coal country Archives - Page 9 of 9 - Children Incorporated

It goes without saying that our Hope In Action Fund, which allows Children Incorporated to provide for sponsored children and their families in emergency and special circumstances, comes to the rescue quite often. Whether funds go to purchasing cleaning supplies after families have been affected by flooding, or to replacing a pair of eyeglasses when a child falls and breaks them on the playground, Hope In Action is such an important part of how Children Incorporated helps beyond sponsorship.

When Renée Kube, our Director of U.S. Programs, was first informed about a particular situation that involved Robert, one of our sponsored children in Eastern Kentucky, she immediately felt touched and called to act.

When Renée Kube, our Director of U.S. Programs, was first informed about a particular situation that involved Robert, one of our sponsored children in Eastern Kentucky, she immediately felt touched and called to act. Robert had lost four teeth in an accident in elementary school, and years later – now a high school freshman in a new school – he was still without those teeth.

Hearing Robert’s Story

Robert met his new Children Incorporated Volunteer Coordinator, Rhonda, for the first time as an incoming freshman student last fall. Rhonda was just getting to know the children who had moved up from the elementary school – it’s a big adjustment to receive all the information about the new sponsored children at the school, and it’s a big responsibility to help them adjust their new academic environment.

Luckily, thanks to our partnering organization in Kentucky, the Family Resource and Youth Services Centers, coordinators just like Rhonda are used to the heavy workload, and they recognize just how important it is to pay attention to each and every child’s special needs – which is exactly what Rhonda did with Robert.

Dental Care_UK Ronald McDonald Care Mobile 2

The Ronald McDonald Dental Care Van of Kentucky

Robert’s elementary school coordinator had been especially close to him, and when she spoke with Rhonda at the beginning of the school year, she expressed that she had a special place in her heart for him. She shared some information about his life at home – and most importantly, about the degree of need that he experiences.

Robert lives with his single father; they had been renting a trailer, but could no longer afford it, and had to move to a very small apartment. Robert’s father is disabled, and his limited disability benefits hardly pay the rent. The father has no transportation, and sometimes struggles to provide food. Furthermore, it wasn’t just the details of his home life that she wanted to share with Rhonda; she also felt it was important to mention that Robert was really self-conscious about his appearance.

She explained that, at some point during elementary school, Robert’s four front teeth had been knocked out, and he was desperately in need of a dental partial plate. At the time of the injury, a dentist had been able to help him recover from losing his teeth. Later, the dentist made an impression for a bridge, which was covered by Robert’s medical insurance – but the insurance does not cover partials or dentures.

When Robert’s father was told the cost of the partial plate, he told the dentist he couldn’t afford it. Years later, when Robert reached high school, he was still without some of his teeth – and he was unwilling to smile or talk to teachers or other students directly, because he was so embarrassed.

“I have heard stories from coordinators about their worries for kids with poor oral health, and about their efforts to bring help – and to encourage available services to be used,” she said.

And it wasn’t just a matter of self-esteem that concerned his elementary school – and now high school – coordinators; his missing teeth were also a health concern. Not restoring missing teeth can lead to several issues down the road. Chewing is obviously affected, but bone loss is especially a worry; when teeth are present and functioning, bone is maintained; so missing teeth can eventually lead to bone loss.

Dental Issues in Eastern Kentucky

Robert’s story was not a first for Kube, who has been working with Children Incorporated for over 32 years now. “I have heard stories from coordinators about their worries for kids with poor oral health, and about their efforts to bring help – and to encourage available services to be used,” she said.

“And it is not just specific to Eastern Kentucky; I would say poor oral health is spread across our country wherever poverty exists. I’ve seen it with urban kids, as well as rural – the combination of cheap soda and a lack of knowledge about brushing, and no access to regular, new toothbrushes and toothpaste play a part,” she continued.

Over the years, there have been a few opportunities for Children Incorporated to help with the occasional specific dental need, such as removing an abscessed tooth. But as Kube says, generally, the coordinators have reached out within their own communities to bring free dental vans sponsored by universities.

A few months after hearing about Robert’s special situation, Kube spoke with Rhonda to see what Robert might like for Christmas. Rhonda told Kube that when she asked him about gifts for the holiday, his response was, “I’ve not had a Christmas at my house in so long, I try not to think of it anymore.”

A SPECIAL CHRISTMAS FOR ROBERT

But thanks to Robert’s wonderful sponsor, for Christmas, he did receive needed items and gifts from the monthly subsidy funds; and Rhonda also included him in another holiday donation from a local church. He had a wonderful Christmas, thanks to these special gifts – but his coordinator still felt that it was important to address his self-consciousness over his appearance, and she really thought that he would have more confidence if he could get his partial plate, and start using it right away.

Robert with his new teeth.

Shortly after winter break was over and the children were back in school, Rhonda reached out to Kube, and asked if Robert could be considered for assistance from the Hope In Action Fund to replace his missing teeth.

