Sponsors Give Thanks

At Children International we love to hear from grateful sponsored children and youth about how sponsorship is helping to create positive change their lives. We also recognize that sponsorship is an experience that offers so much to the sponsor as well. In honor of Thanksgiving in the United States, I asked some of our sponsors around the world to help me express the joys of sponsorship by completing the sentences below. Their answers are heartfelt and personal and make me feel even more thankful for the work that I do. It’s wonderful to help needy children, but it is also great to have something in common with great people like our sponsors.

I am thankful for sponsorship because...

-it gives me the chance to love and care for children, even though I don't have children of my own. – Efrain

-it completely changed my life and the way I look at it. Sponsorship made me a better person. - Susana

-it has given me a chance to help someone who needs it (there is no way I could stretch a dollar as far as CI can!) and has taught me to appreciate what I have instead of crying about what I don't. I am thankful for sponsorship because it has given me a chance to show unconditional love for my girls and show them that someone does care in this oftentimes harsh world. - Katie

-it has brought peace into my heart. – Stephanie

-[it makes] me realize how we worry about insignificant things, when there are so many that can benefit from our help. – Guasponsor


I am thankful for my sponsored child/children because...

-they keep me humble, and thankful for all the benefits and opportunities I am so lucky to have in my life! – Amalia

-they remind me how fortunate I am to live a life free from poverty. By giving some of
what I've earned to those in need, they give back with their kind thoughts and warm wishes. Their gratitude is more valuable than the few dollars I send their way. It's a win-win relationship! – Steve

-they continually help me to put my own life into perspective. – Dana

To see more of these great responses or to contribute your own, please visit our Children International Google Groups page. Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Children International!

Meet CI President Jim Cook

You’ve read about his travels on the blog, and now you have the opportunity to chat with him live. At 11:00 a.m. CST on July 15th Mr. Cook will take to the web in an instant-messenger-style chat to answer sponsors’ questions.

Is there something you’ve always wondered about? Want a behind the scenes perspective on sponsorship? Or would you just like to meet the man in charge? If so, this is your chance. The first 15 people to post a comment on the “Meet President Jim Cook” discussion thread on our Google Group’s page will be invited to join our live chat. Once you have posted your chat request to the thread, please email us at blog@children.org with your email address and contact information so we can send you all of the chat details.

Why only 15 people? We use free technology, and, well, there are limitations. So hurry to our Google Group and claim your “seat” in the chat! We apologize to those who are not among the first 15, but don’t despair. There certainly will be more chances to participate in live chats of this nature.

Still going strong

- Our Google Group, that is. Children International’s Google Group is a great place for sponsors to mingle with other sponsors and chat about their experiences. Group members are asking questions about special donations and visits, making suggestions on how to better improve the sponsorship experience, sharing personal stories and giving tips on fun items to include in letters to their sponsored children. Proud sponsors are even sharing their children’s pictures.

It’s your own little space on the web dedicated specifically to what interests you - helping children through Children International. And the best thing is you run the show. (We just chime in occasionally to answer your questions.) If you’d like to see what the buzz is all about and become a group member, just click on “Join this group” on the right column of our Google Groups homepage. If you need help, drop us a line at blog@children.org. Until then, happy browsing!

Had Your Hand Up for Awhile?

We love moderating the blog and taking advantage of the opportunity it gives us to communicate more directly with our sponsors. And because we enjoy it so much, we couldn't help but wonder if some of our readers wouldn't like to have a chance to speak up as well.

So we thought we'd just ask.

Would any of you be interested in joining a Google Group for Children International sponsors? If you're not familiar with Google Groups, they are forums that join people with common interests and allow them to conduct threaded discussions.

If enough of you find this interesting, we'll make it happen. So please tag in, leave us a comment and let us know. In fact, we'll need you to contact us at blog@children.org and give us an email address so we can send you an invitation to join the group.

We're standing by!

Question of the Month

While there is no right or wrong answer, we'd love to hear what you think. Each month we will post a thought provoking question to gauge the collective opinions of the Children International community.

Opinion Polls & Market Research

Look for an analysis of this question and the next "Question of the Month"... well, in a month!

