Share In Their Future

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

Sponsors Donate Hearing Aid to Lebanese Student

All of CI's children are impoverished, and many struggle with additional burdens like health problems, disabilities, family turbulence, and violence within their communities.  It is these children who often benefit the most from the support and stability that sponsorship provides. 

Rafiq is an 18-year-old student in Lebanon.  His neighborhood is frequently rocked by armed conflicts and riots, and his school is sometimes closed for safety reasons.  Rafiq is extremely hard-of-hearing, and his disability has slowed his academic progress.  For two years, he has attended a school that enrolls only  students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, and he is doing well--but because he did not receive adequate instruction in his early life, he is four grades behind the other students in his age group. 

Rafiq's future is brightening, however, thanks to his own strong work ethic and the unfailing support of his teachers.  His CI sponsors, Brian Hyde and Joe Fiorello, have also played a very important role in his life.  Since they began sponsoring Rafiq in 2006, they have helped to pay his school fees, and they have provided him with additional funds for clothing and other necessities. 

Most recently, Brian and Joe paid for a high-quality digital hearing aid for Rafiq, which will help him in school and greatly improve his chance of finding good employment after he graduates.  Brian and Joe arranged for Rafiq to receive the hearing aid at a special birthday celebration [pictured at left], and he thanked them with this letter:

 
"I was happy that I will participate in an art exhibition, I have prepared my drawing but n ow I don’t know if  we will do that or no.  I am sending you a copy of my drawing [pictured at right] and I hope you will like it. Thank you very much for your generous gift, I have got new fully digital hearing aid it was a wonderful surprise for me to have a new hearing aid as a birthday gift. I had a nice party on my birthday the lions club came to our school they brought cake and we have celebrated my birthday and another students birthdays also."

We Love Our Supporters

Last night, we hosted a reception for our donors who live in the Richmond, Virginia area.  CI supporter Bill Hall graciously donated the use of his home, and Dominion donated refreshments and valet services. 

We truly enjoyed meeting so many of our local supporters.  You all do amazing things for our children, and we love to talk to you about your experiences with CI.  Thank you so much to everyone who came to last night's event--and to all our supporters everywhere. 

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"

A Visit to the Tecpan Primary School

Frank and Rosario of New Mexico recently visited the children they sponsor at the Tecpan Primary School in Guatemala.  Upon returning, they shared with us these beautiful photographs from their trip:

Bolivian Student Headed for Medical School

Mercedes, who was on the CI sponsorship program for 8 years, is about to begin medical school at the public university in Sucre, Bolivia!  More than 1200 students sat for the medical college entrance exam, and only 289 passed and were granted admission.  Mercedes is one of those talented 289.   During a visit with Marcela Molina, our regional coordinator for Bolivia, Mercedes expressed deep gratitude for the support she received from her CI sponsor.  He enabled her to attend primary and secondary school by supplying funds for her clothing and school supplies.   Then, when he died last year, he left her with a final gift: enough money to pay her medical school tuition through the completion of her degree. 

A Sponsor's Visit to Nicaragua

A sponsor sent us the following account of his visit with his sponsored children in Nicaragua.  We encourage all of our sponsors to visit their children.  If you are interested in making such a trip, please email sponsorship@children-inc.org for more information.

"I recently traveled to Central America to visit the children I sponsor at Casa Betania in  Boaco, Nicaragua.This was my second trip, and it was an extremely enriching experience. I had no understanding of true poverty until I traveled to the homes of my sponsored children. The poverty that surrounds the children was beyond my belief and difficult to process. The children live in shabby dwellings made of material scraps and dirt floors. These homes have only primitive latrines and are not outfitted with potable water or electricity. Every child I encountered, however, had a bright smile and a playful spirit. It is as though they can only see the lush and beautiful country in which they live and do not realize how poor and destitute their conditions are.

I expected nothing in return for my donations to Children, Incorporated but received more than I could ever have imagined. The children gave me unconditional love while helping me appreciate what I have. I think of the experience often and cannot wait to travel there again to learn more from the children. I highly recommend the enriching experience of sponsoring a child."

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.”

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."

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.