and it was, regretfully, time to say goodbye. 

I knew I was seeing the school at its best as they welcomed me. I knew there was hardship hidden behind the smiling faces in the pleasant little mountain school which tries to provide the way to a better life to its tiny population. And yet it was hard for me to leave the beauty and the silence.”

Page Auto Group Donates to the Warm Clothing Fund

Each year, the employees of Page Auto Group in Richmond, Virginia make a charitable contribution in honor of Larry Page, the company's owner.  They selected Children, Incorporated as the beneficiary of the 2007 donation.  In addition to a generous monetary gift to the Warm Clothing Fund, Page Auto staff and customers contributed dozens of warm winter items to children in our Inner City and Appalachian divisions.  We are very grateful for this support!

Gail DeFeo, pictured below at center, is the office manager of the Page Auto Group.  She coordinated this donation drive.  Appalachian Division Director Renee Kube (left) and Inner City Division Director Ron Carter (right) were thrilled to accept Page Auto's gift on behalf of 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.