Tag Archives: help kids

Ron Carter | March 13, 2023

Dear Friends,

My nineteen-year-old daughter, a sophomore in college, moved into a shared apartment back in the fall. Deciding which of her belongings to bring from home was a challenge because of the limited space in her closet and dresser at the apartment.

New needs arise each day, and Children Incorporated is there to meet as many of those needs as possible, often through this special outreach effort – our Clothing and Shoes Fund.

My family is currently in the process of downsizing to a smaller house, so we wanted my daughter to take as many of her personal belongings with her as possible. She was actually forced to get rid of quite a few quality items as she moved into her new residence because there simply was no room for them.

You see, my daughter loves clothes and shoes, and she has a lot of them. She likes nothing better than to scour the racks at thrift, bargain, and vintage clothing stores in search of discounted name-brands and stylish jeans, tops, outerwear and sneakers. This problem – having too many clothes and shoes – is definitely not one that the children enrolled in Children Incorporated’s sponsorship program ever encounter. In fact, many of them face just the opposite issue. Over the years, we have heard numerous stories of children with only one outfit suitable to wear to school, or of children whose clothes are threadbare and ill-fitting. We have even witnessed siblings who shared one coat between them, forcing them to alternate the days they attended school during the heart of winter.

Our Clothing and Shoes Fund provides for children in the United States and across the world.

It is a common theme, even today, in many of our U.S. site locations for children to attend school during the coldest months of the year without socks, wearing flimsy footwear such as flip-flops, and without jackets, coats, gloves, or hats.

Our Clothing and Shoes Fund is one of the most important resources we have for helping children to dress appropriately, neatly, and warmly. This fund has provided pants, shirts, shoes and socks to thousands upon thousands of children in need. It was one of the first special funds that we created back in the 1960s and was originally called simply our Warm Clothing Fund. Over the decades we, through the incredible and continuing generosity of our sponsors and donors, have supplied children with coats and jackets, hats and gloves, and in some situations, sandals, shorts and t-shirts, to equip them for the weather where they live.

We come to you again, asking for your support of our Clothing and Shoes Fund. New needs arise each day, and Children Incorporated is there to meet as many of those needs as possible, often through this special outreach effort – our Clothing and Shoes Fund.

Our organization has repeatedly been recognized as an exemplary nonprofit by the major charitable monitoring groups, such as Charity Navigator and Charity Watch, because we take helping children seriously. Our mission is and always has been to improve lives and to offer hope and opportunity. We can only do these things with your help.

From the heart,
Ron Carter, President and CEO
Children Incorporated

DONATE NOW

Shelley Callahan | March 13, 2023En Español

Children living in poverty are enrolled in our sponsorship program for many different reasons directly related to their situations at home — or in some instances, their lack of a home.

With no home to return to after they are finished with school, these girls would become homeless or destitute if not able to remain at Maria Reyna until they found employment and adequate housing.

At the Maria Reyna Home in Honduras, girls from the local community who have been abandoned or are orphaned live full-time at the home, attend public and private schools, and thanks to their caring sponsors, are supported up until graduation from high school. But, with no home to return to after they are finished with school, these girls would become homeless or destitute if not able to remain at Maria Reyna until they found employment and adequate housing.

Today, we hear from Luis Bourdet, our Director of International Programs, about his visit to Maria Reyna in the fall of 2022, as he sheds some light on the dire situations of these young women and how Maria Reyna is a beacon of hope for them.

About the Maria Reyna Home

“Maria Reyna is located in San Pedro Sula, which is not only the capital of the country, but perhaps the largest and most industrial city in Honduras,” explains Luis.

With help from their sponsors, girls at the Maria Reyna Home receive long-term care and support.

“The city also has a large amount of social problems – including gang violence, poverty, and unemployment – which create an overall difficult situation for its citizens. Although the local government has implemented upgrades to the transportation system, more cars and an influx of migration has made the urban center a difficult and overcrowded place to live.”

“The Maria Reyna Home, which serves abandoned, abused, neglected and orphaned children, is beautiful. The infrastructure is large and wel-l cared-for, which creates a safe and comfortable environment for all the girls in attendance,” says Luis.

Rebuilding after COVID-19

“About 80 children used to live at the home before COVID-19 under the care of the congregation’s Sisters. Now the number is lower, but each year, it is increasing, and the Sisters think that this coming year they will have the possibility to enroll a similar number. Upon my visit, 45 children were enrolled in our sponsorship program.”

