Tag Archives: sponsor children

Shelley Callahan | En Español

Cordia Combined School is in Knott County, in the heart of the rugged wilderness of eastern Kentucky. Despite its beauty and proud history, this region suffers economic troubles that result in widespread poverty and deprivation for many families.

Industries such as coal-mining and lumber — once mainstays for employment in Knott County — have dramatically declined, increasing unemployment.

Jadea with one of our sponsored children at Cordia Combined School

Furthermore, due to this region’s remoteness, inaccessibility and small population, new job development is rare. Within the pockets of impoverished areas scattered throughout the hollows of Knott County, many complex social barriers limit the educational opportunities for its children.

However, our affiliated project, Cordia Combined School, is one of the few places in this economically-troubled region that can offer hope to children living in poverty through a well-rounded and stimulating education.

Children are not only supported by the school’s Family Resource Center, but also receive loving care from our volunteer coordinator, Jadea — who is a former sponsored child and beneficiary of our Higher Education Program.

Jadea’s story

After graduating from Morehead State University with support from Children Incorporated, Jadea returned to Knott County and got a job as a substitute teacher and teacher’s aide. Later, she applied for the position as Family Resource Youth Services Coordinator at Cordia Combined School.

Children are not only supported by the school’s Family Resource Center, but also receive loving care from our volunteer coordinator, Jadea — who is a former sponsored child and beneficiary of our Higher Education Program.

“She has been an excellent coordinator for our program. We are so proud that she benefited from the support she received from Children Incorporated and her sponsor and is now in a position to give back to children in her community,” said Renée Kube, our Director of U.S. Programs.

Special sponsored kids

On a recent trip to meet with Jadea at Cordia, Jadea introduced Renée to two special students — Jordan*, who is currently waiting for a sponsor and Alexandra, who has had a sponsor for ten years.

Jadea explained to Renée that Jordan — who is in the first grade —  is the youngest in his family. He has two older sisters. His father works on cars, but his employment is unsteady. His mother has a part-time job as a cook in the school cafeteria. Jordan’s parents’ combined pay is meager.

While they chatted, Jadea told Jordan about what our program would mean for him, and he expressed his excitement to Renée about how he would love to have a sponsor.

Renée pictured with Alexandra

After Jordan returned to class, Renée met Alexandra. Alexandra is seventeen years old and has been in the Children Incorporated program since 2009. She told Renée that over the years, support from her sponsors has helped her family a great deal.

Alexandra is the middle child of five girls. Her mom is a homemaker, and her dad drives a truck. Her parents have had a hard time providing for their daughters. Alexandra said that it was always nice knowing that because of her sponsor she wouldn’t have to worry about whether or not she would get new clothes, shoes or the school supplies she needed throughout the year.

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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.

SPONSOR A CHILD

 

Shelley Callahan | En Español

The small town of Grayson is located in Carter County, Kentucky and is home to Heritage Elementary School — Children Incorporated’s only affiliated project in this Appalachian county.

Missie sorts through donations in the Resource Center.

In the 19th century, Carter County was famous for its iron furnaces and thriving clay products industry. Carter Cave — now a tourist attraction — was a significant source of saltpeter during the War of 1812.

Coal from this region once fueled factories, powered locomotives and heated millions of homes. Today, however, manufacturing only accounts for 15% of the county’s employment. Moreover, the coal industry, which once employed the majority of the region’s workforce, has sharply declined due to automation and the increased use of other fuels.

A county in distress

Designated by the Appalachian Regional Commission as a distressed county, Carter County currently has an unemployment rate well above the national average and a low median household income. The lack of employment opportunities has resulted in widespread poverty, along with associated socioeconomic issues such as drug abuse, lack of education and poor health.

In an area menaced continuously by the devastating effects of poverty, Heritage Elementary School — and our volunteer coordinator, Missie — provide children with a safe and supportive place to learn and grow.

In an area menaced continuously by the devastating effects of poverty, Heritage Elementary School — and our volunteer coordinator, Missie — provide children with a safe and supportive place to learn and grow. They do this despite working with only a shoestring budget.

A dedicated coordinator

While visiting Heritage Elementary School, our Director of U.S. Programs, Renée Kube, met with Missie to talk about how her efforts are helping sponsored and unsponsored kids in our program.

“Missie is well-organized when it comes to her work with the Children Incorporated sponsorship program. She hopes to enroll more children in the near future because she knows she can handle the workload,” said Renée.