Looking Like a Brand New Kid

Kube didn’t waste any time working on the request. By February, just one month after the request had been made, Rhonda received the funds needed to purchase Robert’s dental plate, and she ordered it for him immediately.

Once his plate was ready, Rhonda took pictures of Robert with his new teeth to share with Kube and the Children Incorporated staff, and to also share with his sponsor. Robert showed off his new teeth for the camera with a new plate taking the place of the gaping hole that he had spent so many years trying to hide. Thanks to the Hope In Action Fund, Robert finally has something to smile about.

***

HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD IN Kentucky?

You can sponsor a child in Kentucky by calling our office and speaking with one of our sponsorship specialists at 1-800-538-5381 or emailing us at sponsorship@childrenincorporated.org.

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.

For a long time now, coal has put clothes on the backs and shoes on the feet of generations of Kentucky residents.

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 Coal Fields here in Appalachia, have been the historical centers of what was once an almost guaranteed career for able-bodied Kentuckians. For a long time now, coal has put clothes on the backs and shoes on the feet of generations of Kentucky residents.

Coal mining in Kentucky reached its peak in 1949. Since then, jobs have become more automated and mechanized; and with environmental regulations encouraging the use of cleaner fuels, the industry has been in decline. As a result, mines close. And when big coal companies pull out of a town, it’s nothing short of devastating for families.

Children Incorporated Volunteer Coordinator Terrie Simpkins, who works at Sheldon Clark High School in Martin County, Kentucky, says that the impact on the community has been shattering.

“Families lost their cars and then their homes. Our families have deep ties here, and they waited as long as they could before many gave up, and left for work in other states,” said Terrie.

As in any struggling economic system, less take-home pay means less to spend at gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants, and other local businesses. Those stores close up shop, more jobs are lost, and daily life becomes a struggle. The Appalachian population is in decline, as former miners of Kentucky coal move elsewhere to seek better lives near the cleaner, low sulfur coal mines of Wyoming, the gas fields of North Dakota, or the auto assembly plants of Louisville, Kentucky or Marysville, Ohio.

Some of those who stay do so to care for aging parents; some feel they don’t have the education or training to compete for jobs in other areas of the country; some can’t afford to move; and some simply feel a strong connection to the land they have always known.

Future Generations of Kentuckians Struggle to Stay Afloat

With one or both parents unemployed, one in four children in Kentucky lives in poverty. The last time children in the state faced such dire straits was during the Great Depression.

Many parents find creative ways to bring in a little income with in-home hair salons, doing odd jobs, collecting cans, or chopping wood. But the money that can be earned from these efforts doesn’t put much of a dent in the growing chasm between cost of living and take-home pay. As a result, deep poverty in Kentucky brings its usual sidekicks — addiction, depression, anxiety, and crime. And these ripple effects are lodging themselves deeply within the children of these families, who often lack the basic necessities they need to succeed.

Says Volunteer Coordinator Shana Smith of the children she sees at Hindman Elementary School in Knott County, “Some are being raised by grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins or even unrelated people. There has been a jump in the number of babies born with addictions, which will hurt their development. I have seen a fifth grade child who could scarcely write her first name, and her struggles can be laid at the feet of her mother’s prenatal addiction.”

With one or both parents unemployed, one in four children in Kentucky lives in poverty. The last time children in the state faced such dire straits was during the Great Depression.

“For many of the kids in our program,” says Renée Kube, Director of U.S. Programs for Children Incorporated, “going to school is as big as their world gets.”

Well over 1,000 kids are currently enrolled in Children Incorporated’s Kentucky programs. Volunteer coordinators regularly report that children with warm coats in the winter and shoes that fit are more likely to show up for school. Sponsorship does far more than give children the tangible items they need: the sense that someone, somewhere takes an interest in both their todays and their tomorrows is a confidence boost that can’t be matched.

“It may surprise people to know that sponsorship in Kentucky is not just financial, but also emotional and social,” Kube explains. “The children love hearing from their sponsors – and no matter how short their reply, their correspondence is truly from the heart.”

A Challenging Future for Eastern Kentucky Children

Unfortunately, unemployment isn’t the only fallout from coal’s decline. This year, the state of Kentucky made an announcement that shocked its residents: the amount of money counties expected to receive via tax assessments for unmined coal was dramatically slashed.

Knott County, which took the hardest hit, will have to make do with a $1.5 million shortfall, two-thirds of which had been slated for public schools. Budgets were instantly revised, with school administrators taking deep cuts in personnel, supplies, equipment, and maintenance.

The repercussions of these cuts will be felt for years to come. With more children sponsored in more schools comes the development of future adults on good footing, having had the education and support they need to succeed.

As Eastern Kentucky struggles to find new ways to build a healthy economy, sponsorship ensures these children won’t get lost in the meantime.

***

HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD IN KENTUCKY?

You can sponsor a child in Kentucky by calling our office and speaking with one of our sponsorship specialists at 1-800-538-5381 or by emailing us at sponsorship@childrenincorporated.org.

SPONSOR A CHILD