We'd love to continue the conversation in the "comments" section below.

The Sad Reality

Our mission as a humanitarian organization is to help lift children out of poverty by meeting their basic needs through sponsorship. However, you might be surprised to learn that we have children who have been waiting for two years or more just to get into the sponsorship program. In business-world lingo, we have more product (children) than we do buyers (sponsors).

This has happened for a couple of reasons: Just two years ago, we were experiencing rapid growth only to be hit by a sudden shift in the economy. Children we were going to move into the program quickly have been placed on the waiting list where they’ve now remained for far longer than we could imagine or want. And while we would like to move them up the list, we first have to honor our commitment to the children who, for one reason or another, lose their sponsors. Because, once a child officially enters the sponsorship program they continue to receive benefits…whether they have a contributing sponsor or not.

The blog gives us a way to provide you with insider and extra information on sponsorship and what goes on behind the scenes. This is a particularly hard situation for us to wrestle with. It just kills us to know there are so many children who are so close to receiving the life changing help they need, yet they desperately wait.

So we’re going to introduce a few of these children to you over the next several weeks. If you were already thinking about sponsoring another child, maybe one of these will appeal to you or even someone you know. If you’re already maxed out, and many of us are, feel free to give us your thoughts or ideas.

And now we’d like to introduce you to Amilkar, from Rural Guatemala. He’s 4-years-old and will turn 5 in May. Click on the family record to read more about him. Can you help find him a sponsor? If so, email us at blog@children.org. We’ll personally handle the arrangements and make sure he starts receiving benefits immediately.


I know we ask a lot from you, but I hope you, or someone you know, can help.

Remembering to Say “Thanks”

Posted on behalf of Kelly Nix.


One of the biggest casualties of the frenzy of modern life is the simple phrase, “Thank you.”

Are we becoming more self-centered, or have our busy schedules so encroached on our minds that we’re only semi-aware of the myriad lives we touch on a daily basis, and of the many blessings of varying sizes we enjoy? Either way, the demise of “Thank you” is a big loss to our society as a whole.

Two little words that can make hours of hard labor worthwhile. Two words that bring a smile to faces creased with stress. Two words that bring things back into focus and make us remember that we’re entitled to nothing…and every comfort we enjoy is truly a blessing.

And are we ever blessed! I could go on endlessly about the want and deprivation the families we work with around the world suffer…I could talk about the days some of them don’t eat, and of the hours of sweat and toil under hot tropical suns, to be rewarded with nothing more than a buck or two for their labor…but I’d rather talk about what they DO have.

They have dignity. Most have a strong work ethic. Thanks to sponsorship, they have hope. And they know how to say “Thanks!”

In fact, that’s what we hear more than anything else when we visit the field. From moms…dads…teenagers and little children: “Thanks!” Thanks to God. Thanks to their sponsors. Thanks to the agency staff…and thanks to you.

That’s what I had in mind when I put together the “Thanksgiving Around the World” slideshow that’s currently on our homepage, at www.children.org. Why not check it out and let us know what you think?

And most importantly, have a safe and blessed Thanksgiving celebration!

Soggy Success in Santiago

Early Monday morning, I drove to one of Kansas City International Airport’s peculiar, round terminals and hopped on a plane....Destination? Santiago, Dominican Republic.

I guess I was shell-shocked from my last two trips, with the haunting memory of hours spent in airport terminals or stopped on the tarmac waiting for the bad weather to lift from the airports I needed to reach in order to get home.

But this time, all went incredibly smoothly. I didn’t even know a tropical storm had hit Santiago until I got off the plane and found out it was raining cats and dogs outside. And today it was evident that it won’t take much to cause some severe flooding…authorities are having to open the floodgates on the dam to relieve the incredible stress it’s under, and water is just a few feet away from some of the shacks of the hopelessly poor people who have nowhere to live but along the riverbanks. I’ll try to get pictures tomorrow if I can.


