Tag Archives: education

Shelley Callahan | En Español

Although our affiliated project Dorton Elementary School in Pike County, Kentucky is an older school that has been around since 1929, the staff and administrators there have implemented progressive tactics to ensure that our sponsored and unsponsored children are receiving a well-rounded education that includes learning valuable ethical lessons. On a trip to Pike County to visit with our Volunteer Coordinator Alisa, our Director of U.S. Programs, Renée Kube, was told about the school’s efforts to not only teach children academics, but to also incorporate character education.

“Students spend much of their young lives in classrooms. This time in school is an opportunity to explain and reinforce the core values upon which character is formed.”

What is character education?

According to the U.S. Department of Education, “Character education teaches the habits of thought and deed that help people live and work together as families, friends, neighbors, communities and nations.”

“Character education is a learning process that enables students and adults in a school community to understand, care about and act on core ethical values such as respect, justice, civic virtue and citizenship, and responsibility for self and others. Upon such core values, we form the attitudes and actions that are the hallmark of safe, healthy and informed communities that serve as the foundation of our society.

“Students spend much of their young lives in classrooms. This time in school is an opportunity to explain and reinforce the core values upon which character is formed.”

Thanks to Alisa and the Family Resource Center, Dorton Elementary School has made a commitment to implement character education while students are young, and oftentimes in need of guidance as they develop. For Alisa, who receives very little help to support children living in poverty outside of our sponsorship program, character education allows her to have an impact on students that will help them grow, because they might not otherwise have the opportunity to learn about these important topics.   

Beyond academics

While they were meeting together, Alisa described to Renée exactly how she conducts her character education courses. She explained that many children at the school come from very poor homes. Their parents are often uneducated or absent from their children’s lives due to the rising drug problem in the area; so they aren’t around to teach them valuable ethical lessons.

In order to address these issues, Alisa runs small groups for her elementary students to discuss good manners, kindness, and proper study habits. For the older children in the upper grades, topics such as puberty and bullying are addressed. Alisa also works on drug awareness programs throughout the school year. She hosts a luau in the gym, with a DJ, food, the game cornhole, ping-pong, and other games so that children not only learn about good habits for everyday life, but they also have the chance to put good habits into practice in a fun and safe environment.

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HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD IN KENTUCKY?

You can sponsor a child in Kentucky in one of two ways: call our office at 1-800-538-5381 and speak with one of our staff members, or email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org.

Shelley Callahan | En Español

We are very grateful to regularly receive testimonials from our incredible volunteer coordinators around the world, because they have the opportunity to see first-hand the amazing impact that our sponsors and donors are having on the lives of impoverished children all over the globe. We would like to share a beautiful letter with you from Neil, one of our volunteer coordinators in North Carolina, in which he expresses his gratitude and appreciation for our programs — and more importantly, for our sponsors.

A letter from Neil

Your donations mean so much to our sponsored kids — and our volunteer coordinators.

“Dear Children Incorporated Staff and Sponsors,

“Words seem inadequate as I think about the smiles and heartfelt appreciation my students demonstrate for the gifts and letters they receive from their sponsors. How do I describe the pride a student exhibits as he walks down the hall in a new pair of sneakers? Or the twinkle in our students’ eyes and the voracious manner in which they read letters from their sponsors as they try to imagine far-off places? I do not believe it is possible to describe the gratitude the students, or I, feel for the sponsors. Words are not enough.

“Let me tell you a story about sneakers. There are two boys who come immediately to mind. Life has dealt them a very difficult hand. Both have absentee parents and are being raised by either a grandparent or great-grandparents. While having many excuses to be mad at the world that create waves of pain and anger, both of these young men work diligently to learn as much as they can, follow the rules, and interact with their classmates in a cooperative manner. They come to school and do their very best every day.

“At Christmas, I asked each of them what they would like from their sponsors. Both wanted a pair of Stephen Curry high-top sneakers. I told them I would see what I could do. Because of their sponsors’ monthly funds and additional holiday gifts, I was able to get both boys exactly what they requested. Each of these young men are used to being disappointed, to having promises made to them that are ultimately broken; and to wish for brand-name products, and to get discount brands instead. That is their experience in life.”

‘Thank you’ doesn’t express how much the assistance from Children Incorporated and the sponsors mean to the students and me. Know that it is heartfelt and truly meant.

