Tag Archives: help children

Shelley Callahan | March 28, 2018En Español

The town of Newcomb is situated in the Navajo Nation, amid the incredible desert background of northwestern New Mexico. For many of the small number of residents that live in the town – less than 400, according to the U.S. Census Bureau – there is little opportunity for steady employment. A trading post, which includes an impressive Navajo artifact museum, and a fish hatchery are some of the only options for work. Due to a lack of jobs, many families are living in poverty, and struggle to provide for their children.

A special donor offers his support

Students recieve basic needs they would otherwise go without, thanks to their sponsors.

Funded by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, Tohaali’ – which means “where the water flows out” in Navajo, named for a nearby creek – has approximately 130 students in kindergarten through the eighth grade. Thirty of those students live in a dormitory on campus during the school week. Since the school is not close to any of its surrounding communities, many families have to travel quite a distance to take their kids there. On a recent trip to visit the Tohaali’ Community School, U.S. Projects Specialist, Shelley Oxenham, met with our Volunteer Coordinator Cecelia. Cecelia told Shelley that one of the schools’ families doesn’t have a vehicle; so after every weekend, the parents walk with their kids for the four miles it takes to get to the dormitory.

Cecelia explained to Shelley that the Children Incorporated program is very important for students, because it helps to provide them with food, warm clothing, shoes, school supplies, and hygiene items – things that their parents can’t afford to purchase for them. Beyond helping our sponsored children on a monthly basis, Cecelia was also able to rely on Children Incorporated when an emergency arose a few years ago.

Our Sponsorship Manager Steven Mitchell acted quickly, and contacted a very special donor who contributed $5,000 to purchase a trailer for the family.

She recalled a special circumstance in which a family suddenly became homeless. Cecelia called our office to see if we might be able to help. Our Sponsorship Director, Steven Mitchell, acted quickly, and contacted a very special donor who contributed $5,000 to purchase a trailer for the family. When the family saw the trailer, they couldn’t believe their eyes; they felt so overwhelmed to find that they did have a home after all – after having gone through such a terrible ordeal in losing their previous residence, and having had nowhere to go.

Shopping is the hardest part

Before Shelley left the school, Cecelia explained that the hardest part for her is doing the shopping, because the closest town with a decent store is Farmington, which is a little over an hour away. Our sponsored children’s parents try to meet Cecelia at the mall to spend two to three hours shopping there, making sure to get exactly what their children need in the correct sizes; but transportation is a barrier for many families, so there are many times when Cecelia does the shopping herself. Regardless, Cecelia is incredibly grateful for the support the children get from their sponsors, and she knows that without it, they would often go without basic essentials in their lives.

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HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD IN NEW MEXICO?

You can sponsor a child in New Mexico 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 | March 20, 2018En Español

Education has always been one of Children Incorporated’s core values; and that is why, since our very beginning, we have supported our sponsored and unsponsored children through our Higher Education Fund.

Our Higher Education Fund helps young people pursue their dreams of completing certificate programs or obtaining a degree from a university or college by providing them with financial support. The program is highly effective, thanks to our amazing volunteer coordinators, who know each and every one of our sponsored and unsponsored children personally — and as such, also know their individual needs and goals.

Our higher education program

Thanks to our Higher Education Fund, Maria was able to attend college.

The volunteer coordinators in both our International and U.S. Divisions nominate children who are enrolled in our program and are in their last year of secondary education.

Once accepted into our Higher Education Program, these young people may pursue any course of study they wish at an accredited institution. Many of our Higher Education Fund beneficiaries have later returned to their communities in positions as teachers, nurses, social workers, accountants, architects, counselors, and speech therapists.

Contributions to our Higher Education Fund essentially help make our sponsored and unsponsored youngsters’ dreams come true. We recently heard from a former sponsored child who received assistance from our Higher Education Fund — and just that has happened for her. Her name is Maria* and she is from Bolivia; she started on her path to education at our affiliated project Pedro Poveda School in La Paz.