Today I spent the day with a warm and gracious couple named Frank and Alejandra Moll. The Molls are from Los Angeles, although their roots are Dominican and Cuban. They are in the Dominican Republic to visit 26 of their 27 sponsored children – 18 of these in Santiago (the rest live in Santo Domingo, while one child lives in Guatemala). Besides the Molls, the rest of the group was made up of Diomaris, chief of sponsor relations for Children International’s Santiago agency; Nurys, who works in Sponsor Relations, and world traveler, new CI development officer and all around cool guy Jeremy Parker, who speaks English, French, Spanish (he says he doesn’t!) and two African languages I won’t even try to pronounce. And of course, we couldn’t have made it without William, our patient van driver who each night swabs the mud out of his van and lovingly polishes it inside and out, only to see it turned into a mud pit by the end of the day.


We took the Molls to the Children International community center in El Flumen. This community center is modern and airy, and is generally packed with families who show up to receive sponsorship benefits, see the doctor or dentist or attend a workshop. Then, after a quick visit with the staff and a tour of the facilities, we braved the rain back to the van and headed out to visit two of the Moll’s sponsored children. Warm welcomes awaited us in the cramped and humble structures these families call home (odd—they were both bright yellow), and some of the kids couldn’t resist hamming it up for the camera.


But the most exciting part came next. We drove to a popular pizza place, where the Moll’s 18 sponsored kids from the Santiago area met us, along with their families. Talk about a crowd – we OWNED the place! Smiles, laughter, a few tears, songs, speeches, gifts…I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that not one of those children will ever forget the day their sponsors came to town.


We were accompanied on this part of the trip by Pedro, the Santiago agency’s photographer, who came along to film the event. Pedro is a neat guy…He started working for Children International about a year ago, after working 10 years as a professional photographer. Pedro’s older brother was sponsored by Children International in the early 90s, but Pedro didn’t realize we were the same organization – since at that time our agency was known by a local name – until he was in the final parts of the interview process.


As he speaks about the work Children International does in Santiago, his eyes burn with the fervor of a true believer. Like others, he has discovered parts of his own city he never dreamed existed until he began to work for CI – areas where poverty lies over the communities like a deathly pall. But he has seen what sponsorship will do, and he feels working for Children International is his calling.

“Sometimes I just want to brag [about sponsorship],” smiles Pedro. “I am so proud to work for Children International!”

P.S. Frank Moll asked me to pass along a challenge…he’d like someone to outdo him and sponsor 28 children. But, says Frank, if you have just one sponsored child, sponsor another; you’ll be twice as rewarded!

I’ll be blogging more in the next couple of days about the time I spend in the communities and the grand opening of our newly remodeled community center in Cienfuegos, so please check back.

California Wildfires

Photo courtesy AP.

We are saddened at the news that wildfires continue to rage in California. Children International has many sponsors and donors living in the affected areas of the state, and our thoughts and prayers go out to them at this time.

If you are a Children International contributor living in an area affected by the wildfires, please read this special message from Children International regarding your sponsorship.

Stand Up Against Poverty

“Wherever men and women are condemned to live in extreme poverty, human rights are violated. To come together to ensure that these rights be respected is our solemn duty.”

– Joseph Wresinski

Today celebrates the 20th anniversary of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. The first commemoration in 1987 was held in Paris, France where 100,000 people gathered to give a voice to those who live in extreme poverty. Officially recognized by the United Nations in 1992, the event has grown in partnership with other organizations and events are held around the world each year.

This year at the United Nations, delegates and staff members will be asked to participate in the “Stand Up” event, in which 23.5 million people in more than 100 countries participated last year, setting a Guinness World Record. The organizers hope to break that record, with people all over the world standing up to remind their Governments of the commitments they undertook in the 2000 Millennium Declaration to halve the number of people living in extreme poverty by 2015. According to the United Nations, some 980 million people still live in extreme poverty, or on less than $1 a day.

Children International is proud to be partners with over 250,000 committed sponsors. With your generous support, we will continue to serve children and their families who suffer from poverty. Together, we will give them a voice to tell their stories. That’s our commitment. So, stand with us as we fight to end poverty.

How are you going to stand up against poverty?

Painting by former sponsored child, Carlo Orcena, from the Philippines.

Behind the Scenes: Meet the Writer

Erin Fitzgerald joined the team at Children International in 2004, and since then has treated our readers to many great articles and videos. Her simple and direct writing style resonates with our sponsors and helps bring to life the circumstances of the children we work with.