Missie told Renée that she shops at various stores — sometimes having to travel as far as 30 miles — to find the best deals so she can make the most of sponsor’s donations. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have much to work with at all since she has a minimal budget with which to run the school’s Family Resource Center.

Looking for help on the outside

The Resource Center accepts donations from different partnering organizations in Carter County.

In order to help children outside of our sponsorship program, Missie raises funds and seeks in-kind donations from a variety of partners in town such as local businesses. She also makes and sells t-shirts whose proceeds go to the school’s Weekend Backpack Feeding Program. Thankfully, our sponsors alleviate much of her stress. Missie loves the peace of mind that sponsorship funds give her. Thanks to our sponsors, she always knows that kids in our program will receive basic needs regularly.

Before their meeting ended, Missie mentioned to Renée that she would like to put in a request to our Hope in Action Fund. Missie wants to develop and implement a summer camp so children can get additional help with math and reading as well as participate in enrichment activities like arts and crafts. Not surprised by her dedication and willingness to go above and beyond for kids at Heritage Elementary School, Renée looks forward to receiving Missie’s request since our Hope in Action Fund was designed for situations just as this one.

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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.

SPONSOR A CHILD

Shelley Callahan | En Español

In our work at Children Incorporated, we often talk about the importance of getting an education. For children in our program, we believe education is the key to finding jobs upon graduation that will enable them to work toward breaking the cycle of poverty from which they come.

Unfortunately, statistics show that children growing up in impoverished households often perform less well academically than their peers.

The challenges of living below the poverty line

Jackie is pictured here with one of our sponsored children at Beaver Creek Elementary School.

As reported by the non-profit Operation Warm’s website, “Children living above the poverty line are entering kindergarten more prepared than those below it. High-income families are able to put more money towards their children’s cognitive development than those living in poverty.”

“Parents with low incomes, on average, have less time to read to their children, no funds for pre-school and less stable home environments. The difference in preparation tends to persist through elementary and high school.”

Beavers Are Achievers

According to our Director of U.S. Programs, Renée Kube, this achievement gap is prevalent in some of our affiliated schools in Eastern Kentucky, and specifically at Beaver Creek Elementary School in Knott County. Located in the small community of Topmost, families of children enrolled at Beaver Creek Elementary face rampant poverty. They struggle to overcome the common socioeconomic problems that plague Knott County such as adult illiteracy, school absenteeism, child obesity and substance abuse.

“There is no question that poverty can impact academic achievement in ways ranging from lack of books in the home to transportation barriers that make it difficult to travel to cultural and historic sites,” stated Renée. 

While visiting Beaver Creek Elementary School, Renée met with our volunteer coordinator Jackie, who Renée describes as incredibly devoted to helping her students.

During their meeting, Jackie explained that although the school motto is “Beavers Are Achievers” the children are struggling academically as they aim to reach their goals. The school’s test scores lag behind state averages, reaching only the 51st percentile in reading and just the 38th percentile in math in state ranking.

“There is no question that poverty can impact academic achievement in ways ranging from lack of books in the home to transportation barriers that make it difficult to travel to cultural and historic sites,” stated Renée. 

Making kids feel loved

Often times while visiting our affiliated projects, Renée visits with parents of children enrolled in our program.

Jackie told Renée that one of the biggest challenges in the community — and the county as a whole — is coping with drug addiction and the lack of treatment options for it. The fallout affects many children, resulting in them being raised by grandparents or other family members. For other children who still live at home with their parents, they are often being neglected and raising themselves.

Jackie feels fortunate that a local church brings food to the school’s Resource Center for her weekend Backpack Feeding Program. She says that the Children Incorporated sponsorship program is vital in helping with clothing, shoes and school supplies throughout the year. Jackie also values how sponsors make her students feel special and let them know that someone cares for them.

Meeting two special parents

After taking a tour of the building and grounds, Jackie was happy to show Renée the Family Resource Center where she had asked two of her parents — Raven and Scottie — to thank our organization on behalf of all the parents of sponsored children.

While meeting with Raven and Scottie, Renée could tell they were both very dedicated to and concerned for their daughters.

“Raven is a homemaker. Scottie was unemployed for a long time but has recently gotten a job at a small, local non-profit community center. The pay is meager. They told me that our sponsorship program has meant so much to their little girls, and that it warms their hearts to see the excitement their sponsors bring to their children,” said Renée.

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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.

