On the Road
A Future for Children in a Kentucky Without Coal
With the loss of jobs in Eastern Kentucky, many families worry about how they will support their children
Nobody’s better at wearing a brave face than a kid — whether they know it or not. If you drive around Eastern Kentucky, you’ll see children at school playing outside and laughing. At first glance, it’s not likely that you’ll truly understand the impact that increasing poverty is having on their families. It’s coal country here, with mining dominating Kentucky’s industries since 1820. The Western Coal Fields, part of the Illinois basin, and the Eastern […]
A Chance at the American Dream
A sponsor story in Kentucky
When Ann and Bob Underwood first signed on as sponsors through Children Incorporated in 2006, they were looking for an opportunity to help poor children in the U.S. Ten years and 27 sponsored kids later, they remain steadfast in their commitment to helping give underprivileged children a chance at the American Dream. To date, eleven of the children sponsored by the Underwoods have successfully graduated from high school. We contacted the Tennessee couple to find […]
Paying It Forward: Life After Sponsorship
A story from a former sponsored child in Kentucky
Aimee learned a lot of things too early in life as she watched her father nearly succumb to leukemia, his resulting painkiller addiction, and the financial and psychological quicksand her family struggled in as a result. Growing up in a small town in Eastern Kentucky, Aimee was surprised to find herself and her family staying with neighbors while her dad suffered in a nearby hospital. It seemed so sudden, the onset of his illness, and […]
Stocked Up for Now
Why we keep our Back to School Fund open all year round
Most parents are familiar with the ubiquitous school-supply shopping list: two boxes of crayons, nine jumbo pink erasers, 47 glue sticks, one box of tissues, three boxes of markers. But when your children run out of pencils halfway through the year, you just buy more. When the backpack inevitably falls apart by January, you buy a new one. One of our sponsored children creates a thank-you card for his sponsor. In […]
From Kentucky to Kenya
The universal truth of children
“I don’t know who gave us these bikes, but tell her I love her!” The boy’s words keep echoing in my mind as we make the eight-hour trek from Kentucky back to Richmond, Va. Over the course of the last several weeks, we’ve met with so many children I’ve nearly lost count, but their faces and words stand out in my memory. Kentucky and Bolivia are worlds apart, but there are many similarities between the […]
Two Wheels and the Wind in Your Hair
Cyclist donates bikes to Kentucky children
Nothing is close in eastern Kentucky. Schools are an hour apart, and each one can easily be an hour away from the children who go there. Walmart – the only place to buy a bike in the entire region – is an even longer drive. In a rented pickup truck, we trekked out to Walmart on a mission: to pick out and purchase bikes for underprivileged elementary and middle school children. The bikes would be […]