One of Erin's videos, Behind the Scenes of Sponsorship, will be featured on our website (www.children.org) beginning Tuesday, October 2. We asked Erin to share a few comments with us about the video:

"In 2006, I traveled to our agency in Guadalajara, Mexico, to meet families served by sponsorship. While at a community center, I sat in on a computer class led by a volunteer mother who was passing on her knowledge to other parents of sponsored children.

"During this computer class, I tried out my video skills for the first time, attempting to shoot footage while the class was in progress. I used some of this footage to help create a video about our volunteers called 'Behind the Scenes of Sponsorship.'

"If you have a chance, check it out to learn more about the parents whose tireless dedication helps make our programs possible."

Follow this link to check out Erin's video as of Tuesday...or go ahead and visit now just to look around.

Making Every Penny Count

The value of financial integrity and a culture of transparency can’t be overstated in today’s business climate. We thought you would enjoy learning more about Children International’s financial practices and meeting David Houchen, who has been with CI for 10 years and serves as our Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.


Kelly:
What was your background before joining CI?

David:
As an auditor for a large CPA firm in KC I worked on and managed many audits of organizations like CI.

Kelly:
What interested you in the accounting/finance field, particularly in the non-profit sector?

David:
I have always enjoyed working with numbers and finances. While working in public accounting, I had the opportunity to work with many organizations, for profit and not-for-profit. When I interviewed at CI and learned more about their extensive financial policies and practices, I was impressed by their thoroughness and how well these were understood throughout the organization.

Kelly:
What do your duties here at CI involve?

David:
I oversee the Accounting and Information Technology areas -- plus the overall finances of CI. We have a really good staff, both at headquarters and at the field locations, that make sure all contributions are spent wisely.


Kelly: What is the most rewarding part of your job?

David:
The most rewarding thing is knowing that at the end of the day, all of our efforts go to provide assistance to needy children and their families. There is no better cause to work for than helping children.

Kelly:
Have you had any memorable experiences in the field or with sponsored children?

David:
I am fortunate to get to travel regularly to program locations to check on financial controls first-hand and to interact with children we assist and their families. I remember visiting Zambia when CI began working there. One of the first things we did was to build a community center in the middle of an urban slum where many of our sponsored children live. On the day before the grand opening of the center, there was much work still to be done. When I saw the volunteer mothers digging in and helping with many tasks, including scrubbing floors, I knew that not only would the grand opening be a success, but more importantly, the program would be a success too.

Kelly:
In a nutshell, what safeguards does CI have in place to ensure sponsors’ donations are used appropriately?

David:
I'm proud to say we have a well-developed system of financial controls at headquarters and at field locations. In KC, we employ 3 CPAs in the Accounting department. Each year we undergo a thorough budgeting process that is approved by our Board of Directors. We monitor variances every month and report on them to the Board. Contributions are received via a bank lockbox. We undergo an external audit annually, and we comply with the standards of the major charity oversight agencies. Another important aspect is that we have a worldwide culture of accountability that influences all of our decision-making at CI.

Kelly:
From an ethical standpoint, what is CI’s obligation to its sponsored population and to its sponsors?

David:
Our obligation is to do the best job we can with every contribution we receive. While a few hundred sponsors annually choose to visit their sponsored child, most sponsors are not able to do so. They put their trust in us to use their contributions in a way that will benefit their sponsored child as they intended. CI hires qualified employees and puts good accounting systems in place to ensure those contributions are indeed used as intended by the sponsors. The sponsored children and their families put the same level of trust in us.

Kelly:
Any particular message you’d like to share with our readers?

David:
Don't get discouraged when you read about millions of children and families who need help all over the world. As much as we would like to do so, we can't improve the lives of all of them. However, we can make a difference in the lives of those we are able to work with, and each sponsor who signs on with CI means there is one more child we can help. At last count, we are helping over 325,000 needy children around the world. It is a privilege to have the opportunity to serve them, and with the assistance of our dedicated sponsors, we help a few more every day.

