Dear Friends,
As we celebrate our 60th year as an organization, Children Incorporated staff members fondly remember our founder, Jeanne Clarke Wood. Though I only worked with Mrs. Wood briefly, I recall how she treated her employees like family. She tried to do little things to make work life more like home life, including having gatherings and sharing meals with the staff. Mrs. Wood valued people; she was funny and personable. She loved writing letters and talking with sponsors and supporters.
She also loved to have fun, though she was earnest about the company’s work. She had a telephone on her bedside table, and she often answered incoming calls from sponsors late into the evening. If the work line rang, no matter how late the call, Mrs. Wood picked up the receiver. Long-time supporters of the organization recall speaking with Mrs. Wood late at night, yet she did not mind interrupting her time. Staff often came into work mornings to find little notes written in Mrs. Wood’s pen, advising them of such calls with instructions on how she wanted them to follow up, always keeping the sponsors’ needs paramount. She was a delight to work with and is missed.
For these reasons and many more, we at Children Incorporated have decided to honor Mrs. Wood by creating “Founder’s Day” to celebrate her legacy. Starting this year, Founder’s Day will be celebrated each year on October 19th — our first day of incorporation as a non-profit back in 1964 —to remind us of the history and heart of Children Incorporated, which all started with one extraordinary person. We look forward to honoring her memory with you, our loyal supporters.
From the heart,
Ronald H. Carter
President and Chief Executive Officer
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How do I sponsor a child with Children Incorporated?
You can sponsor a child in one of three ways: call our office at 1-800-538-5381 and speak with one of our staff members; email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org; or go online to our sponsorship portal, create an account, and search for a child that is available for sponsorship.