Tag Archives: Children Incorporated

Children Incorporated | February 24, 2025En Español

Our volunteer coordinator, Tonia, at Sparta Elementary School in North Carolina, recently wrote to us to express how awesome she thinks you, our loyal sponsors and donors, are for the support you provide for children at her school.

Tonia’s Letter

“Because of the financial support our students have received from their sponsors, I have been able to purchase clothes, book bags, school supplies, and toiletries throughout the school year. It is so exciting and rewarding to see the Children Incorporated students’ smiling faces as they come to school with new outfits. The students make sure to come by and show us. It is also so important that I am able to buy the students much-needed soap, shampoo, deodorant, toothbrushes, and toothpaste that they would otherwise not have.

Thanks to you, we have been able to provide funding for ongoing Hurricane Helene emergency relief supplies for students and families — and so much more!

We are so fortunate to have such loving and caring sponsors who correspond with our students and encourage them in a positive way. The sponsors write letters and send coloring sheets, stickers, and cards, which are such fun surprises for the kids! Some of our sponsors even send special gifts for holidays, and seeing the excitement from the children is so awesome. The kids get very excited when they receive mail from their sponsors and are always ready and willing to write their sponsors a nice thank you note.

Thanks to sponsors, students were also able to purchase books at the book fair and go on a field trip to the Outer Banks this past year! The look on their faces when they were told they didn’t have to pay the fee for the trip was priceless. We very much appreciate the Children Incorporated program!”

your impact through hope in action

Sponsorship is one of many ways you help impoverished children every month. Additionally, thanks to contributions to our Hope In Action Fund in the last month, we have been able to:

– Provide funds to purchase desks for students at the Bethel School in Guatemala
– Provide funds to purchase mattresses for children in our sponsorship program at the Recanto Esperanca Center in Brazil
– Provide funds to purchase bakery equipment for a skills training program at CARITAS-Novo Milenio Center in Brazil
– Provide funds to purchase water storage tanks for the Santa Rosa School in Bolivia so students have access to potable water
– Provide funds to purchase meals for 30 students for a month at Santa Isabel Seton in Guatemala
– Provide funding for ongoing Hurricane Helene emergency relief supplies for students and families at Mitchell High School in North Carolina
– Provide funds for an evening literacy program for students and their parents at Bevins Elementary School in Kentucky
– Provide funds to purchase educational tablets for students at Whitesburg Middle School in Kentucky
– Provide funds to purchase hygiene items for students at Phillis Wheatley Community School in New Orleans, Louisiana
– Provide funding to purchase meals for 100 children at the St. John’s Community Center in Kenya

…and so much more! Thank you to our supporters for all that you do! We couldn’t do our life-changing work without you.

***

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 in that is available for sponsorship.

SPONSOR A CHILD

Shelley Callahan | February 18, 2025En Español

After four wonderful visits to our affiliated sites in New Orleans, I couldn’t believe our trip was coming to an end as we arrived at our fifth and final school, Samuel J. Green Charter School. As we had done with all of our other visits, Maria met Shayne, Renée, Kristen, and me in front of Samuel Green before we entered.

As we made our way down the walkway, Renée noticed that the name Samuel J. Green Junior High School was carved into the building above the entrance, and commented to Shayne that it was so cool that the name of the original school was the same, even after the charter school system had been put in place so many years ago.

Our final school visit

Shayne agreed, telling us that it was unusual in New Orleans for schools to maintain their original names. It was also common for many charter schools to change their names multiple times, so this was indeed a special circumstance of Samuel Green remaining its namesake. Unlike some of the other schools we had visited as well, Samuel J. Green was not a newer school, and had some of the classic charm of an older, more established school building.

We all entered the school and checked in at the front desk, and then were greeted by our volunteer coordinator, Theressa, who escorted us to her office and resource center, where we chatted for a bit about the school and our sponsorship program.

Samuel Green is located in the Freret Corridor of New Orleans and serves students from all over the city from pre-kindergarten through 8th grade. Theressa told us she loves the Children Incorporated program and the sponsors, and it is a delight to help the kids at her school. As with our other schools, she said that affording uniforms is the biggest issue for families with kids at Samuel Green. The uniforms cost roughly $60 each for pants or a skirt and a top, and some kids only have one uniform for all 180 school days in a calendar year. With sponsorship funds, Theressa is able to help ensure students have multiple uniforms, other clothing items such as jackets and long pants for colder months, and hygiene items and school supplies.

