Tag Archives: help kids

Shelley Callahan | January 1, 2023En Español

Today, we hear from our U.S. Programs Director, Renée Kube, about how a Hope In Action Fund request from one of our volunteer coordinators is providing much-needed resources to one of the many impoverished families in Kentucky whose situation was worsened by devastating flooding to the region last year.

Renée’s letter

“Our amazing Volunteer Coordinator, Angie, at Morgan County Middle School, contacted me recently about a family who has been struggling, and she asked for some extra assistance.”

“Housing has always been difficult to find in eastern Kentucky, but the rental market has been even tighter since the terrible flooding last July.”

“The mother died last year. The father is trying to work and raise three children, but he has a limited education and few opportunities. The father had some financial setbacks, and they became homeless and were in a local shelter for about six weeks. The eldest child is enrolled at Morgan Middle School, and there are two younger children enrolled at Morgan Central Elementary School. Two of the three children are currently in the Children Incorporated sponsorship program and have sponsors.”

“Housing has always been difficult to find in eastern Kentucky, but the rental market has been even tighter since the terrible flooding last July. Families that were displaced from the counties that were hardest hit moved to the bordering counties that were not impacted as badly, including Morgan County. Rental costs have risen sharply.”

Help from the community and our donors

The two trailers are shown, one of which had no running water or a bathroom.

“Angie did a home visit to see the family, and sent a photo to accurately describe the dismal situation the family was in, as their only option was to move from a shelter to an old camper. Angie explained to me that they first moved into the smaller camper on the left of the photo, but it’s just a shell without running water, a bathroom or a bedroom. Then, the landlord moved the other camper onto his property. It’s better, with a slide-out that gives a bit more living space, but its condition is not great either. The family left the smaller trailer and is now renting the larger one.”

“Children Incorporated is providing a modest grant that will provide a couple of space heaters, blankets, some additional warm clothing, and food for this family to get through the winter, which should help them start to feel grounded again and more stable. Our amazing sponsors and donors make wonderful things just like this happen every day for families in our program and we are so grateful for their support.”

***

How do I sponsor a child with Children Incorporated?

You can sponsor a child 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

Children Incorporated | December 26, 2022

As a part of our ongoing Stories of Hope blog series, we want to share with you our December 2022 Impact Report as a way to say “thank you” to all our supporters who make our work possible.

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 funds to repair and replace areas of the roof and ceiling in the dorm, kitchen and dining halls at the Maria Reyna Home in Honduras

– Provided funds to purchase menstrual hygiene items for girls at Santa Isabel Ana Seton in Guatemala

Among so many other things, your donations provided funds to purchase meals for a month for 25 children at the Dandora Community Center in Kenya

– Provided funds for an educational field trip for children at Sparta Elementary School in North Carolina

– Provided funds to purchase meals for a month for 25 children at the Dandora Community Center in Kenya

– Provided funds to purchase gas for cooking for sponsored children at the Father Andeweg Institute for the Deaf in Lebanon

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

– Provided food for 25 children at Fortune’s Children at Parang Center in the Philippines

– Provided emergency funding for a displaced family with a sponsored child who attends James D. Adams Middle School in Kentucky

– Provided eyeglasses for students at Page High School in Arizona

– Provided funds to purchase underwear, socks, and shoes for children at Crossroads Elementary School in Kentucky

– Provided food for 25 children for a month at Kids Hope Ethiopia in Ethiopia

… 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!

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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 choose a particular fund in which to make a donation.

DONATE

Ron Carter | December 20, 2022En Español

On Christmas Eve in 1914, as the battles of the first World War were raging all around, soldiers in the British Expeditionary Force overheard some German troops in the trenches across from them singing Christmas carols. The British soldiers noticed that their adversaries had placed lit lanterns and small fir trees all along their trenches, their way of decorating for the special night.

Slowly, the opposing soldiers began to call out to one another across the way, “Merry Christmas!” and “Frohe Weihnachten!” The following day, the British and German troops met mid-way between their camps, in “no man’s land”, and exchanged gifts and played football together. They also took the time to bury their dead and repair their trenches, enjoying a period of peace, even in the midst of war.