Creating Independence

Today, all across the United States, flags are flying, bands are playing and fireworks are noisily celebrating the day our country declared itself free and independent. Thanks to the sacrifices – sometimes even of their own blood – our forefathers made, we enjoy the freedom to live, work and worship according to our own consciences.

But millions around the world still live under the iron fist of a pervasive, cruel tyrant…known as poverty. Each day is another test of endurance…another struggle to just stay alive.

But thanks to the kindness and generosity of people like you – our Children International sponsors – progress is being made. Destinies are being changed and the victims of poverty are being shown a more hopeful future…one life at a time.

Sponsorship is far more than simply handing out material goods. An integral part of sponsorship is teaching children and families to become self-sufficient. Through basic benefits like health and dental care, educational assistance, nutritional support, vocational training and micro-enterprise loans to deserving children and their families, the Children International sponsorship program is bringing change to individual families and, in some cases, entire communities.

Watch the video below to see how the power of sponsorship helped one family get the upper hand in their own private battle against poverty.

Netting A Profit

By Deron Denton



The full moon sinks over the horizon as six men leave shore. Like an unseen fog, the smell of saltwater and fish hangs in the humid air. The mighty Ganges River bleeds into the Indian Ocean just south of here. All signs indicate it will be a good day for fishing: the sky and the waters are calm and clear.

Life is not easy on this small Indian island of Maipith, in the Bay of Bengal. The poverty here is rampant and ruthless. Opportunities to overcome it are scarce. Many heads of households struggle as daily laborers…considering it a good day when they earn enough to feed their children a second meal.

For years, the ineffectual grind of bare subsistence was a daily fact for six fathers and their families. And although the sponsorship program made life better for their children, it appeared dire poverty would be a reality for the rest of their lives.

Tossing the Net

Today – thanks to the generosity of a sponsor’s donation – these men are leaving shore as self-employed fishermen in a boat they jointly own. Their catches and the ensuing profits are also equally distributed. As a result of the families’ improved standards of living, their children also stand a better chance of breaking through the barriers of poverty.

Jaime “Jay” Rubin, a long-time Children International sponsor, funded this unique community project. The fishing boat gift is just one example of how proactive his philanthropic spirit is: Jay has funded numerous community projects in the past.

Ratan Bairagi, one of Jay’s six sponsored children, is the son of a fisherman. Last year, Jay inquired with Eric Newman, from Children International’s Sponsor Services department, if there were any community projects that needed funding in Ratan’s neighborhood.

The six fathers had all been fishermen in the past, but none owned a boat. Ratan’s father, Bholanath, explained, “Sometimes I would go out on the river in other people’s boats to help with the fishing. But my earnings would be very low.” So, he continues, when the staff asked “whether I had any special need which I could also share with others, I voted for a boat and net.”

The other parents enthusiastically agreed this would be the most productive and economical use of community funding. When the proposal was submitted for the sponsor’s approval, Jay readily endorsed and financed the project.

Since receiving the boat and fishing net in December 2004, six families – a total of 29 persons – have seen their household incomes nearly double. It was a compassionate donation of about $1,500…not a terribly large sum to many, but a life-altering gift to those who received it.

Reeling It In

With the sun setting over the bay, the men are exhausted and sore…but content. It has been a good day for fishing. Though they’ve had larger catches, they have also had smaller ones. Such is life as a fisherman. And it is a life these men and their families are grateful to be living.

“Feeding a big family is always very hard,” said Bholanath, “but now I feel lighter and happier.”

Returning to shore in their motorized boat, a small yellow sign catches the light of the sun. The sign serves as a reminder of how this dream became real: Painted in the color of ocean blue, Jaime Rubin’s name glows brightly.

In My Own Words: Pam Bourgeois

As my son Gabe and I touched down on the Valparaíso tarmack, we had no idea how much our lives were about to change. We sponsor three children, Jason, Constanza and Sebastian who live here, and we were going to meet them. We were excited about finally making a real connection with our newly extended family in Chile.

We first met with Jason, who is 13 years old, and not much younger than Gabe. I am told it was a normal sponsorship visit where we traveled to his house that is little more than a shack. Like other sponsored children, Jason was very quiet but gave us a tour of his playhouse in the backyard.