– Neil

“When they sat down in my office, opened their bags of gifts, and there in their hands were the coolest shoes a kid could get, they were in disbelief; and then they smiled. Tenderly, they pulled their new shoes from the boxes, as if they were plated in gold — and the bright colors dazzled their eyes. One young man looked up to as if to ask if they were really his, and he had to be encouraged to try them on. One asked to wash his hands before he tried them on so he wouldn’t get them dirty.

“The other day, I greeted one of the young men as he was dropped off at school.  The shoes looked almost as good as they did the day he got them. I asked his grandmother about this, and she stated that every day when he comes home from school, he takes off his shoes, washes them, and puts them away. He told her that he has to take care of them because they are the nicest shoes he has ever received in his life. This from a rough-and-tumble boy is an example of the worth he places in those shoes.”

Another special story

“It is unfair that I get to see the smiles from these children when you, their sponsors, might not. There have been times, like those described above, which bring tears to my eyes. One small girl, upon receiving her new, sparkling shoes, had to show me how well she could spin like a ballerina – the entire time, watching how her new shoes sparkled in the light. Another couldn’t stop tapping her feet to make the lights in her shoes come on and go off. Another young lady ran up to me and gave me a very unexpected hug (she is a child who seldom expresses her emotions), and spun around, showing me her new outfit, stating ‘I feel like a millionaire in these clothes.’ Things that I would take for granted meant the world to these students.

We are so grateful for your support of children in need.

“There is one last story I would like to share. One of the Children Incorporated sponsored children at my school is intellectually and physically disabled. Non-verbal and unable to provide for his own care, I have to depend on his caregivers to find out what to get him. They told me he loves blocks, and loves to put them away after playing with them. For Christmas, thanks to his sponsor, he received several different types of blocks and a container to put them in. While he wasn’t able to open them, as the caregivers opened his gifts and showed them to him, I could tell he was quite happy and excited.

“After Christmas break, the caregivers reported that he played incessantly with the blocks, arranging them and stacking them. When finally tired, he would use as much care as he could to put each block in his new container. One day shortly after the end of Christmas break, I was in his classroom giving a guidance lesson for him and his classmates. The boy, typically remote and aloof, began to smack his hands together, beat on his desk, and attempted to ‘talk’ to me. I walked over to him and offered him my hand. This student had never attempted to interact with me before that day. He began patting my hand – and in an ultimate display of affection, took my hand and rubbed it back and forth over his head.

“He chattered away at me and repeatedly patted my hand and had me rub his head during the rest of the guidance lesson. Never would I have believed that the boy understood that the blocks came from me. But he did. And he displayed the tremendous depths of his gratitude in the only manner his unique mind and body could. I left his classroom that day with a profound sense of humility. I had received a blessing his sponsor should have received. And what a humbling blessing it was for me.

“’Thank you’ doesn’t express how much the assistance from Children Incorporated and the sponsors mean to the students and me. Know that it is heartfelt and truly meant.”

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HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD IN NORTH CAROLINA?

You can sponsor a child in North Carolina in one of two ways: call our office at 1-800-538-5381 and speak with one of our staff members, or email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org.

SPONSOR A CHILD

Shelley Callahan | En Español

Spanning over 2,000 miles of South America’s western coastline with deserts in the north, rainforests in the south, and the snowcapped peaks of the Andes Mountains ranging throughout, Chile is truly a nation of contrasts. Although politically progressive when it comes to human rights, Chile suffers from excessive inflation and an ever-increasing unemployment rate. Due to these economic realities, millions of Chileans are desperately poor.

Chile suffers from excessive inflation and an ever-increasing unemployment rate. Due to these economic realities, millions of Chileans are desperately poor.

Facts about Chile

  • The capital of Chile is Santiago
  • The currency is the Chilean Peso
  • The population is 18 million
  • The official language is Spanish
  • Chile is the world’s longest country
  • There are approximately 90 active volcanoes in Chile
  • Easter Island officially belongs to the country of Chile


Facts about poverty in Chile

  • Although Chile has a relatively low poverty rate of 14%, the problem lies in high rates of income inequality.
  • There are approximately 75,000 Chilean children who do not attend school.
  • Healthcare inequalities among the poor are a big issue in Chile meaning poor families often get low-quality services or none at all.
  • Due to high rates of domestic violence in Santiago, many children flee their homes to live on the streets, where they struggle to find adequate food and water.