This holiday season, my hope and prayer is that we can all set aside our differences and discover that we share many things in common, among them a desire for health and prosperity.

This holiday season, my hope and prayer is that we can all set aside our differences and discover that we share many things in common, among them a desire for health and prosperity. Perhaps we can come together and find commonality in serving others, in providing those who go hungry with food, and in supplying clothing to those who are cold or ill-prepared for excessive heat. Perhaps we can join our hearts and our minds together to help “the least of these,” the children, by offering them hope and possibility for their futures.

Children Incorporated has been assisting children and families since the fall of 1964, meeting a vast array of needs along the way and addressing poverty head-on. Thousands of young lives have been improved as we have served as the conduit for our sponsors’ and donors’ incredible generosity. Through decades of upheaval and social unrest, we – along with you – have found common ground in serving, caring, and giving for the benefit of others.

This holiday season, may we join together once again and uplift those who struggle through acts of kindness toward them and toward one another. Through generosity and the sharing of our resources, may we celebrate this season of Love and Light, and may we find peace, even in our chaotic world.

From the heart,
Ron Carter

***

How do I sponsor a child with Children Incorporated?

SPONSOR A CHILD

Children Incorporated | December 19, 2022

Argentina, the second-largest nation in Latin America, is truly a nation of contrasts. Its borders envelop a full spectrum of topography from rugged, towering mountains, frigid tundra, and tropical lowlands to arid steppes and plateaus. Nestled along the estuary where the Rio de la Plata meets the Atlantic Ocean, the sprawling Argentinian capital of Buenos Aires is the second-largest metropolis in South America.

We work with volunteer coordinators in local communities in Argentina to provide health and nutrition, education, hygiene items, clothes, shoes, and other essentials that help children and families rise above the poverty in which they live.

Renowned for its wealth of culture, arts (including the famous tango), and beautiful European-style architecture, Buenos Aires draws thousands of tourists each year. However, there is a hidden side of the city that few tourists experience. Extremely high inflation, rising unemployment, and an increasing poverty rate leave many families struggling to simply feed their children.

As a result, many area families must live in the hopeless poverty of Buenos Aires’s slum neighborhoods, packed together in wooden shacks with tin roofs, separated by narrow footpaths.

Challenges for Children in Argentina

In Argentina, children’s very lives and futures are at risk, as they struggle with poverty and a lack of educational resources. Right now, children in Argentina need your help.

– It is estimated that about 4 in 10 people in Argentina are living in poverty

– About 5.5 million children in Argentina are living in poverty

– One million children in Argentina are homeless

Our Work in Argentina

Thanks to caring people like you, Children Incorporated has helped thousands of children living in poverty in Argentina since 1964.

We work with our volunteer coordinators in local communities to provide health and nutrition, education, hygiene items, clothes, shoes, and other essentials that help children and families rise above the poverty in which they live.

Our strategy is to focus on individual children through our sponsorship program, ensuring they are receiving exactly what they need on a regular basis.

Your support makes all our work possible to help children in crisis in Argentina.

***

How do I sponsor a child in Argentina?

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

SPONSOR A CHILD

SOURCES:

https://www.batimes.com.ar/news/argentina/around-55-million-children-in-argentina-living-in-poverty.phtml

Shelley Callahan | October 23, 2022

As a part of our ongoing Stories of Hope blog series, we want to share with you our October 2022 Impact Report as a way to say “thank you” to all our supporters who make our work possible.

YOUR IMPACT AROUND THE WORLD

Just in this past month, your donations have:

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.

