Tag Archives: education

Shelley Callahan | January 12, 2021En Español

When Norah Quinn McCormick reached out to us in the New Year about sponsoring a child, she told us a heartfelt story about how her grandmother first got involved with our work many years ago, largely due to the fact that she grew up in Appalachia and “never forgot where she came from,” and why now Norah wants to carry on the legacy of helping children in need.

To hear more about Norah’s story, we hosted a virtual interview with Norah in which we found out about her, her grandmother, and how they both came to believe in the power of sponsorship.

To hear more about Norah’s story, we hosted a virtual interview with her in which we found out about Norah, her grandmother, and how they both came to believe in the power of sponsorship.

SC: Where do you live and what do you do for work?

NM: I live in Washington, D.C. and work as a fundraiser for the College of Arts and Humanities at the University of Maryland.

SC: How did you first find out about Children Incorporated?

NM: My Granny, Bonnie Hobbs Barron, sponsored children for as long as I can remember. I used to see pictures of sponsored children on her refrigerator. I also remember my mom sponsoring a child shortly after my Granny passed away.

SC: Can you tell us more about your grandmother?

Norah’s grandmother, Bonnie Hobbs Barron

NM: My Granny, Bonnie Hobbs Barron, was born near Big Stone Gap in Wise County, Virginia in 1916. She grew up in a one-room log cabin without plumbing or electricity. As a child, she owned only one dress and one pair of shoes, and occasionally had to offer labor in exchange for food. Her father passed away when she was 6, and she often had to take care of her two younger siblings. She was orphaned by the age of 15, and unable to finish high school until the age of 21.

After high school, she worked as a housekeeper and caregiver for a family in Norton, until she married my grandfather in 1941. My grandfather benefitted from his participation in the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), as well as through military service, and had a job opportunity in Washington, D.C. They relocated and eventually settled in Mount Rainier, Maryland, where they raised five children. My Granny lived to be 89 years old and passed away in 2006. However, she never forgot where she came from in Appalachia.

SC: It sounds like your grandmother had a great understanding of the poverty that people often face in Appalachia from her time there – how did that shape her life?

NM: My Granny had a personal understanding of poverty, and as a result she never took anything for granted. Despite all the hardships she faced, she counted her blessings every day. I never knew my Granny to show bitterness over her circumstances, and she often expressed gratitude to have another day of life ahead of her.

I think her impoverished childhood inspired her to provide as many opportunities as she could for her own children. She worked very hard to take care of her family, and was proud of everything that her children and grandchildren accomplished. My Granny also had a strong faith, and believed in helping others. She was always willing to give to people in need, perhaps in part because she knew what it was like to live without.

SC: What about sponsoring a child was important for your grandmother — and now for you?

NM: Unfortunately, I was never able to ask my Granny why sponsoring a child was important for her. However, since she personally knew the challenges of growing up impoverished in Appalachia, I have to imagine she wanted to provide opportunities for children in similar circumstances. She knew how difficult her own childhood was, and she likely wanted to help create a bright future for other children in need.

I would encourage future sponsors to consider everything they have in their own life. Who and what helped get you to where you are today?

As for me, I have been reflecting on my own philanthropic priorities as we begin 2021. So many people struggle for basic necessities — food, clothing, shelter, access to education, employment, and healthcare. While this is true across the United States and internationally, my family has a personal connection to the poverty that people face in Appalachia. I hope to give back to impoverished children in Appalachia, so they can lead healthy and fulfilling lives without the burden of struggling to meet basic needs.

SC: As a sponsor, what would you say to someone who was considering sponsoring a child?

NM: I would encourage a future sponsor to consider everything you have in your own life. Who and what helped get you to where you are today? Not everyone is as fortunate to be granted basic resources to lead a healthy and fulfilling life. You have an opportunity to give back, and to help make a difference in the lives of others.

Philanthropy translates roughly to “love of humankind,” and it can be expressed through sharing time, talent, and treasure with others. If you have the financial resources to sponsor a child, you will be supporting a child’s basic needs while expressing your love for humankind. The children of this world need our love, care, and commitment, perhaps now more than ever.

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HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD?