Where we work in Chile

In Chile, we are affiliated with three sites: The Handicapped Children’s Center, the Maipu Center and the Santiago Day School, all of which are located in Santiago.

Read more about our affiliated sites in Chile

Impacted for a Lifetime 

New Teachers with Fresh Ideas in Chile

Easing the Burden on Families in Santiago


How you can help children in Chile

You can help a child living in poverty in Chile in a few different ways. One way is through our child sponsorship program. Sponsorship provides an underprivileged child with basic and education-related necessities such as food, clothing, healthcare, school supplies and school tuition payments.

This vital support allows impoverished, vulnerable children to develop to their full potential — physically, emotionally and socially. Sponsors positively impact the lives of the children they sponsor through the knowledge that someone cares about their wellbeing. This gives children in need hope, which is powerful.

Our policy has always been to consider the needs of each sponsored child on an individual basis. We work closely with our volunteer coordinators at our project sites in Chile, who are familiar with the individual circumstances and needs of every child in their care. Sponsorship donations are sent to our sites — orphanages, homes, community centers and schools — at the beginning of each month in the form of subsidy stipends. Our on-site volunteer coordinators use those funds to purchase items for children in our program, to ensure that they have what they need to do their very best and succeed in school.

We work closely with our volunteer coordinators at our project sites in Chile, who are familiar with each individual circumstance and the needs of every child in their care.

You can also help children in Chile by donating to one of our special funds. Our special funds offer a variety of giving options for sponsors who wish to further their support, as well as for donors who wish to make a difference without making a commitment. In the past, thanks to donations to our Hope In Action Fund and our International Feeding Program, we have been able to further support our projects in Chile beyond sponsorship.

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How do I sponsor a child in Chile?

You can sponsor a child in Chile 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 Chile that is available for sponsorship.

SPONSOR A CHILD

Education, Stories of Hope, Chile

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written by Shelley Callahan

Shelley is the Director of Development for Children Incorporated. She is also the lead social correspondent, regularly contributing insights through the Stories of Hope blog series. Sign up for Stories of Hope to receive weekly email updates about how your donations are changing the lives of children in need.

» more of Shelley's stories
Ron Carter | En Español

I recently had the privilege of visiting several schools in West Virginia where Children Incorporated offers our child sponsorship program. It had been several years since my last visit to these schools; while I had clear memories from my previous trips, I wasn’t sure what I would find this go-around. Reflecting on the fact that everything in our world changes rapidly, I expected to find that these West Virginia schools were different from how they were when I last visited them. What I discovered, however, is that I was wrong to anticipate significant changes, for visiting these schools was, in many ways, like stepping back in time.

Sponsoring a child changes their life.

Mr. Carter with our Volunteer Coordinator Lara at Genoa Elementary School

The first two schools I visited, Genoa Elementary School and Dunlow Elementary School, both in Wayne County, West Virginia, are very small institutions; one has a total enrollment of approximately 75 students, and the other, just around ninety. The school buildings are old and showing signs of wear after many years of use; and both sit in extremely rural areas, void of businesses and commerce.

As I drove to these schools from Huntington, West Virginia, a city of 50,000 people less than an hour away, I couldn’t help but feel a drastic shift from city to country — from have to have not. The roads began to curve; some became much narrower and less maintained. Businesses and houses became fewer and farther apart. Then, while seemingly in the middle of nowhere, I arrived at the first school I was scheduled to visit: Genoa Elementary School.

Hearing from our sponsored children

While the staff at the school was extremely welcoming to me — and they clearly take their responsibility of caring for students quite seriously — the heaviness of poverty just hung in the air. It was palpable; I could feel it. As I interacted with several students enrolled in the Children Incorporated sponsorship program, I was moved by their obvious need.

As I spoke with one little girl, she told me that her sponsor writes her letters and encourages her to study hard and always do her homework. She said that she always looks forward to the letters she receives from this woman, for they remind her that someone cares about her and wants her to succeed in life. A little boy at the same school showed me some of his artwork, and he told me that his sponsor sent money for the supplies he used to create his little masterpieces. He was very thankful for the gift.

For more than half a decade, we have been touching lives and offering hope and opportunity in areas where necessities are often in short supply. That, friends, is why our organization exists; and you, through your generous support of our work, make it all possible.