Maria’s home

The small landlocked nation of Bolivia comprises the rugged Andes Mountains and vast high-altitude plateaus to the west — including a portion of Lake Titicaca, the largest high-altitude lake in the world — and lush lowland plains of the Amazon Jungle to the east. Despite its wealth of natural beauty and resources, however, Bolivia bears the scars of centuries of conflict, beginning with the Spanish conquistadors, and followed by almost 200 years of wars and internal military coups. Political and economic instability have brought about considerable poverty, resulting in widespread malnutrition, crime, and disease.

Since Children Incorporated partners with Pedro Poveda School, we were able to match Maria with a sponsor, so that she could attend the school.

At 12,000 feet above sea level lies La Paz, the highest capital city in the world, and Maria’s hometown. Some of the city’s most impoverished have no sanitation or potable water, and disease and malnutrition are rampant there.

Thankfully, children living in poverty have our affiliated project, the Pedro Poveda School, to offer them a safe and comfortable place to learn, which is just what Maria needed while growing up in poverty.

Matching Maria with a sponsor

Maria was raised without a father, and her mother was very poor and could not afford to send her to school without support. Since Children Incorporated partners with Pedro Poveda School, we were able to match Maria with a sponsor, so that she could attend the school; she received school supplies, books, school uniforms, and other basic needs throughout the year. Not only did her sponsor send contributions, but she also wrote letters to Maria, which motivated her.

While she was in her last year of high school, our volunteer coordinator at Pedro Poveda School recommended Maria for our Higher Education Program, because Maria was a very good student – and she was accepted into the program. After her high school graduation, Maria went on to attend a college in Bolivia, thanks to our Higher Education Fund. She graduated from there with a degree in business administration, and soon after, began working in a hospital for women. Maria is very grateful for the generosity of our donors, as well as for that of her sponsor, who helped her to get where she is today, and to have a much brighter future than she would have had without an education.

*Name changed for child’s protection.

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How do I donate to the Higher Education Fund?

You can contribute to our Higher Education Fund 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 donate to our Higher Education Fund.

DONATE TODAY

Shelley Callahan | March 19, 2018En Español

Mary Wilson is a founding member of the most famous female singing group in history, the Supremes; and for over fifty years, she has been entertaining audiences throughout the world. Ms. Wilson is also known for her charitable work, and in 2003, she was named a U.S. Cultural Ambassador by former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. This year, Ms. Wilson became a sponsor with Children Incorporated, deciding to help a special little girl in her own hometown of Detroit, Michigan.

Ms. Wilson says she looks very forward not only to assisting the child, but also to helping bring awareness to the life-changing work that we do. We welcome Ms. Wilson to the Children Incorporated family!

About Ms. Wilson’s hometown

Founded in 1701 by French settlers, the port city of Detroit has since grown to become the second-largest metropolis in the Midwestern United States. It is best known for its Motown music, like that of the Supremes, and its automobile industry, which boomed throughout the twentieth century – and the city even served as a major supplier of provisions for Allied troops during World War II. In the first decade of the twenty-first century, however, Detroit saw a 25 percent plunge in its population. Despite efforts to revitalize the city, in 2013, Detroit was forced to file the largest municipal bankruptcy case in United States history.

Today, the city struggles with rampant unemployment, poverty, and all of their associated socioeconomic issues. The community served by Wayne Elementary School, which Ms. Wilson’s sponsored child attends, is no exception to these maladies. In fact, here in Detroit’s east end, the need is even greater for such necessities as food, clothing, and shelter. For this reason, Wayne Elementary School serves as a beacon of hope. In addition to basic needs, the school provides students with a safe, nurturing learning environment – all thanks to our caring sponsors! This setting is one that emphasizes the value of respect – for self and for others – and of daily excellence. Bolstered by highly-qualified teachers, dedicated parents, and strong community involvement, the school equips this talented group of rising young academic stars with the technological and authentic literacy skills that they need in order to rise above the difficult socioeconomic circumstances from which they come, and to break the cycle of poverty.