You can sponsor a child with Children Incorporated 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.

SPONSOR A CHILD

Shelley Callahan | January 11, 2021En Español

Our sponsors and donors are often the only reason children in our program receive holiday gifts and for that, we are incredibly grateful — especially after an exceptionally difficult year for kids around the world.

After receiving photos and stories from our volunteer coordinators about how much the Christmas gifts you provided meant to children living in poverty, we wanted to share with you some of their heartfelt thanks for the gratitude you show through your sponsorships.

After receiving photos and stories from our volunteer coordinators about how much the Christmas gifts you provided meant to children living in poverty, we wanted to share with you some of their heartfelt thanks for the gratitude you show through your sponsorships.

Thank you from New Mexico

“Even though shopping for the children in the Children Incorporated program became difficult due to the pandemic and lockdown on the Navajo Nation, we were able to have the kids order from our virtual book fair for the holidays. We also placed an order from Teach the Children Educational Supply Co. for educational board games for them to take home. We also ordered containers filled with school supplies they can use starting in January. Teach the Children is so awesome and helpful that they mark each container with the students’ names, and we don’t have to do much except distribute! The kids also received toys and a treat bag. All of these gifts will allow the children to spend safe quality time at home. We will also have our children on the program to shop at our small local Farmer’s Market for the holidays for food items.”

We are very grateful to our sponsors.

Phyllis and Karen
Dzilth Community School
New Mexico

Happy Holidays from Kentucky

Our sponsored children are so thankful to have received Christmas gifts in December.

“Thank you for all the support you give our children. You are our backbone. We couldn’t survive without Children Incorporated. Merry Christmas to all Children Incorporated staff and sponsors!”

Sandy
Beaver Creek Elementary School
Knott County, Kentucky

Wishing a Merry Christmas in Lebanon

“Dear Friends,

Greetings from Lebanon! We will never forget 2020, the year that has been and still is full of challenges in Lebanon and the world.

We are very thankful for all Father Andeweg Institute for the Deaf (FAID) friends and supporters who were so generous and did not hesitate to give FAID a helping hand in this difficult time. Through your generosity, FAID was able to support our students’ families with food parcels, hygiene items, voucher gifts to buy from the market and transportation allowance for the most-needy students. The most important support was the love and care towards FAID and its mission.

Despite the restrictions due to COVID-19, we have been able to offer a full timetable and lots of extracurricular activities, keeping our pupils learning, socializing and safe. We all had a chance to evaluate just what FAID means to each of us.

We are forever indebted to our wonderful staff that developed skills overnight to take on a high-quality home learning experience.”

Gladys
The Father Andweg Institute for the Deaf
Beirut, Lebanon

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How do I sponsor a child?

SPONSOR A CHILD

Shelley Callahan | December 10, 2020

Dear Friends,

We all know that 2020 has been an extremely difficult year. Natural disasters and protests, rioting, and unrest in the streets were rampant all around the world, and in the U.S., we endured an especially contentious election. On top of all that, there was a COVID-19 outbreak. We were all tested to our limits this year, and I have heard more than a few folks express their hope that 2021 will be quite different.

Many of the children enrolled in the Children Incorporated sponsorship program dream, anticipate, and hope for brighter days, and our organization helps their hopes and dreams become reality for them.

I, for one, choose to anticipate better days ahead. In the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, South Pacific, the lead character, Nellie Forbush, performs a song entitled “A Cock-Eyed Optimist.” Therein, Nellie proclaims that she is “stuck like a dope with a thing called hope” that she cannot get out of her heart. If only more people were like this character, dreaming, anticipating, and hoping for brighter days, well, the world would be a much kinder place.

Many of the children enrolled in the Children Incorporated sponsorship program dream, anticipate, and hope for brighter days, and our organization helps their hopes and dreams become reality for them.

The poverty that encircles the children in our program can be crippling, and it is easy for them — both the children we serve and their parents and guardians — to lose hope for better days ahead, yet Children Incorporated is always working to keep that hope alive. You would simply be amazed at what a warm jacket can mean to a West Virginian child in the dead of winter, or what a new pair of shoes can mean to a child in India as he or she walks miles each way, to and from school, on a daily basis. The importance of a backpack full of food, to get a child and family in Eastern Kentucky through a long otherwise foodless weekend, cannot be underestimated, nor can the significance of a bag of rice, beans, or flour for a child and family in Guatemala.