SPONSOR A CHILD

 

Shelley Callahan | En Español

The Commonwealth of Kentucky comprises five primary geographical regions. Children Incorporated’s outreach is in the eastern third of the state known as the Cumberland Plateau region.

Many young boys and girls of this community whose families have suffered without steady employment go without meals on the weekends or shiver in the cold at night without heat in their homes during the harsh Appalachian winter.

As a part of the Appalachian Mountain and Plateau region of the United States, the Cumberland Plateau is characterized by high elevations, mountainous terrain, ridges and deep and narrow hollows. Over the last 30 years, our U.S. Division has focused on working in this region due to its historically high poverty rate.

On a trip to visit our affiliated projects in this area of the country where we support kids, Director of U.S. Programs, Renée Kube, and U.S. Projects Specialist, Shelley Oxenham, met with our volunteer coordinators and sponsored children in Knott County, Leslie County and Perry County. During their visits, they both had a chance to learn more about how these counties — and the families that reside in them — have been affected by poverty.

High unemployment for the Cumberland Plateau

The Cumberland Plateau has been home to generations of hardworking coal miners and close-knit families. With the collapse of the coal industry — due to automation, cheaper foreign markets and a decline in demand — this region’s unemployment rates have skyrocketed.

Our sponsored children in Kentucky are receiving the support they need thanks to their sponsors.

Many young boys and girls of this community whose families have suffered without steady employment go without meals on the weekends or shiver in the cold at night without heat in their homes during the harsh Appalachian winter.

A history of Eastern Kentucky

Until the mid-20th century, Kentucky was considered an agricultural state — in fact, more than half the state is still farmland. Principal crops include corn, soybeans, hay and tobacco. Several of the counties in the upper portion of the Cumberland Plateau region were not historically coal-mining areas — instead, their economies revolved around agriculture, timber and fishing.

However, the coal producing counties in the lower portion of the Cumberland Plateau have suffered from the decline of the coal industry due to higher mechanization and lower demand.

Stories from their travels

Over the next few weeks, we will be sharing stories from our affiliated schools in Knott County, Leslie County and Perry County. Thanks to our sponsors and donors, Renée and Shelley found that children, although living in poverty, are receiving the support and care that they need so they can get an education.

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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.

SPONSOR A CHILD

 

Ron Carter | En Español

In 1964, the average cost of a new home in the United States was $13,050. Postage stamps were 5 cents each, and a gallon of gasoline cost just 25 cents more than that. One could buy a loaf of bread for less than a quarter, and a ticket to see one of the latest theatrical blockbusters — Goldfinger or Mary Poppins — was $1.25.

Reports from those early days indicate that funds raised for and provided by Children Incorporated — the organization started by Mrs. Wood — were life-changing.

The Ford Motor Company introduced its iconic Mustang with a suggested retail price of just $2,368, and a young boxer then known as Cassius Clay won the Boxing World Heavyweight Championship against Sonny Liston. Additionally, four young men from Liverpool, England —collectively known as The Beatles — took the world by storm, at one point holding down the top five spots on the Billboard Hot 100 record chart.


A legend of her own

In the midst of all of this, a young woman named Jeanne Clarke Wood started a small nonprofit organization out of her home in Richmond, Virginia to improve the lives of children who often went hungry and without their most basic needs met.

Mrs. Wood contacted friends she had met through previous employment, and with the help of her philanthropist father, she began a child sponsorship program consisting of just 95 youngsters in poverty-stricken Guatemala.

Mrs. Wood visited our affiliated projects around the world for decades as the founder of Children Incorporated.

Reports from those early days indicate that funds raised for and provided by Children Incorporated — the organization started by Mrs. Wood — were life-changing.

Hungry children were fed. Children who had been wearing threadbare pants and shirts and shoes with holes in the soles were outfitted with sturdy clothing. Young people, who had gone without paper, pencils and necessary schoolbooks were provided with them.

Standing the test of time

Fifty-five years later, the work of Children Incorporated is still changing lives. Through our child sponsorship program, many individualized needs are met daily as our network of nearly 300 volunteer coordinators worldwide seek out and identify those things that the children they serve need most to succeed in school and life.

Our Hope in Action Fund assists children, families and communities with everything from replacing items lost in house fires and natural disasters to building schools, dormitories, gymnasiums and housing units. Our Higher Education Fund allows qualified students to attend colleges, universities and to take vocational classes.

Our wonderful sponsors and contributors make our work possible today, just as they did when Children Incorporated began in 1964, and for that, we are extremely grateful.