Ms. Wilson with our CEO, Ronald Carter, and her sponsored child in Detroit

Welcoming Ms. Wilson

Ms. Wilson has sponsored children in the past with other organizations, and told our President and Chief Executive Officer, Ronald Carter, that she found those experiences to be quite enjoyable. We are so grateful that she is now helping a student to receive basic needs through Children Incorporated. Ms. Wilson says she looks very forward not only to assisting the child, but also to helping bring awareness to the life-changing work that we do. We welcome Ms. Wilson to the Children Incorporated family!

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HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD IN DETROIT?

You can sponsor a child in Detroit 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 | March 12, 2018En Español

The remote town of Pueblo Pintado is located in the northeastern corner of McKinley County, New Mexico. There, residents’ only access to water is through an old water tower, and the nearest Walmart and other modern conveniences are almost two hours away. It is also here that Tse’ Yi’ Gai (pronounced “Say Guy”) High School opened in September of 2004.

Our sponsors can now continue helping children in this region all the way through high school, until they graduate, and establish longer, even more meaningful relationships with them.

The school, accessible only by dirt road, is part of the Gallup-McKinley County Schools system in the Navajo Nation. The Nation comprises more than 27,000 square miles of spectacular but inhospitable countryside, extending into both Utah and Arizona. Despite its massive scale and rich cultural history, residents of the Nation face a great deal of poverty. There is virtually no employment; most families must sustain themselves through one of the region’s two primary industries: ranching or sheep-herding. Thankfully, students have the Tse’ Yi’ Gai High School to provide them with a quality education – the key to breaking the cycle of poverty so that they may rise above the difficult economic circumstances from which they come.

Sparking Lindsay’s desire to go to college

Children Incorporated used to lose children enrolled in our program in this region after middle school, because we didn’t have affiliations with high schools there. When these children graduated from middle school, they would move on to high schools that were not affiliated with us, and we were unable to continue to provide them with sponsorship support. For that reason, the partnership with Tse’ Yi’ Gai High School is so valuable – our sponsors can now continue helping children in this region all the way through high school, until they graduate, and establish longer, even more meaningful relationships with them.

The Tse’ Yi’ Gai High School is located in a very remote area of New Mexico.

While visiting Tse’ Yi’ Gai High School, our Director of U.S. Programs, Renée Kube, was unfortunately unable to meet with our sponsored and unsponsored kids, because they were in the middle of testing; but thanks to our Volunteer Coordinator Paula, Renée was able to meet with Barbara, an older sister of one of our sponsored kids, Lindsay*. Barbara is employed as a teacher’s aide at the school. In 2016, Children Incorporated sent a Hope In Action Fund gift to help Lindsay so that she could attend the National Tribal Public Health Summit in Atlanta, Georgia. She had been chosen as one of the Navajo Tribe’s youth representatives. Barbara was so glad to express the family’s appreciation to Renée face-to-face, saying what an unforgettable experience it had been for Lindsay.

Barbara continued by telling Renée that she feels that the event really sparked Lindsay’s desire to go to college once she graduates, and that she has expressed an interest in the subject of health issues that native peoples face. Even though Renée wasn’t able to meet with the children, Barbara’s comments alone made her feel that the trip was an incredible success, because Children Incorporated, with the support of Lindsay’s sponsor, was able to help a young girl dream big, and to see the value in getting a good education, which is what we strive to do every day for kids in need.

*Name changed for child’s protection.

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HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD IN New MEXICO?

You can sponsor a child in New Mexico 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 | March 6, 2018En Español

The remote town of Crownpoint is in northwestern New Mexico, near the Arizona border and the vast Navajo Nation. Within the town is our affiliated project Lake Valley Boarding School. As one of the smaller schools within the Bureau of Indian Affairs system, with only 33 children in attendance, Lake Valley Boarding School provides a safe haven for Navajo students whose homes are far away, and whose families are desperately poor. In addition to the educational opportunities with which the children are presented at the school, the Children Incorporated sponsorship program helps each and every one of them to receive the basic needs they require on a regular basis.

