Tag Archives: sponsor

Ron Carter | June 15, 2024

Dear Friends,

In my 21 years with Children Incorporated, I have noticed that older children in our sponsorship program are often quite difficult to pair with sponsors, even though their needs are just as great as those of our younger children. We find that older teens, with just one or two years remaining in high school, face many trials and challenges, and their needs are equal to, if not greater than, those of their younger counterparts. They desperately need motivation to stay in school and to complete their studies, and the encouragement they receive from their sponsors — just from knowing that someone actually cares — may help to determine if they graduate.

You, my friends, have the potential to change the life of one of these youth.

Today, I am reaching out to you, our loyal supporters, to request that you consider adding one of these older teenagers to the children you already assist. We currently have approximately 50 such teens who are in their last few years of high school, and they can greatly benefit from the support of a caring sponsor like you. Your support will mean a great deal to them as they transition from childhood into their adult years and make important decisions about their future. If you could take on an additional child for even one or two years, it would make a world of difference.

One of our amazing volunteer coordinators recently shared the following words with us, and I wish to share them with you:

“You give children relief. Relief from the burden of standing out due to their stained or ripped clothing and shoes. Relief from wearing clothes that do not fit, or clothes that leave them cold in the winter. Wearing clean, well-fitting clothes gives a child dignity, and it eases the fear of standing out or being picked on. It removes a barrier to their learning, and removing this burden from their small shoulders brings a lightness back to their childhood.”

Sponsorship matters and sponsorship makes a difference, perhaps in no greater way than in the lives of impressionable youth on the verge of adulthood. You, my friends, have the potential to change the life of one of these youth. Thank you for considering my request.

From the heart,
Ronald H. Carter

***

HOW DO I SPONSOR An older CHILD WITH CHILDREN INCORPORATED?

You can sponsor an older 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 with the filter “13 or older.”

SPONSOR A CHILD

Renee Kube | June 3, 2024

Our Higher Education Fund helps young people pursue their dreams of completing certificate programs or obtaining a degree from a university or college. Many of our Higher Education Fund beneficiaries have returned to their communities in positions as teachers, nurses, social workers, accountants, architects, counselors and speech therapists.

Today I want to share with you three special stories about students in our sponsorship program who are graduating — two of which are benefiting from our Higher Education Fund thanks to our amazing sponsors and donors.

Monica’s story

Monica* is graduating from 12th grade at our affiliated site Shonto Preparatory School in Arizona. She was enrolled on our sponsorship program in 2012 as a first grader. For her entire “school career,” Monica has had the same sponsor.

Monica is shown proudly holding her diploma.

Monica has had good attendance and good grades. She has participated in extracurricular activities over the course of her school years ranging from 4-H, hike club, bike club, dance club, study club (co-founder), volleyball (player and manager 2022), sophomore class council secretary, junior class council secretary and senior class council secretary.

When asked about nominating a strong candidate as a recipient of our Higher Education Fund, our volunteer coordinator at Shonto Preparatory School Orleta recommended Monica right away. The girl’s Higher Education Program application arrived on time and in good order. Monica wrote that her father ingrained the value of education in her soul. Monica shared she has many academic interests, but her favorite is archaeology. Digging through the dirt to discover the past brings her a sense of calm pleasure. She discovered that passion as a young girl, and she is determined to pursue it as her profession. Monica wrote that she is coming from a single-parent, low-income household that she is a minority Native woman, and she needs and values this opportunity. Monica has been accepted at the University of Arizona.

Orleta wrote a stellar letter of recommendation, stating the girl demonstrates outstanding academic and leadership skills. Orleta also shared that Monica has taken a couple of college courses online while juggling her regular high school class load and her extracurriculars. Monica has always had a strong interest in learning. She would always stay after school for extra tutorials. Orleta calls Monica “trustworthy, hardworking, devoted and good humored.”

Many of our Higher Education Fund beneficiaries have returned to their communities in positions as teachers, nurses, social workers, accountants, architects, counselors and speech therapists.

I am so happy to welcome Monica to our Higher Education Program as she graduates from Shonto Preparatory School!

Tracy’s Future Path

Tracy is graduating from 12th grade at our affiliated site Shelby Valley High School in Kentucky. She was enrolled on our sponsorship program in 2009 at Valley Elementary School. For her entire “school career,” Tracy has had the same sponsor.

In high school, Tracy chose to focus on her future career goals rather than clubs or sports. Tracy took classes to become a Medication Nursing Assistant (MNA). While a senior, she took more nursing classes, including college credit classes.

When asked about nominating a strong candidate, our volunteer coordinator Rachel recommended Tracy right away. Rachel shared that neither of Tracy’s parents was capable of caring for her. Tracy was raised by and still lives with her grandmother, alongside 10 other siblings and cousins. It is a tremendous struggle for the grandmother to have 11 children under her roof, but she has persevered and has instilled good character and values into the children.

Tracy is pictured in her graduation cap and gown.