– Provided food for 25 children at the Dandora Community Center in Kenya

– Provided funds for backpacks for children at Martha Jane Potter Elementary School in Kentucky

– Provided funds to purchase meals for one full month for students at Kids Hope Ethiopia

– Provided funds for warm clothing for students at Fallsburg Elementary School in Kentucky

– Provided funds for meals for children for an entire month at Fortune’s Children at Parang in the Philippines

– Provided food for 25 children for a month at St. John’s Community Center in Kenya

– Provided funds for flood relief for families with children at Jones Fork Elementary School in Kentucky

– Provided funds for food, water, hygiene items and household items for children whose homes were damaged by flooding at Buckhorn Combined School in Kentucky

– Provided funds to complete a greenhouse project at St. Michaels Special Education School in Arizona

– Provided funds for menstrual hygiene items for girls at Santa Isabel Ana Seton in Guatemala

– Provided funds to help with flood relief efforts for children and their families at Hindman Elementary School in Kentucky

From all of us at Children Incorporated, thank you all for all you have done in just this month to help families living in poverty!

***

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 online to our donation portal, create an account, and chose a particular fund in which to make a donation.

DONATE

Children Incorporated | October 17, 2022

We are happy to share with you our Fall 2022 Newsletter, highlighting our work around the world thanks to our sponsors and donors and their generosity and dedication in helping children in need. Enjoy!

Children Incorporated Responds to Major Flooding in Eastern Kentucky

Historic thunderstorms struck southeastern Kentucky in July, producing 16 inches of rainfall within a five-day period and triggering flash flooding throughout the region. Buildings, homes, and roads were damaged due to high water, and the aftermath of the storms was devastating for both our affiliated schools and families in these communities, some of whom lost everything and were forced to live in tents on their property or move into hotels or shelters.

We are happy to share with you our Fall 2022 Newsletter, highlighting our work around the world thanks to our sponsors and donors and their generosity and dedication in helping children in need.

In early August, our volunteer coordinators started reaching out to us requesting support, and we began sending emergency relief funding — all thanks to our amazing donors.

To date, we have sent over $65,000 to help families with immediate needs such as bottled water and nonperishable food, cleaning supplies, antibiotic ointment, band-aids, and clothes. We are so grateful for donations made to our Hope In Action Fund for our Kentucky flood relief efforts!

OUR DONORS TO THE RESCUE

The Spirit Airlines Charitable Foundation Supports Our Work in Costa Rica

In June, Spirit Airlines marked fifteen years of flights to San Jose, Costa Rica, and wanted to celebrate by giving back to children, families, and communities in the area, so they contacted Children Incorporated.

“Lanie Morgenstern, the Senior Manager of Corporate Social Responsibility & Strategic Partnerships with Spirit Airlines, was very enthusiastic about our work in Costa Rica when we spoke about a potential partnership,” explained Children Incorporated Director of Development, Shelley Callahan.

In a time of crisis, we are able to support children in Sri Lanka thanks to our donors and sponsors.

“Lanie felt that our work directly lined up with the mission and vision of the Spirit Airlines Charitable Foundation. The Foundation was interested in providing immediate educational and basic needs support to children living in poverty who attended our affiliated site, La Milagrosa, in the center of San Jose.”

“I also felt that this partnership was ideal for the children in our program. The $10,000 donation from the Spirit Airlines Charitable Foundation allowed our volunteer coordinator to purchase food items, hygiene items, mattresses, clothes, shoes and school supplies for the children we support,” explained Callahan.

“These items were especially important considering how difficult the pandemic has been for families.”

Thank you, Spirit Airlines, for your valuable partnership with Children Incorporated!

INVESTING IN THE YOUTH OF COSTA RICA

Helping Children During A Crisis in Sri Lanka

This year, Sri Lanka has faced its worst economic crisis since its independence in 1948. Fuel shortages and inflation have left millions of Sri Lankans without kerosene and food, leaving many to borrow money or sell their personal items to feed themselves and their children.

Thankfully, our sponsors and donors are able to offer support to children at our three affiliated sites in Sri Lanka — Chrishanti Lama Sevana, Touch a Life with Hope Center, and the Wijewardane Children’s Home. Monthly funding has allowed our volunteer coordinators to purchase food, mosquito nets and other basic needs items which the children desperately need.

We have children currently on our waitlist in Sri Lanka, waiting for a special person to sponsor them. If you would like to sponsor a child in Sri Lanka, please contact us today.

READ THE FULL NEWSLETTER