The scope of our work is vast and broad. From the simple things mentioned above to much larger offerings, Children Incorporated works to keep hope alive and to offer opportunities to those whose lives can be quite difficult. We provide resources for education and learning, such as laptops and iPads, school books, and even desks, as well as training to better equip young people for careers once they graduate from high school. We realize that keeping hope alive matters greatly.

I am asking that you consider making an important donation to our Annual Fund so that together, we can continue our work in 2021.

I know the value of our work. I’ve seen it first-hand. I’ve talked to parents whose appreciation is heart-deep, and I have looked into the eyes of children and young people and listened as they have raved about the support they receive from their sponsors. I’ve met with our wonderful volunteer coordinators and heard them share what the support we offer, by way of loyal sponsors and donors like you, means to the children and families they serve, as well as to the communities in which they live and work. For these reasons, I am asking that you consider making an important donation to our Annual Fund so that together, we can continue our work in 2021.

Nellie Forbush, the character in South Pacific that I mentioned earlier, was “stuck like a dope with a thing called hope,” and so am I. Beyond that, I am blessed to see hope being kept alive and dreams being made reality through the simple caring of so many good people who care, and care deeply. You are those people, and I sincerely thank you for supporting Children Incorporated’s work and for the possibilities that we, together, are providing to many children.

From the heart,

Ronald H. Carter
President and CEO
Children Incorporated

DONATE TO OUR ANNUAL FUND

Shelley Callahan | October 11, 2020

We are pleased to share with you our 2020 Fall Newsletter! Thank you for support children in need around the world during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Amidst school closures across the U.S. this past spring due to COVID-19 lockdowns, our concern turned to how to best help children who are already living in vulnerable situations.

Fighting Against Hunger During the Pandemic

Amidst school closures across the U.S. this past spring due to COVID-19 lockdowns, our concern turned to how to best help children who are already living in vulnerable situations.

Many children in our program rely on school lunches and on our Backpack Feeding Program to ensure they are receiving adequate meals throughout the day and on the weekends. Without the support they receive at school, they risk facing hunger at home.

Children in Guatemala have been receiving food thanks to donations from our amazing donors.

Thankfully, because of our sponsors and donors, and the hard work of our volunteer coordinators in the U.S., students continued to receive food through the spring and into the summer and fall.

Thank you for all that you do to help children in need!

Our Response to COVID-19 in Guatemala

We are grateful for the support that our sponsors and donors are providing to families in Guatemala — and all over the world — through donations to our COVID-19 Response Fund.

Thanks to you, our affiliated projects in Guatemala have been able to purchase food, hygiene items, and other necessities for children and their families during the pandemic. This help is crucial for Guatemalans at this time, as our Director of International Programs, Luis Bourdet, explains:

“Almost half of the population in Guatemala are low-income earners, and the percentage of people receiving aid is minimal. No one having an income above the minimum wage of about US $220 a month has received any government support.”

We are grateful for your vital support during the COVID-19 crisis — we couldn’t provide life-changing support to children in need without your help.

Alleviated Suffering in Bolivia During a Difficult Time

We heard from our volunteer coordinator at our affiliated project, Cristo de Rey in Bolivia, about the support our donors are providing to children and their families during the COVID-19 outbreak:

Protective and hygiene items have been just some of the supplies children have received during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Good afternoon! I want to inform you that the Children Incorporated program is supporting children with the distribution of food and hygiene items.

The situation of the pandemic in Bolivia is very complicated. Families suffer a lot because they are people with very low resources. They generally live on what they earned from what little they sell. Now it is forbidden to go out to sell and they have nothing to subsist on. As you can imagine, the families are very grateful for the help and support they received. Thank you for your help!”