One week before the state CNA exam, Tracy’s father died in a very tragic way. Despite her grief, Tracy made herself go to the examination — and to her happiness and her grandmother’s pride, Tracy passed. She graduated with her high school diploma and as a certified nursing assistant.

Tracy has been accepted at Big Sandy Career & Technical College. She plans to obtain an associate degree in nursing and to pass the national exam, which will allow her to become a registered nurse (RN).

Melissa’s Success

For this school year, Melissa took not only her 11th grade classes, but all of her required 12th grade classes, too. She graduated last week from Breathitt County High School in Kentucky.

Melissa completed both junior and senior years at same time while maintaining a 3.5 average and working each school day as a bus monitor. She was also a member of the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps [JROTC] at the high school.

She has been accepted into Morehead State University and its ROTC program. Melissa plans to enlist in the Army after her graduation from MSU. Her future career plans are to be either an Army nurse or a military prosthetist (a health care provider who makes and fits prosthetic limbs for current and/or former service members).

Congratulations to Melissa on graduating!

*Students’ names have been changed for their privacy.

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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 | June 2, 2024

Dear Children Incorporated,

This is a huge thank you to all of our donors and you all at Children Incorporated. Here at Huguenot High School we have so many students in need. This year you all have provided support for our sponsored children and all Huguenot students through Hope In Action by providing Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) kits midyear. We have many students dealing with anxiety and social issues on a regular basis and because of our SEL kits purchased with your donations many of them have been able to pick up items that help them get through the day and focus.

Our children are able to feel special and feel loved by people they don’t ever know or get to meet and that is something amazing.

We have also observed many individual students helped by the generous donations of Children Incorporated. For example, we have a student who lives with her uncle because her father has passed and her mom is incarcerated. She often needs to buy undergarments and clothing for herself because he just doesn’t know what to get her. So she is comfortable coming into our office and asking me for help to get whatever she needs especially when she needs advice on what to get.

Another student we have at the works and goes to school and doesn’t have a lot of money to spend on herself. She has to help pay rent where she lives and often wears the same clothes over and over again. Due to your donations I was able to get her necessary hair products, clothes and even a few extra gifts for herself that she would never get if it wasn’t for you all.

There is no way any of the students would be able to help support themselves without the funds of Children Incorporated. Our children are able to feel special and feel loved by people they don’t ever know or get to meet and that is something amazing. You all help build self-confidence and self-worth, and help children see the world from a different perspective and create graduates where there may not have been one. Thank you and your donors for their continued support. You are changing the world one gift at a time!

With gratitude and appreciation,

Casey

***

How do I sponsor a child with Children Incorporated?

SPONSOR A CHILD

Children Incorporated | May 22, 2024

According to the Kentucky State School Report Card an overwhelming 73.2% of Magoffin County Schools students are economically disadvantaged. Being at a disadvantage grossly impacts every single factor for a student’s success. Children’s Incorporated is such a wonderful program that truly helps eliminate some of these challenges for students and families.

Changing children’s lives

As I begin writing this, I think that I wish I had some profound sentiment or big life changing story. Then, I realize that with the support of Children Incorporated, everything we do is truly changing lives.

I realize that with the support of Children Incorporated, everything we do is truly changing lives.

I love any testimony of how something has positively impacted any child. One of my absolute favorites from this year was as I was getting to know a student, we discuss their basic needs. Do you have enough food, what clothes are you lacking, what school supplies do you need to be successful in school? Then we always dive into what’s your favorite things. She and I instantly bonded over our love of baking shows and cake decorating competitions. She confided in me that she had always wanted to bake and decorate her own cake. Now that may not seem life changing; baking a cake. But for a student who has never got to explore that side of their potential, it very well may have changed her life. I hope to one day step inside her bakery and know that this one opportunity started back in grade school by people who cared.

Helping kids feeling included

As part of being a resource coordinator, we discuss hygiene like we talk about what we had for breakfast. But breaking through to sixth grade boys who have never been shown the importance of hygiene is a whole new success I would have never dreamed I would be celebrating.

Thanks to Children Incorporated, a steady, reliable supply of some student’s favorite body care set has done just that by making them feel included and accepted for the first time. Someone who has never struggled to access basic supplies like soap and deodorant would not understand the impact this may have. These boys know that they can always find their body wash, deodorant and body spray available here as needed and will never again be faced with feeling excluded because their bodies are changing or because they might smell different or bad.

Thanks to sponsors and a combined effort with our Family Resource Center, every Children Incorporated student at our school receives a birthday present on their birthday. This personalized recognition for each child has been my favorite ongoing activity. The anticipation, excitement and appreciation from each student truly makes my day — on their birthday!

Building a relationship with these students and the students learning and accepting that they have someone they can trust and depend on is truly heartwarming. So many of our students have been failed with inconsistency and broken promises. That alone is truly one of the largest barriers we are breaking down, together!

Sincerely,
Kelly

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How do I sponsor a child with Children Incorporated?