“All the girls attend local schools, and some are in a private school that provides scholarships for them. Children Incorporated sponsors support the girls at Maria Reyna by covering costs for food, school supplies, hygiene items, and other basic items as the needs arise,” explains Luis.

A place to call home

“A few years ago, Children Incorporated provided funds for the renovation and implementation of a housing unit at the home. This is basically an apartment within the home that can house about 8 to 10 girls, either because they have graduated from high school and want to attend university, or because they have graduated, have reached the age for dismissal, and the Sisters are giving them the opportunity to find housing and employment before they leave the home.”

“This is a very necessary part of the program, because otherwise, the girls have nowhere to go; staying at the home gives them the opportunity to change their circumstances for the better,” says Luis.

“Currently, there is a young girl attending a local private university on a scholarship provided by our Higher Education Fund, and she will be graduating from our program in a couple of years, which is very rewarding for both her and for our organization.”

“Before my visit ended, the sponsored girls shared some of their cooking and in-house baking with me, and we enjoyed delicious cheese bread baked that day. I truly enjoy visiting the home and seeing what the Children Incorporated program has done for the children!” says Luis.

***

How do I sponsor a child in Honduras?

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

SPONSOR A CHILD

Children Incorporated | February 27, 2023

As a part of our ongoing Stories of Hope blog series, we want to share with you our February 2023 Impact Report as a way to say “thank you” to all our supporters who make our work possible.

This past month, your donations have provided funds for an educational field trip to Washington, D.C. for students who attend Martin County Middle School in Kentucky, among so much more.

Beyond what our donors already provide to children through our sponsorship program, additional donations to our Special Funds and Special Projects allow us to help families and communities as well, often in times of crisis.

YOUR IMPACT AROUND THE WORLD

Just in this past month, you have:

– Provided funds to purchase food for an entire month for children at Santa Isabel Seton in Guatemala

– Provided funds for an educational field trip to Washington, D.C. for students who attend Martin County Middle School in Kentucky

– Provided funds to purchase food for children at the Armenian Secondary School in Anjar, Lebanon

– Provided funds to purchase food for a month for children at the Dandora Community Center in Kenya

– Provided food for the month of February for 200 children at St. John’s Community Center in Kenya

– Provided funds to purchase food for a month for 25 children at the Fortune’s Children Center in the Philippines

– Provided winter boots and socks for students at the Dennehotso Boarding School in Arizona

– Provided funds to buy warm blankets for students at the Hanaa Dli Community School/Huerfano Dormitory in New Mexico

– Provided emergency funding for food for a newly enrolled sponsored child and her family at Morgan County Middle School

– Provided space heaters for a family in need at Baca Dlo’ay azhi Community School in New Mexico

… all in addition to the support you already provide through sponsorship to children in our program. Thank you for everything you do for children in need!

***

HOW do I MAKE A DONATION TO CHILDREN INCORPORATED?

You can donate to 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 hello@children-inc.org and a staff member can assist you with making a donation; or go online to our donation portal, create an account, and chose a particular fund in which to make a donation.

DONATE

Shelley Callahan | February 6, 2023En Español

In this edition of Stories of Hope, our Director of International Programs, Luis Bourdet, concludes his trip to our Costa Rica affiliated sites with a visit to the Costa Rica Center in San Jose.

The beginning of the center

“This center is located in the northern part of San Jose. It is run by a woman, Marta, who is also our volunteer coordinator,” said Luis.

“The mother told us that she was so grateful for Marta and the program because without it, she would have a hard time sending all her children to school.”

“Marta used to work at what was the Costa Rica Children’s Orphanage, located in the downtown area of the city, which supported abandoned children or children from low-income families that could not raise their children on their own.”

“Our sponsorship program was initiated at the orphanage to provide additional educational support to the children, until the local government decided to part with the orphanage and converted it into an afterschool program and then a community center. When this happened, Marta was no longer employed, and the Children Incorporated program was dissolved,” explained Luis.

“But Marta was persistent and didn’t want her community to lose the support from sponsors or Children Incorporated. She decided to look for support through a local church, and she started her own version of a center where children could meet and receive food, school supplies and other essential items. And so started the Costa Rica Center!”

Teaching a community new skills

“Marta still gets help from the church today and still uses a portion of the church to meet with the children and families on a regular basis. While I was visiting in September of 2022, I met with children and their parents, and they all expressed how helpful the sponsorship program is, and how grateful they were for the much-needed support that Marta provides,” said Luis.