Children Incorporated Happenings

*The Children Incorporated family mourns the loss of George Saunders, a long-time employee who passed away on June 6, 2020. Mr. Saunders served as our accountant and bookkeeper for a period of 27 years, prior to his retirement in 2009. He maintained close contact with Children Incorporated in the years that followed, often attending employee functions, as well as sponsoring children. He will be greatly missed.

*Our Board of Directors welcomed three new members in May. Mr. Wayne Huggins, Ms. Salley Mountcastle, and Dr. Theresa Steward will now work alongside our seven existing members in supporting the work of our organization as we strive to improve the lives of children and families, both in the U.S. and abroad.

*Children Incorporated has once again been awarded 4 Out of 4 Stars by Charity Navigator. This is the fifth consecutive time that our organization has received this honor.

Children Incorporated has once again been awarded 4 Out of 4 Stars by Charity Navigator. This is the fifth consecutive time that our organization has received this honor.

*We would like to send congratulations to our long-time sponsor, Rosanne Cash, who has been selected to receive the prestigious 61st Annual Edward McDowell Medal. The award, which has previously gone to such luminaries as Aaron Copeland, Stephen Sondheim, Leonard Berstein, and Georgia O-Keefe, honors artists who have made outstanding contributions to American culture, as Rosanne surely has through her music and compositions. We thank Rosanne for sponsoring children and changing lives through her support of our organization, now for thirty years and counting.

*Children Incorporated continues to work towards expanding our sponsorship program to include projects in Puerto Rico, but due to the COVID-19 outbreak, plans have been postponed. We remain committed to getting the program off the ground as soon as possible and continuing our work on the island, which has been hard hit by natural disasters. If you would like to be added to our waiting list of those who wish to sponsor a Puerto Rican child, please contact us today. We will share further details about our work in Puerto Rico as it becomes available.

READ THE FULL NEWSLETTER

Shelley Callahan | September 20, 2020

Our sponsors are incredibly important to us, and we consider each and every one of them to be a part of the Children Incorporated family. We cherish what these caring individuals are able to do for their sponsored children not only during their lifetimes, but after as well.

Today we share stories of two of our very special sponsors who passed away this year and were able to continue to help children in need through legacy giving with our organization.

Today we share stories of two of our very special sponsors who passed away this year and were able to continue to help children in need through legacy giving with our organization.

Committed to helping

Ms. Norma J. Henkle, of Rhinelander, Wisconsin, passed away in March. Ms. Henkle had been a sponsor since January 1995. She had sponsored twenty-two children in the 25 years she was a sponsor with our organization. She was very loyal to the children she sponsored, always sending them birthday and holiday gifts.

Ms. Henkle was born and raised on a small family farm south of Rhinelander where she lived her entire life. She never married and never had children. She lived a frugal lifestyle and invested her money wisely. As a result, she was able to accumulate a sizable estate. At her death, her life savings was divided among ten charitable organizations that she loved and supported over the years. Children Incorporated was one of them. Ms. Henkle’s gift was a little over $200,000 which will go towards supporting some of the most impoverished children in the world for decades to come.

Continuing to help Sarah

Pauline Brooks was from Richmond, Virginia. Although she had only been sponsoring with Children Incorporated for four years, she loved our organization as much as any other sponsor.

Legacy giving often means that our sponsors can continue to help their sponsored children beyond their lifetimes.

Since she became a sponsor, Ms. Brooks had been sponsoring the same little girl, Sarah*, from Kentucky, and she adored the child. Ms. Brooks always sent extra gifts for Sarah, as well as supported our Warm Clothing Fund, Shoes and Socks Fund, and International Feeding Program as her way of helping other children in need in our program.

Upon her passing over the summer, Ms. Brooks’ daughter decided to have monetary gifts in her memory sent to Children Incorporated to be used to continue Sarah’s sponsorship. So far, the memorial fund has raised over $1000, which will cover Sarah’s sponsorship for an additional three years — three years beyond Ms.Brooks’ life — and will carry her through her middle school years.

*Name changed to protect the child.

The power of legacy giving

No donation is too big or too small when it comes to determining how to leave a legacy with Children Incorporated. We are humbled that our dear sponsors are so passionate about our work that they would take the time to plan how they want to continue giving beyond their lifetime, knowing that they can rest assured that we will continue our work providing for children living in poverty in their name.