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Renee Kube | May 21, 2024

Stuart-Hobson Middle School is located in Ward 6. This ward is truly the heart of Washington, D.C.’s history. It is the only ward that is situated within the boundaries of the original city as outlined in the L’Enfant Plan. The southeastern tip of Ward 6 is also the confluence of the city’s two rivers, the Potomac and the Anacostia. The ward has a large collection of historic resources. Its communities range from industrial to military to residential houses – and houseboats. The ward also has public housing projects and a lot of struggling families.

The school is part of the Capitol Hill Cluster School, a unique D.C. public school spread across three Capitol Hill campuses spanning Prekindergarten through eighth grade. Stuart-Hobson Middle School serves sixth through eighth-grade students, combining the warmth of a neighborhood school with a full range of academics and extracurricular activities. The school is a Title I school with a student population of about 508 that is predominantly black.

The demographics are 80% black, 12% white, 5% Hispanic/Latino and 3% other. 17% receive some kind of special education services. 36% come from low-income families.

Stuart-Hobson offers Honors English and accelerated math classes and the chance to earn high school credits. All students create projects for History Day and the Science Fair. Wellness/fitness offerings include a variety of athletics, including baseball, basketball, cheerleading, football, soccer, track, volleyball and wrestling. Arts and cultural offerings include art, band (orchestral, funk and jazz), chorus and drama. There’s an after-school extended day program that provides tutoring as well as enrichment opportunities such as camera and cooking clubs.

This is a uniform school. Students are required to wear red polo shirts with the school logo and khaki pants.

Our coordinator here is Angeline. She is new, and is full of energy and enthusiasm.

Our visit started with a presentation by Angeline on Communities In Schools and its proven model of providing a community of support for the children. We were joined by Assistant Principal Taylor. After the presentation, Angeline called several Children Incorporated-enrolled students to her office. While we waited for them, she showed us her stock of hygiene items, backpacks and school supply kits. After we met with the students, it was time to take a tour of the school.

As we walked and talked, Dr. Taylor’s pride in his students was apparent. He explained that while many of Stuart-Hobson’s students come from Ward 6, there are a significant percentage from other wards. Parents may apply for their students to attend schools outside their neighborhood boundaries, so long as there is room. Stuart-Hobson is seen as a “destination middle school.” The school has been in existence since the 1920s although, as Dr. Taylor mentioned, until 1954 it was for whites only. Students have helped with archiving old records and artifacts for posterity, and the faculty has been able to help the children to appreciate their school’s history and the importance of Brown versus The Board of Education, which brought about school desegregation in the United States. The school also has an excellent sports program, and robust music and drama programs, where the students are involved in every aspect, from acting to stage management to lighting and sound. The school is also known for having better-than-average standardized test scores. Many of the students get into the more desirable high schools.

Dr. Taylor told us that many of the children come from difficult backgrounds and have to cope with adult level problems. They are waking their younger siblings and getting them ready for school, and they are coping with transportation issues, too. Many are often tardy and are regularly absent.

Angeline emphasized that school is seen as a stable haven. Everyone is supportive of the children. There are a lot of offerings to keep them occupied during regular school hours as well as during the after-school program, such as with clubs include art, cooking and photography.

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How do I sponsor a child with Children Incorporated?

SPONSOR A CHILD

Shelley Callahan | May 21, 2024

Luis Boudret, our Director of International Programs, visits the J. Calvitt, Clarke Home in India, which is named after the father of our founder, Jeanne Clarke Wood.

About the J. Calvitt Clarke Home

“The town of Dornakal, located about 100 miles east of Hyderabad in the southeastern Indian state of Telangana, is a region where poverty is extensive, especially in years when droughts destroy the rice harvest. Since so many families cannot adequately provide for their children’s education or basic needs, our affiliated site J. Calvitt Clarke Home serves as a beacon of hope. The home serves impoverished children in this region by providing for their basic, immediate needs while also investing in their futures by way of a well-rounded education,” explained Luis.

“The children come from rural communities around the area, but they may not have a school available near their villages, therefore, they come to Dornakal for education.”

“I visited the J. Calvitt Clarke Home, which is one of the oldest facility in the Dornakal Diocese. I met with our new coordinator, Mr. M. Prabakhar, who told me about how the home provides boarding and school support to little less than 40 children here. The children come from rural communities around the area, but they may not have a school available near their villages, therefore, they come to Dornakal for education.”

“The students have a busy schedule initiating activities early at J. Calvitt Clarke Home, just as in the other homes I had visiting during my time in India. Early in the morning, the children are feed, then sent to school. After school, they have a small time for recreation, then it is time for homework. This hostel is for boys, and they are happy to be able to get an education, as most parents work on the fields, and the children would be there helping, if not for being her and attending school.”

“All basic needs for the children are covered with through the Children Incorporated program support. I did notice that the facilities need some improvement, as the dorm is large and could accommodate more children, but they would need more support to grow their attendance. The dorm was updated with the help of Children Incorporated some years ago, but without any maintenance, it needs upgrades, painting and repairs to all areas. It has a large U shape main building, with a locker room and toilets at each end of the building, and the dorm and homework room in the middle. The dining hall building is also used for homework.”

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How do I sponsor a child with Children Incorporated?

SPONSOR A CHILD