Theressa mentioned that the school also has a weekend feeding program for students so they don’t go hungry. Renée encouraged her to apply for our Hope In Action grant program to receive additional support for the feeding program or other needs that sponsored children might have, such as bedding or mattresses for their homes.

With sponsorship funds, Theressa is able to help ensure students have multiple uniforms, other clothing items such as jackets and long pants for colder months, and hygiene items and school supplies.

An edible garden to remember

Once we finished our meeting, Theressa brought in two of our sponsored children for us to meet, and then we took a tour of the school. We visited a few classrooms, the gym and cafeteria, and the cooking classroom where a group of students had just finished making guacamole with ingredients they had grown at the school.

Then Theressa led us outside, where I was stunned to see a vast garden filled with produce that the children helped maintain, and then used the vegetables and herbs to make food in their cooking class! This edible garden project, as Theressa described, was a huge success at the school, and something they were very proud to have as it not only taught children valuable skills like gardening and cooking, but allowed them to be outside and use their hands while learning, which can offer a good break from classroom learning.

As Theressa took us back to the front of the school, it was bittersweet to say goodbye to her and then to Shayne and Maria, who had been such wonderful hosts during our few days in New Orleans. Although our trip was coming to a conclusion, I couldn’t wait to get back to the Children Incorporated office to share stories, photos, and videos with our staff and our sponsors about all the fantastic work we are doing in the Big Easy, all thanks to the generosity of amazing donors.

***

How do I sponsor a child with Children Incorporated?

SPONSOR A CHILD

Shelley Callahan | February 10, 2025

Our first day visiting our affiliated sites in New Orleans was a huge success and so much fun, and I woke up on the second and final day of our trip excited for what the day had in store for us. Just as we had done the previous morning, Shayne picked up Renée, Kris, and me at our hotel, and we drove with her to our first school, the Phillis Wheatley Community School, where we met Maria out front before going in to meet with our coordinator.

According to Odina, a lot of the ways she is able to look out for the best interests of the students are largely thanks to Children Incorporated sponsors.

Getting to Know phillis Wheatley

Phillis Wheatley Community School is located in the Tremé neighborhood of New Orleans and has around 750 children enrolled. As a charter school, like the other charter schools in the city, children can come from any area of New Orleans to attend Phillis Wheatley, and the city school buses will offer transportation to students no matter where they are located.

The school is named after Phillis Wheatley, who is considered the first African American author of a published book of poetry in America. Born in West Africa, she was sold into slavery at the age of eight and brought to Boston, where she learned to read and write and eventually became a poet.

After we checked in at the front office, we were greeted by Odina, our volunteer coordinator, who took us to her office to discuss our sponsorship program and hear more about the particular needs of the students at her school. Odina explained to us that even though New Orleans is in the South and bouts of cold weather are limited, the need for warm clothing is still her greatest need and the area in which our sponsors help children the most.

It’s not just that the children don’t have warm clothing, Odina explained, but it is that when the weather does turn cold, the children stay home from school because of the lack of warm coats, long pants, or proper shoes. This exacerbates a problem that is already present with her students, which is with attendance. Living in poverty, as Odina described to us, already creates a lot of obstacles for students attending school regularly, so being able to help children overcome the barrier of not having adequate clothing is such a blessing.

Even though New Orleans is in the South and bouts of cold weather are limited, the need for warm clothing is still her greatest need and the area in which our sponsors help children the most.

Helping Parents in Need

As we continued to talk with Odina, she mentioned that one of the other things she feels she could use help with is getting parents involved in their children’s education, especially for those guardians and caretakers who suddenly become parents in emergencies.

Renée mentioned that our Hope In Action grant program could help with parenting classes. She described a program in Kentucky that we support called “Grandparents As Parents,” which helps older adults cope with taking care of young children and helping them understand positive means of supporting them in school and at home.