His mother was overly grateful to us for helping her son. Life has been especially hard since Jason’s father abandoned the family. That’s because Jason sees a psychologist for anger and attention problems, and must take medicine to help him focus at school.

Then it was on to meet Constanza and Sebastian who are brother and sister. We brought loads of presents for the family, but it was time that we spent together – two families, so different, but so similar – that has cemented our commitment to them. We spent an afternoon at a local amusement park where the children could just be kids, even if for only a few hours.


While we were there, I had a lot of time to speak with their mother, Karla – mom to mom. She is so young, yet watches her children wake up every day to face a life of poverty. She is so strong, and she is determined to help her children have a better life.

Gabe and I will be there to help both families as much as we are able. We live comfortably and fortunately can afford to buy items we often take for granted here in the States. Jason now has a bed with linens, blankets and the medications he needs. Constanza and Sebastian have a new chest of drawers and new toys.

But it is the fact that we can make a connection and a lasting difference in these families lives that is the lesson we take away from our trip abroad.

The Courageous Spirit of Guatemala - Part 4 of 4

Posted on behalf of Jim Cook

I’m not sure if one should enter into the blog trivial travel events such as a serious leak from the air conditioner in my hotel room, which resulted in lots of water coming into my room. I discovered it at 2:00 in the morning when I thought it was raining as I made my way across the room to an appointment with nature. An hour later, two nice repair guys had the leak fixed, and the only thing that kept this from all being a dream was the wet carpet, which was indubitably real.

So this was Friday and my last day in country. I had two important appointments …one with the U.S. Ambassador at the Embassy and the second with my other sponsored child—actually a youth—at the Guatemala City central office.


Roxana had come to the office with her mom and sister and her sister’s baby. Roxana is 16 and is lovely…cute, petite and obviously full of energy and life. We all had a very nice time and good conversation. Roxana was understandably a bit shy but asked a lot of questions and gave me a good glimpse into her life. She hopes to become a lawyer. Quite a goal, and one I hope she achieves.


So I had now visited two of my family’s sponsored children on this visit…one 6, the other 16. Both visits were wonderfully enriching and both girls couldn’t have been sweeter or nicer or more appreciative. Many times when I read sponsors’ accounts of their visits to their sponsored children, they write that they receive much more from their sponsorship than the children do. After meeting the two remarkable Guatemalan girls, I echo that sentiment!

After a quick tour of the central office and the opportunity to greet and be greeted by the entire staff, I headed over to the U.S. Embassy. Traffic was brutal, but we made it.

Ambassador James Derham saw me right on time. Nice man. In spite of the somewhat formal office, he was very at ease and we were able to have a good, wide-ranging conversation about Guatemala and Children International’s activities here. I mentioned that we would invite him and other Embassy representatives to the opening of the center in Patulul, and he indicated he hoped he could attend, as he really enjoyed getting out and seeing various activities around the country.

That pretty much concluded a relatively short but extremely rewarding and enlightening visit to Guatemala. It is so apparent the difference our sponsors and staff are making in the lives of the children who are growing up in the clutches of poverty.

Everywhere I went I saw the clear signs of our help. Children wearing shoes they had received for Christmas…seeing doctors and dentists…learning computer skills to give them job skills for the future. And finally, knowing that the sponsorship program and the staff at our community centers represent support and a safe place to go.

As I’ve noted before, I saw so much that encouraged me, yet so much discouraging, stark poverty that I return home all the more determined to reach more people who would become sponsors for the many Guatemalan children who need so much the help we can all provide.


And I can report unequivocally that one of my goals – to “get dirty” – was successfully accomplished…with absolutely no regrets!

Jim Cook is the president and CEO of Children International.

Behind the Scenes: You’ve Got Mail!

One of the most thrilling parts of sponsoring a child is receiving letters and drawings from the child you sponsor. These letters and drawings form an emotional connection between sponsor and child and provide memories that last a lifetime.

But receiving that envelope in your mailbox is just the culmination of a pretty involved process – a process that begins at a Children International community center half a world away. In today’s post I want to give you a peek at what it takes for you to receive a letter from your sponsored child.