How can you leave a legacy gift with Children Incorporated?

By creating a legacy, you are making a significant contribution to the future sustainability of the work that is meaningful to you. If you are considering leaving a legacy gift to Children Incorporated when you are evaluating your personal, family, and financial needs, as well as your long-term charitable giving, we here to offer support. There are different options for legacy gifts, and they may provide significant tax benefits. Contact us today or read more below to find out more about leaving a legacy giving with Children Incorporated.

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Shelley Callahan | September 13, 2020En Español

Last year, Children Incorporated Director of International Programs, Luis Bourdet, and Director of Development, Shelley Callahan, visited our affiliated project, the Centro de Orientacion, in Manizales, Colombia.

“It was terrifying to think that these children and their mother lived in such an unsafe place,” said Callahan.

During their trip, they met with a family of two of our sponsored children who were living in a difficult and dangerous situation — and one from which they desperately wanted to escape.

“The home was in terrible condition. The children showed us a hole in the floor where the shack flooded every time it rained. They were at risk of the entire structure being destroyed in the rain. It was terrifying to think that these children and their mother lived in such an unsafe place,” said Callahan.

“When we returned to the United States, Luis spoke with our volunteer coordinator, Pilar, at Centro de Orientacion, to find out if the home could be repaired. She came back to him with the news that it couldn’t because the family didn’t own the property and therefore couldn’t make improvements on it. We were sure at the time there was nothing that we as an organization could do help improve their home.”

“What we didn’t realize at the time, is that Pilar was determined to get this family out of [harm’s way]. She contacted the local government to find out about housing options for the family, and within a few months, they were able to move. Once they relocated, Children Incorporated was able to provide support with household items as well as funding for some smaller necessary items so they could enjoy their new and safe home.”

About Colombia

Situated in the northwestern corner of South America, Colombia is rich in natural beauty, comprising rugged Andean mountains, lowland plains, sprawling Amazon rainforest, and coastline on both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Archeological evidence suggests that humans have called this land home for thousands of years. Its modern history begins at the end of the fifteenth century, when Christopher Columbus and the first Spanish explorers arrived in the region, subsequently establishing the area’s first successful Spanish settlement in 1508. Spanish colonization continued for over 400 years.

In the mid-nineteenth century, Colombia gained its independence and established itself as South America’s first constitutional government. However, political instability in the mid-to-late-twentieth century led to the uprising of guerilla groups which have wreaked havoc through all manner of social injustice. Tragically, their targets are most often children. Kidnappings, human trafficking, recruitment as soldiers into paramilitary groups, and forcible participation in drug-trafficking rings are all too common realities for vulnerable and disadvantaged children in Colombia.

Kidnappings, human trafficking, recruitment as soldiers into paramilitary groups, and forcible participation in drug-trafficking rings are all too common realities for vulnerable and disadvantaged children in Colombia.

About Our affiliated projects

Rondon Center
Bogotá, Colombia

The Rondon Center serves as a beacon of hope to the surrounding community in Bogotá. The center’s mission is to provide a safe environment for the children of working mothers. By looking after the children’s immediate needs while providing the foundation for a brighter future, the center helps deserving families rise above the difficult circumstances from which they come.

Centro Primavera
Medellín, Colombia

Located in the large, industrial city of Medellín, Centro Primavera fills multiple roles, serving as a daycare and an afterschool enrichment center. While children receive nutritious food, medical care, and skills training, working mothers savor the peace of mind knowing that their children are safe, well cared for, and receiving the guidance and encouragement they need to become productive citizens.

Centro de Orientación
Manizales, Colombia

Centro de Orientación offers a source of hope in the large, central-highland city of Manizales. Established by an order of nuns, the center offers a place of protection and safety for impoverished mothers and their children. The facility functions as a community center to rehabilitate mothers who have fallen victim to the ravages of poverty, while helping their children become mature, confident, and educated young adults.

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HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD IN COLOMBIA?

You can sponsor a child in Colombia 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 donation portal, create an account, and search for a child in Colombia that is available for sponsorship.

SPONSOR A CHILD