After our meeting, Odina took us on a tour of the school, where we met with some of our sponsored children in the hallways between classes. The children were happy to take photos with Odina, and it was apparent they thought a lot of her as not only a staff member at the school but as someone who looked out for them and their best interests. And, according to Odina, a lot of the ways she is able to look out for the best interests of the students are largely thanks to Children Incorporated sponsors.

***

How do I sponsor a child with Children Incorporated?

SPONSOR A CHILD

Children Incorporated | January 29, 2025

Our volunteer coordinator, Heather, at Viper Elementary School in Kentucky, wrote to us to thank our sponsors, who were, and always are, especially a big help during the holiday season:

“Children Incorporated has been such a blessing for all sponsored students. Specifically, at Christmas, there was an abundance of students needing assistance this past year. I never have to worry about my Children Incorporated sponsored children getting help. I am blessed to have the funds to care for all of their desires and immediate needs. Parents know the funds are here when they need support, so they don’t hesitate to reach out if their child has outgrown a pair of shoes or if it is a change of season and the children need new clothes.”

“Not only me but the parents of these students will forever be grateful for the blessings Children Incorporated brings us.”

“One particular parent couldn’t thank me and Children Incorporated enough for not only the sponsor providing funding but for allowing her daughter to pick out her own clothes and what she liked and would actually wear. Another parent remarked on how her child’s day was made after receiving the new clothes and shoes she picked out and the positive impact this program had on the whole family. Not only me but the parents of these students will forever be grateful for the blessings Children Incorporated brings us.”

your impact through hope in action

Sponsorship is one of many ways you help impoverished children every month. Additionally, thanks to contributions to our Hope In Action Fund in the last month, we have been able to:

– Provide funds to replenish the food pantry for children and their families at Westover Hills Elementary School in Virginia
– Provide funds to purchase hygiene ties and household supplies for a family in an emergency at Foundation Preparatory Academy in Louisiana
– Provide funds to purchase nutritious meals for 30 students at the Dandora Center in Kenya for one month
– Provide funds to purchase daily meals for 100 students at the St. John’s Community Center in Kenya for one month
– Provide funds to purchase nutritious meals for 25 students at Kids’ Hope in Ethiopia for one month
– Provide funding to purchase nutritious meals for 25 students for one month at the Fortune Children’s Center in the Philippines
– Provide funds to replenish the food pantry at River City Middle School in Virginia
– Provide funds to purchase meals for 30 students at Santa Isabel Ana Seton in Guatemala for a month
– Provide funds to purchase a basic washer and dryer for a family in need with a student who attends May Valley Elementary School in Kentucky
– Provide funding to purchase bedding, bed frames, and mattresses for two students at Wrigley Elementary School in Kentucky

…and so much more! Thank you to our supporters for all that you do! We couldn’t do our life-changing work without you.

***

How do I sponsor a child with Children Incorporated?

SPONSOR A CHILD

Children Incorporated | January 13, 2025

Beyond sponsoring a child, several other ways to support our work exist. Two of the most important ways we need your support is by either becoming an ambassador for our organization or hosting a fundraising event. Both of these important volunteer opportunities offer you, as a supporter, a way to get involved in our work with no or limited financial commitment and greatly help children in need around the world.

Become an aMbassador

One way Children Incorporated has grown as an organization over the last 60 years is through our current sponsors and donors, who share information about our sponsorship programs with their families and friends as ambassadors of our work.

If you have any other questions about how you can get involved in our work, please contact us today!

We have an abundance of informational materials that we are happy to share with you as well if you are interested in becoming an ambassador for our organization. As an ambassador, we ask that you be engaged with our activities and campaigns and show a strong commitment to our cause and a willingness to advocate for our work with a broad and active social network.

Please contact us today to request an informational packet or visit our Accountability Page for more information about our organization that you can share with others.

Host a Fundraiser

Additionally, if you would like to host a fundraiser for our organization, that would be much appreciated. If you would like to host a fundraiser for Children Incorporated, please get in touch with us today for information and support. Here are a few fundraising event ideas that can either be in person or online:

Host an auction
Peer-to-peer fundraising through an online platform such as GiveButter
Ask a local restaurant to donate a portion of sales to Children Incorporated
Host a Trivia Night
Host a Golf Tournament
Host a 5K Run
Host a bike ride
Host a film screening
Host a concert
Host a bakesale- And so much more!