Our Skills Training Programs give young people the opportunity to learn a trade they can use to support themselves and their families while giving back to their communities.

Changing lives all over the world

In these ways and many others, Children Incorporated has reached, touched and changed the lives of approximately 300,000 children and their families over the last fifty-five years. Our dedication to improving lives and providing education, hope and opportunity is as strong — if not stronger — than ever.

We always strive for transparency and integrity in how we use the funds entrusted to us. We honor the fact that we have such high ratings among the main charitable monitoring groups — 4 Out of 4 Stars from Charity Navigator and a Grade “A” rating from Charity Watch, among others — because we respect our donors immensely. They are our partners in all that we do, and we owe them nothing less than our best.


The need still exists today

New homes now cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Postage stamps and gallons of gasoline are each currently ten times more expensive than they were in 1964, and tickets to popular movies now run between $12 and $16 nationwide. A loaf of bread now goes for around $4.00, and Cassius Clay — later known as Mohammed Ali — passed away three years ago.

Ford is still making the Mustang, though the list price is now approximately $35,000 for a new one, an increase of a whopping 1475 percent! Two of the Beatles now survive, each approaching 80 years of age, and the Queen of England has knighted both.

Many things have changed since 1964, yet the needs that exist in the world — for food, clothing, school supplies and other essentials — remain as real and constant as ever. Children Incorporated is still working to meet as many of those needs as possible.

Our wonderful sponsors and donors make our work possible today, just as they did when Children Incorporated began in 1964, and for that, we are extremely grateful.

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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

After spending nearly a month visiting all seventeen of our affiliated projects in South Korea, our Director of International Programs, Luis Bourdet, visited the Yung Shil Ae Yuk Children’s Home and the Yong Jin Children’s Home as his last stops before returning to the United States.

As he prepared to return home, Luis thought about how genuinely essential the support of the Children Incorporated sponsorship program has been for young people in South Korea.

The Yung Shil Ae Yuk Children’s Home

Located in Okcheon, the Yung Shil Ae Yuk Children’s Home serves 34 underprivileged and orphaned children. The home itself is made up of three spacious buildings. Our sponsorship program provides support for thirteen children at the home. The local government pays for the salaries of the eighteen staff members.

Differing from many of the other homes we partner with in South Korea, the Yung Shil Ae Yuk Children’s Home focuses on helping children who have physical or mental health conditions. The dedicated staff of the home is professionally educated and trained to provide the children with the special care they need.

“The children at the Yung Shil Ae Yuk Children’s Home require much more attention than children at the other homes we support,” explained Luis.

“I was pleased to see the staff is well-equipped to provide special care for the children.”

The Yong Jin Children’s Home

The Yong Jin Children’s Home serves children ages five to nineteen years old in the city of Gwangju.

Luis was pleased with all of our projects in South Korea in how well they were supporting children in our program.

Situated on the slope of a mountain overlooking rice paddies below, the cluster of brick and stucco buildings that make up the home houses dormitories, an auditorium, a dining room, kitchen and offices. The grounds include a vegetable garden and apple orchard.

According to Luis, the home also has a small museum in which bones and artifacts are on display for the children to see at any time.

“The Director of the Yong Jin Children’s Home is the son of the founder of the home, Mr. Min. Mr. Min had a love for archeology, so he started collecting dinosaur bones and other fossils from various countries around the world,” said Luis.

“Soon after his son graduated as a social welfare worker, Mr. Min sent him to archeology school, and between them they have a great collection of bones and fossils. Local school children often visit the home for educational tours.”

“This is a very well run home. The children get to enjoy a lot of field trips outdoors, camping and searching for fossils and bones,” explained Luis.

Thanks to our amazing sponsors, hundreds of children in Korea are being cared for and looked after every day while also receiving much-needed support as they grow up.

Getting to meet our sponsored kids

During his final two visits, Luis was pleased to get to meet with the children at both homes after their school days were over.

“It was great to interact with them. The children were truly approachable and not shy at all. They even tried to practice their English with me since I do not speak Korean!” exclaimed Luis. “It was fun to communicate with them.”

As he prepared to return home, Luis thought about how genuinely essential the support of the Children Incorporated sponsorship program has been for young people in South Korea. Thanks to our amazing sponsors, hundreds of children are being cared for and looked after every day while also receiving much-needed support as they grow up.

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How do I sponsor a child in South Korea?

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

SPONSOR A CHILD