On the Road
Inside the Backpack Lies Choice, Agency, Style, and Self
Providing children with school supplies makes a world of difference for them and their families
Eastern Kentucky is a hotbed of hand-me-downs. We do a lot of work in the region, and this time, we’re here to drop off school supplies and check on the children as they begin the new school year. The thing I’ve noticed most is that children here have nothing new – unless it’s something we just handed them. When […]
Back to School in Eastern Kentucky
Supplying children with education and supplies
“Back to school” is a phrase that, to many of us, conjures up images of shopping for a new pair of jeans or a new backpack, and getting as much as we can out of the last days of summer. To retailers, it means a jump in consumer spending on clothes and supplies. But for the 15 million children living in poverty in the United States, the phrase “back to school” is just another reminder […]
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 […]
Virginia Woman Sends Help and Gifts to Young Kentucky Friend
Sponsors have special bonds with their sponsored children
We arrived in Jackson, Kentucky on Wednesday and caught up with some of the kids at LBJ Elementary School. The children here seem like typical kids. Some are shy, some are rambunctious, but each has faced incredible hardship in their short lives. Jackson is one of the poorest cities in the state. Several have lost one or both parents to the rampant drug epidemic in the region and live with a single parent, grandparents or […]
The Hidden Face of Americana
Looking at our work at our affiliated projects in Eastern Kentucky
Bolivia is still fresh in my mind as we head out on I-64 to get to our next destination: Williamsburg, Kentucky. I am joined this time by Shelley Oxenham, who manages relationships with all of our U.S. volunteer coordinators. Shelley has worked for Children Incorporated for eight years. She works closely with our volunteers and has watched many of the children we serve grow up and graduate. One of the great things about a road […]