If you have any other questions about how you can get involved in our work, please contact us today! We would be happy to discuss the many ways in which you can support our work beyond sponsorship.

***

How do I sponsor a child with Children Incorporated?

SPONSOR A CHILD

Shelley Callahan | January 12, 2025En Español

Renée Kube, Kristen Walthall, and I arrived in New Orleans on a Tuesday afternoon in early December 2024 with the plan to visit our five affiliated sites over the next two days. In New Orleans, Children Incorporated partners directly with Communities in Schools (CIS) Gulf South to help implement our sponsorship program within the local schools, and their Chief Program Officer, Shayne, graciously offered to pick us up and be our tour guide for the few days we would be visiting.

For families living in poverty, this also meant that they could choose which schools to send their children to and were no longer beholden to the school districts in which they lived.

After getting a restful night’s sleep, we woke early on Wednesday morning, ready to meet Shayne outside our hotel to take us to our first school — the Arthur Ashe Charter School. All of our affiliations in New Orleans are charter schools, and in fact, the city is the only one in the country with an entire charter school system in place. While taking the short drive to the school, I took the opportunity to ask Shayne more about the charter school system and how she understood it as being different than the public school system that many of us were more familiar with.

Understanding the Charter School System

Shayne explained that after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, with 90% of public schools destroyed and the city in shambles, it was decided by the State of Louisiana Board of Education that the city of New Orleans would work under the charter school system to address the issue of poor school performance and the lack of trust that many citizens had in how the public schools had been operating before the hurricane.

It was a fresh start for the city’s schools — a way in which to recreate the way the whole city felt about the education system — one in which the schools were autonomous in decision making, yet still publicly funded. For families living in poverty, this also meant that they could choose which schools to send their children to and were no longer restricted to the school districts in which they lived. According to Shayne, when enrolling their children, parents choose their top three schools, and there is an application process for their child to be selected. No matter where the child lives, regardless of how far away, the school provides transportation for that student, which is a huge barrier for parents who already have a difficult time making ends meet.

Getting to Meet with Jamila

When we arrived at the school, located in a quiet Gentilly neighborhood, we met with Maria, the Executive Assistant for Communities In Schools Gulf South, who was waiting outside for us. Maria works closely with Shayne in the CIS Gulf South office and serves as a close liaison between Children Incorporated and the individual volunteer coordinators at each of our affiliated schools in New Orleans. We greeted Maria warmly, and all made our way inside.

Jamila (center) is pictured with Arthur Ashe Charter School staff members Caroline (left) and Kylan (right) during our visit.

Once checked in at the front office and then met Jamila, our volunteer coordinator at the school, who is in charge of enrolling our sponsored children at Arthur Ashe and reporting back to Renee and Kris about how sponsorship funds are really helping kids at her schools. We made our way to Jamila’s office, which is also the resource center for the school and a place where children can also come to receive emotional and physiological support when they are having a tough time at school. Basic needs support is also provided as needed, which is where our amazing sponsors make such a difference.

How Our Sponsors Are Helping

Jamila explained to us that the school has two counselors and a social worker at all times since many of the children in attendance were from impoverished households and faced daily challenges going without their basic needs met. She is incredibly grateful for our sponsors and says that the biggest help to the kids is with winter clothes like long pants and jackets for the students, household items, and hygiene items. See also buys bed sheets and linens for the students as needed, which many of them would go without if it weren’t for Children Incorporated funds.

After talking with Jamila, we had a chance to meet a few of our sponsored children briefly, as we didn’t want to keep them from their classwork for too long, and then we took a tour of the school. We visited a few classrooms, as well as the library and school kitchen, where students had the chance to cook their own food and learn skills that they could use at home and in the classroom.

I was so impressed with how nice the school was — bright, clean and modern — and I couldn’t wait for our other visits coming up later in the day and the next. Now that I was starting to understand the charter school system and had the chance to visit a charter school for the first time, I was excited to hear from our other volunteer coordinators about how our sponsors were helping each of their unique schools in this truly unique city.

***

How do I sponsor a child with Children Incorporated?

SPONSOR A CHILD