Our wonderful volunteer coordinator at the school shared that a number of children would go without shoes, warm clothing, and food if it weren’t for assistance provided by their sponsors through our organization. She voiced her appreciation, as did the school principal, for all the years that Children Incorporated has helped the poorest among their student body to fit in and experience a sense of normalcy while at school, by providing them with clothing similar to those worn by less financially-stressed youngsters. She talked of the significance of ensuring that these children, too, have pencils and paper, and adequate school supplies, as well as food on the weekends, when they do not receive the free hot meals provided on weekdays in the school cafeteria.

A sense of hope

At the second school I visited, Dunlow Elementary — even further away from a major city, and perhaps even more remote – I found a very similar situation: a small, dedicated, caring staff working very hard to ensure that the children they serve are being well-provided-for and are offered a safe place in which to learn and grow. Children who live in extreme poverty, as most of the youngsters enrolled in our programs do, look forward to attending school, because while there, they not only have access to heat, clean water, and nutritious food — things often missing in their home lives – but they also experience a sense of hope and possibility for their futures. They see beyond what is to what could be, and they dare to dream.

It saddens me that the assistance offered by Children Incorporated is still so vitally important in the lives of these youngsters; yet I am also grateful that we can be there to extend a helping hand and offer support that is truly life-changing. That is what Children Incorporated is about: improving the lives of children and their families as they face financial hardships and trials of all kinds. For more than half a decade, we have been touching lives and offering hope and opportunity in areas where necessities are often in short supply. That, friends, is why our organization exists; and you, through your generous support of our work, make it all possible.

Thank you very much!

From the heart,

Ronald H. Carter

President and Chief Executive Officer

About Wayne County, West Virginia

Wayne County is nestled amid the vast natural beauty of the Allegheny Mountains, which still conceal deposits of the coal that once made this a rich and populous area of the Mountaineer State. Automation of mines and the ecological stigmas attached to coal as a fuel source have seriously damaged Wayne County’s economy. With coal mining almost shut down, businesses that once depended upon mining and the buying power of miners have closed. Unemployment continues to rise, and industry development remains at a crawl.

Like many small towns in this rural part of West Virginia, Genoa is remote, located far from any sizeable town or city. A few strip mines still produce coal, and there are some sawmills that cut lumber. Overall, however, Genoa’s economy is struggling, with high unemployment and a lack of industry development. Many residents in this region live well below the poverty line.

For these reasons, Genoa Elementary School and Dunlow Elementary School serve as beacons of hope and safe havens, as they are among the few places where children from impoverished families can count on support, encouragement, and a warm nutritious meal each day. The caring teachers at these schools strive to improve each child’s self-esteem and well-being through a well-rounded education — the key to breaking the cycle of poverty.

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HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD IN WEST VIRGINIA?

You can sponsor a child in West Virginia in one of two ways: call our office at 1-800-538-5381 and speak with one of our staff members, or email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org.

SPONSOR A CHILD

Ron Carter | En Español

A few years back, my younger daughter, who was in grade school and believed wholeheartedly in Santa Claus at the time, asked me a couple of questions that I have since replayed in my mind time and time again. She had heard me talk about the fact that many children go without presents at Christmas, and she knew that Children Incorporated works with various organizations, companies, and individuals to provide gifts to many such youngsters at this special time of year. She did not understand why Santa, who is supposed to care about all children equally, would overlook some, leaving them with no presents at all. So she asked me, “Why doesn’t Santa Claus also give those children toys? Why does he pass them by?”

So she asked me, “Why doesn’t Santa Claus also give those children toys? Why does he pass them by?”

No gifts for children living in poverty

Thanks to you, children all over the world are receiving Christmas gifts this holiday season.

As many parents through the ages have struggled with questions about Santa Claus, I, too, wrestled with responding in a way that would make sense, yet would not rob my child of her innocence and brief belief in the man in the red hat. I quickly came up with something along the lines of Santa not paying for the toys he delivers; but rather, parents send him money for gifts that he either makes or picks up, and he delivers them on Christmas Eve. Then I explained to my child that some parents cannot afford to send Santa money; thus, their children go without gifts. My daughter seemed to accept this explanation fairly well, and we moved on to the next topic.