Shelley with Alice and Judy

Were it not for Lake Valley Boarding School, our sponsored and unsponsored children coming from impoverished homes would have little opportunity to rise above their difficult socioeconomic circumstances. In Crownpoint, there is virtually no employment for adults. Broken homes, alcoholism, and inadequate food are a constant problem in many households, and most parents struggle to afford to properly care for their kids. Thankfully, the children are able to stay at Lake Valley Boarding School during the week —so five days a week, they are guaranteed three nutritious meals a day, and a healthy, supportive environment.

Every student supported

While visiting New Mexico, U.S. Projects Specialist, Shelley Oxenham, met with our Volunteer Coordinators Alice and Judy at Lake Valley Boarding School. Alice is a retired teacher, and Judy is currently a teacher at the school. It is rare for our affiliated projects to have every child that attends enrolled in the Children Incorporated program — especially at schools in the U.S., where attendance rates are usually high.

Also, having more than twenty children enrolled in our program is oftentimes too much work for our volunteer coordinators, because they typically already have many different jobs within the school. Thanks to the small number of students at this school, however, not only are all the children there enrolled in our program (currently thirty with sponsors, and three waiting for sponsors), but Alice and Judy are also able to give the children the individual support they need to overcome adversity in their lives.

Were it not for Lake Valley Boarding School, our sponsored and unsponsored children coming from impoverished homes would have little opportunity to rise above their difficult socioeconomic circumstances.

When Alice is preparing to purchase items for the students, thanks to funds donated by their sponsors, she asks the teachers directly what the students need most, based on their observations. The teachers, Alice tells Shelley, always have the answers ready for her. They know exactly what the children need because they see them every day, and they know what the kids are coming to class without – whether it is proper winter clothes, good shoes, or hygiene items. Alice also provides classroom resources from which everyone can benefit, like school supplies, lotion, hand sanitizer, and tissues.

Although it is unfortunate that every child at Lake Valley Boarding School is living in poverty, and therefore needs the support of the Children Incorporated program, it is wonderful to know that such caring people like Alice and Judy are able to help every child in the school – and thankfully, we are able to help the unsponsored children through our Shared Hope Fund in the meantime, until they get their very own sponsors.

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HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD IN NEW MEXICO?

You can sponsor a child in New Mexico 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 | February 27, 2018

Christmas is a special time of year for children all over the world. Children of all ages dream of what they might get under the tree on Christmas morning, hoping for a new toy or game to play. But for many of our sponsored and unsponsored kids, getting Christmas gifts is something that sometimes doesn’t happen.

We are so thankful that we were able to give these children a special holiday, when they would’ve otherwise gone without any gifts at all.

When families are living in poverty, they are often unable to save money throughout the year for Christmas gifts for their children; instead, there are always bills to pay, food items to buy, or school fees to consider. There is not enough money to pay for everything and save at the same time. Thankfully, the children enrolled in our program have their sponsors and our volunteer coordinators to ensure that they receive new clothes, school supplies, food, educational games and toys — and sometimes even presents during the holidays — all things they would otherwise go without.

We are so grateful for our sponsors who provide Christmas gifts to our sponsored children.

This is true for the kids at our projects all over the world – in the United States and abroad, including in the Philippines. The Visayans Community Center at Bliss is at the Bliss Housing Project in Sagkahan — a community established by the Filipino government for the poor of the city of Tacloban. Just fifteen percent of the residents there actually owns the land on which they live.

Most families inhabit concrete dwellings; but many others live in shacks fashioned from nipa palm shingles, bamboo, and cast-off boards. Amid this devastating poverty and its socioeconomic effects, the Visayans Community Center at Bliss serves as a beacon of hope. Founded by the local group Volunteer for the Visayans, the center is dedicated to facilitating community development, providing healthcare, and promoting education.

Our Volunteer Coordinator there, Helena, bought clothing, as well as groceries and grains, this past Christmas, thanks to donations from the children’s sponsors, to ensure that the kids in our program had a special Christmas. We are so thankful that we were able to give these children a special holiday, when they would’ve otherwise gone without any gifts at all.

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HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD IN THE PHILIPPINES?

You can sponsor a child in the Philippines 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 the Philippines who is available for sponsorship.

SPONSOR A CHILD