Often, the journey begins when your sponsored child visits the Children International community center in his or her area to write you a letter. Children who are too young to write will be accompanied by an older family member who will do the writing for them, but older children write the letters themselves. Many of our community centers serve around 5,000 children, so you can imagine the hustle and bustle at letter writing time!

When all the children have written their letters, the letters are collected and taken to the agency’s central office for scanning. Then they are boxed up and shipped to Kansas City. Just to give you an idea of the volume of letters, Jessica estimates that she handles 40-60,000 pieces of child-related correspondence every month!

Once Jessica receives the shipments of letters from the agencies (all 18 of them), she launches a complex process that involves scanning the letters again, creating an envelope file, printing the envelopes, folding the letters and matching letters with envelopes. To ensure accuracy and quality, each child letter envelope is hand-stuffed and double-checked before finally being mailed out to the sponsor.

You might think that, after handling so many letters from children to sponsors, child letters might lose their magic for our employees who handle the mail – many of whom are sponsors themselves. But Jessica assures us that’s not the case. “[The letters from my sponsored child] would have to be the letters that really touch me personally and I read over and over, and I can’t wait for the next one to come in the mail,” she insists.

There’s another unique angle to Jessica’s work, though. She is not the first person in her family to handle letters from children to sponsors. Until her retirement late last year after 41 years of service, Jessica’s grandmother, Dorothy Koch, also worked with child correspondence. And besides making sure you received your child’s letters, Dorothy always took care of another very important responsibility here at Children International: She was the one who put the coffee on to brew in the morning!

“I like to think that I have filled her shoes well,” says Jessica of her grandmother. “I think that she has helped me become the hard worker that I am today. Children International has a special place in her heart and I believe it does hold the same special place in mine.”

Jessica is carrying on her grandmother’s work in more ways than one. Your child’s letters are still reaching you safe and sound…and the coffee is still brewed fresh every morning.

Top: Jessica is a vital link between sponsors and their sponsored children.

Middle: Jessica and the smiling "Letter Ladies" of Children International.

Bottom: Dorothy seals 41 years of faithful service with a cake and the best wishes of all her co-workers.

Sow a Thought

After being a freelance writer in New York City for a couple years my wife and I decided to slow life down a little bit and move closer to family in Kansas City. Upon our return I had a conversation with an old friend who had recently returned from two years of Peace Corp service. He told me about Children International.

As a journalist I was intrigued and researched Children International’s writings, videos, slideshows and magazines. I liked the fact that their help was not conditional and stayed away from pity. It was authentic and respected the dignity, pride, self-respect and power of all the people they helped and wish to help. I was determined to become a part of their organization and as fate would have it a writer position became available.

I have been a writer at Children International for one month. Beyond a world map and a small zebra plant I have not been able to decorate my office much. In between stubborn sentences, I stare at the map. I gaze upon the regions where Children International works, Ecuador…India…(my eyes scan east) the Philippines. I imagine children and their parents walking through the front door of a local Children International Community Center.

A field worker is there every day to listen and act. Housing assistance, nutritional rehabilitation, clothing, medical and education aid are available. A safety net that was never there before provides genuine piece of mind. I imagine our sponsors and their connections and affections for these far-flung people and places. I’m proud to be a part of this organization…this solution…this wonderful idea that works. Half the world is okay, and half the world could use a hand. If we all just help one person what a difference that would make.

Everyone here at Children International wants to work so hard and do such a good job that we no longer have a job. We want to accomplish this by giving a child a chance to maximize their potential on the earth. To invest in a child brimming with potential is a great gift for the world.

From the mailroom to the boardroom this place is a beehive of activity. I am in awe of the scope and scale of our work. Seventy-one years ago this place was just a thought. Because of this thought; and because of the sponsors; and because the efforts of the people who work in and have passed through this building, and because of our eighty-seven community centers throughout the world, over 300,000 desperately poor children will be helped this year.

What legacy will our thoughts leave seventy-one years from now?

To be able to help tell the Children International story is an honor. It’s empowering to know that my thoughts and my words can become actions and positively impact people’s lives.

Top: Our intrepid new writer on a past trip to Nepal.

Bottom: New Children International staff writer Kevin Fleming.