Now, years later, my child is in high school – her belief in Santa long forgotten. She and I still struggle, however, with the concept of poverty, and the fact that many youngsters have little to celebrate at Christmastime – or throughout the year, for that matter. Basics such as food and clothing are often in short supply in their lives; thus, presents wrapped in pretty holiday paper, adorned with bright sparkly bows, are merely something about which they can only dream. As their parents struggle to provide shelter, pay rent and utilities, and ensure that their sons and daughters get to and from school – where parents hope their children will receive an education that will lead them to a better life – the brilliance of the Christmas season is greatly dimmed.

Because of kind donations, many children around the world are feeling the Christmas spirit during this magical time of year – a warmth they would not be feeling otherwise.

A season of new beginnings

Christmas is a magical time for many. Advent, the period leading up to it, is a season of new beginnings; fresh starts and hopes and possibilities – the very things those who struggle are often missing in their lives, and so desperately need. During this special time of year, I want to thank our sponsors and supporters for all that they have contributed to the work of Children Incorporated by sponsoring children, making donations to our Hope In Action Fund, and helping us to provide not only food and clothing – but also sometimes a toy or book or ball – to children who might otherwise go without. Because of kind donations, many children around the world are feeling the Christmas spirit during this magical time of year – a warmth they would not be feeling otherwise. Thanks to you, so many youngsters are having a very merry Christmas and a happy holiday. We can’t thank you enough for changing the lives of these children in need.

From the heart,

Ronald H. Carter
President and Chief Executive Officer

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HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD WITH CHILDREN INCORPORATED?

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 | En Español

As we reach the end of the year 2018, we want to take time to reflect on what we have been able to accomplish, thanks to our amazing sponsors and donors, over the past year. Because of our supporters around the globe, not only have we provided basic needs for thousands of children at nearly 300 affiliated projects through our sponsorship program, but we have also funded dozens of special programs that expand our reach to even more children, their families, and entire communities. The following are some of our successes that you have made possible – and we are extremely proud to have this opportunity to share them with you.

We are so grateful for each and every person who helped make 2018 such a successful year! We look forward to another great year helping children in need in 2019!

Our accomplishments

– We provided regular aid to thousands of children in eight U.S. states and Washington, D.C. As the heart of our organization, our sponsorship program provided for the basic, health, and educational needs of vulnerable youth, as well as the opportunity for our caring sponsors to correspond with their sponsored children.

– We provided hand tools, seeds, plants, soil conditioners, and other materials to a school in Martin County, Kentucky. Our volunteer coordinator there was selected as a “Healthy School Hero” by Kentucky’s Action for Healthy Kids for having spearheaded the establishment and expansion of a school greenhouse and garden. The students there enjoyed outdoor lessons, continued working and learning over the summer, and took the harvest home to their families.

– We facilitated the attendance of interested children enrolled in our program in Alleghany County, North Carolina at the Junior Appalachian Musicians after-school program. The young students took lessons in traditional Appalachian instruments, like the banjo and dulcimer; as well as in an area of cultural enrichment, like clogging, stories, and singing.

In 2018, we supported children in India with one meal a day during school days.

– We enrolled 25 new children at the Rainbow Center in Ethiopia, 25 at Fortune’s Children at Parang in the Philippines, thirty at the Pinagpala Children’s Center in the Philippines, 25 at the Dandora Community Center in Kenya, and we supported 200 children at St. John’s Community Center in Kenya.

– We provided materials and supplies for a reading pergola and native canyon grape vines at a school in the Navajo Nation in Arizona. The vines were trained up the pergola to provide shade, and students will make jam from the grapes. The kids love the pergola, and our volunteer coordinator at the school has already seen increased reading activity because of it, which means improved literacy.

– We provided additional warm clothing for children attending a special education school in Arizona and at a charter school in New Orleans.

– We supported Backpack Feeding Programs for weekends and holidays for children in Kentucky and Washington, D.C.

– We provided assistance that allowed nine high-achieving graduates who were in our sponsorship program in the United States to attend college.

– We supported children at five schools in India and the Philippines with one meal a day during the school days so that they could stay focused and alert, experience improved physical development, and perform better academically.

– We provided emergency relief for families after a volcanic eruption near Antigua, Guatemala, where our affiliated project Sagrada Familia is located.

We are so grateful for each and every person who helped make 2018 such a successful year. We look forward to another great year helping children in need in 2019!

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HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD WITH CHILDREN INCORPORATED?

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 donation portal, create an account, and search for a child that is available for sponsorship.

SPONSOR A CHILD