“Marta finds ways to stretch the funds to provide what is most needed for the children’s education. After our meeting, the children and their families showed us some crafts they had made, all thanks to Marta, who is teaching crafting skills so families can earn extra money.”

“We then went to a couple of houses of our sponsored children. One particular house was made with scrap and metal sheets and had dirt floors and partial wooden sections. The mother told us that she was so grateful for Marta and the program because without it, she would have a hard time sending all her children to school, just as many of the other parents,” said Luis.

Looking to expand and grow

“Before we finished for the day, Marta expressed to me that she is working with a local community center so that they will have more space to do handcrafts and workshops. She hopes to expand on the skills training, so that parents and children can have a way to make life easier.”

***

How do I sponsor a child in Costa Rica?

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

SPONSOR A CHILD

Shelley Callahan | February 1, 2023En Español

In the fall of 2022, our Director of International Programs, Luis Bourdet, visited our affiliated sites in Costa Rica for the first time since before the pandemic. Today, we hear from Luis about his visit to La Milagrosa, where he met with our volunteer coordinator, as well as with parents and students in our sponsorship program.

“Our sponsors provide food, school supplies, shoes, clothing, and any basic resources and emergency support that the children need that their families cannot cover.”

About La Milagrosa

“La Milagrosa Center is located in an area of San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica, with very few opportunities for employment, and therefore has many low-income families,” said Luis.

“Like our affiliated site, The Santa Luisa Center in Bambu, La Milagrosa is operated by the Sisters of Charity, and offers educational support to children living in the surrounding neighborhoods, as well as to children in the periphery of the city.”

“The children who attend the Center meet weekly, and the Sisters follow-up with them regarding their lessons in school, as well as provide support and information on how to resolve problems they may be having, whether in the classroom, with other students, or even at home,” explained Luis.

Offering help when it is needed the most

During his visit, Luis had the chance to meet with children and their parents, who told him how valuable our sponsorship program is to them.

“Our sponsors provide food, school supplies, shoes, clothing, and any basic resources and emergency support that the children need that their families cannot cover.”

“The majority of the children attend local public schools and live in dwellings that lack some basic services, such as electricity, running water or indoor plumbing. The schools are supported by the government, but they also lack many resources, which is why our program is so important for the children,” said Luis.

“When the children meet with our volunteer coordinator, she determines what their most immediate needs are, whether it be food items, mattresses, new shoes, or hygiene items. At the beginning of each school year, they receive new uniforms purchased thanks to their sponsors’ generous donations.”

Hope for the future

“I met with most of the parents and children participants in our sponsorship program, and they all expressed their gratitude for the support. They also hope for support to continue until their children graduate because many of the parents feel that without the help from sponsors, their children will fall behind in school and be forced to drop out at an early age,” said Luis.

***

How do I sponsor a child in Costa Rica?

SPONSOR A CHILD

Children Incorporated | January 24, 2023

As a part of our ongoing Stories of Hope blog series, we want to share with you our January 2023 Impact Report as a way to say “thank you” to all our supporters who make our work possible.

Along with so much more, your donations provided funds to help repair damaged pipes for drinking water in the home of a family in our sponsorship program at Inez Elementary School just in this past month.

Beyond what you already provide to children through our sponsorship program, your donations to our Special Funds and Special Projects allow us to help families and communities as well, often in times of crisis.

YOUR IMPACT AROUND THE WORLD

Just in this past month, your donations have:

– Provided support for computer and English language classes for students at the Santa Clotilde Home in Bolivia

– Provided funds for menstrual hygiene items for twenty-five girls for one month at Santa Isabel Ana Seton in Guatemala

– Provided funds for an educational field trip for 8^th graders at Valle Crucis Elementary School in North Carolina

– Provided funds to help repair damaged pipes for drinking water in the home of a family in our sponsorship program at Inez Elementary School

– Provided food for 200 children for a month at the St. John’s Community Center in Kenya

– Provided funds for families of children who attend Chrishanti Lama Sevana in Sri Lanka who are struggling through an economic crisis

– Provided warm clothing for students at Hannaa Dli Community School/Huerfano Dorm in New Mexico

– Provided funds to fill the clothing closet at the resource center at Morgan County High School in Kentucky

– Provided emergency aid funds for a family who is living without running water at Crum PK-8 School in West Virginia

– Provided materials and supplies for an afterschool tutoring program at Lotts Creek Elementary School in Kentucky

… all in addition to the support you already provide through sponsorship to children in our program. Thank you for everything you do for children in need!

***

HOW do I MAKE A DONATION TO CHILDREN INCORPORATED?

DONATE