In My Own Words: Prudence Lewis

Ginabel's friends welcomed me.
The wonderful natural resources of the Philippines are the children.

What a blessing it was to be able to visit the children I sponsor through Children International in the Philippines.

I have sponsored two children in Metro Manila for at least 15 years. I visited Children International there the first time 8 years ago and I can see many changes.

The most exciting changes are in the child and his family. When I visited 8 years ago, Michael was a small boy and appeared fearful of me and unsure. Today he is a confident young man of 18. He has a construction job to help earn money for a college education. He hopes to be a math teacher. His mother has an air of confidence also. The father stayed home from work to see me. He was unemployed 8 years ago. Their home is somewhat expanded. Michael’s younger sister (also a sponsored child) is outgoing and joyous and instantly eager to take my hand and take charge of Cheska Joy, my other sponsored child. Cheska is 9 and has similar characteristics that Michael had 8 years ago.

Michael spoke English with me, asked questions, and quietly mentioned to me more than once that he would play basketball at the local basketball court on Sunday at 2 p.m. We all went to watch him play, and he is an excellent, fearless and fast player. What a testimony to the work of Children International.

The contribution of Children International to the individual lives of the children and their families is significant, but that is not where it stops. One of the changes since my last visit is the Children International community center. These are beautiful, clean buildings that stand out against their surroundings. The children and their families now come to these centers for most of their interactions with Children International. They are expected to help keep these buildings clean and free of trash. Thus, each beneficiary who enters feels that they are special. In the case of Michael’s family, this has carried over into all aspects of their lives.

The children I sponsor in the name of my cousin’s two children are newly sponsored. They are in the Tabaco area. They and their families tell of the hope for a brighter future. Leo is an only child who is 5. His father and mother are devoting themselves to Leo’s future. As a farmer, the father struggles to make enough to provide for Leo. But the assistance from Children International makes them optimistic for their son’s future.

In the case of Ginabel, the home where she lived with her younger siblings, her pregnant mother and her father was blown away by the typhoon that hit their island of San Miguel. The family’s new dwelling is makeshift. Her father is a fisherman, but the money paid for the fish they catch is very little. Hopefully, involvement with Children International will make it possible for Ginabel to finish school and make a better life for herself.

I visited the new Children International community center that will provide benefits for thousands of additional sponsored children in this remote but beautiful area. They assist over 1,000 children now and will soon have 5,000 sponsored children, to bring the total number of sponsored children in the Tabaco area to 23,000.

Just a few of the programs include teaching nutrition, values, and leadership skills for older sponsored children. All of these programs are invaluable. In the long run, Children International hopes to help raise the standard of living so that Filipinos can stay and make the Philippines a more prosperous country, where all people have the prospect of earning a reasonable standard of living.

There are so many more children in need of support. Hopefully, children like these can be part of Children International efforts in the future.

One Million and Counting…

After sending their third child off to college, Carl Weinberg, and his wife, Wendy Reingold, felt like empty-nesters, so they decided to sponsor a second child through Children International.

To their surprise, they sponsored the one-millionth child to receive benefits from Children International.

“That’s incredible! I had no idea that so many children had received help through Children International. That’s an incredible amount of children,” Weinberg added.

Carl traveled to Cartagena in late March to meet his sponsored child, 5-year-old Yorledis Jaramillo.

“Neither words nor pictures could possibly suffice to describe the experience,” Carl explained. “I am certain you've seen pictures of children who live in poverty and squalor and, to be sure, we saw no shortage of unpaved streets, dirt floors, corrugated iron roofs and children walking in the dirt, semi-clothed, alongside sewage and garbage in the streets of Cartagena.

“What stands out most about my experience in Colombia, however, was not the poverty, but rather the incredible success that Children International has had in breaking the cycle of poverty for so many children and their families.” Carl said.

Most people know Weinberg to be a skeptic when it comes to organizations like Children International, but as he explains, “it is rare for me to personally vouch for any organization. If you have ever experienced any thought or desire to do some good for people in dire need of assistance, however, I would wholeheartedly commend you to Children International.”

Thank you to Carl and Wendy for their dedication to the Children International mission.