Tag Archives: sponsorship

Children Incorporated | June 25, 2024

It is amazing to us what our volunteer coordinators can do to help children in need when given the freedom to determine what is best for children in our program, which is something we are proud to offer to them. Today we hear from Scott at Lewis County Middle and High Schools, about some of his students who benefited from our sponsorship program in a way that he feels shows an investment in their success and their futures.

“We realize the importance of setting our youth up for success and understand that it will only serve to improve our county in the future.”

Scott’s Story

“We would like to thank Children Incorporated for their continued support of the students at Lewis County High School. Because of their willingness to altruistically invest in our students, two specific siblings have now completed the first steps necessary to building a successful future. Our Youth Service Center would like to share their recent success story.”

“While the state unemployment rate for Kentucky is currently 4%, Lewis County, a rural county in northeastern Kentucky, reports an unemployment rate of 7.4%. The discrepancy between the state average and the county average is something that every family in Lewis County feels in some way.”

“Two of our sponsored children, Brian and Taylor*, have a family that is no exception to that. However, with the help of Children Incorporated, they have recently been able to obtain employment at a fast-food restaurant in a neighboring county. Without the funds from their sponsors and the Children Incorporated program, neither Brian nor Taylor could have secured employment. With the funds provided, both young men were able to acquire the mandated work attire, consisting of two pairs of black jeans and non-slip tennis shoes or boots. Brian and Taylor are doing well in their new employee roles, and we hope they continue to do so as they carry on with their lives.”

“Brian, Taylor and the Lewis County Youth Service Center are incredibly grateful and fortunate to be a part of the Children Incorporated program. We realize the importance of setting our youth up for success and understand that it will only serve to improve our county in the future.”

*Names changed to protect the children.

***

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

Renee Kube | June 21, 2024

During my visit to Letcher County, I first visited Jenkins Independent Schools. Jenkins Independent Schools comprises two schools: Burdine Elementary and Jenkins Middle-High. Several years ago, at the request of our coordinator, Angela, Children Incorporated “administratively merged” Burdine Elementary into Jenkins Middle-High. They operate as one affiliated site. Angie looks over both schools; they share one Family Resource Youth Services Center. Angie travels between the two regularly.

Burdine Elementary School was damaged during the flood, but officials agree it could have been worse. There were 3 feet of water outside, but all the doors held. About 4 inches of water was pushed in throughout the building. However, the flood did destroy the separate preschool building. Outside, all the fencing and playground equipment was destroyed and swept downstream.

When elementary school children first enroll, many of them are not school-ready. The pandemic years also caused a learning loss. At present, elementary school children are not performing well in state standardized tests. The children are not only struggling academically but also financially. 82.3% come from low-income families.

After a tour of both campuses, Angie and I had a meeting at her high school office. She said the enrollment at the elementary school is about 203. At the middle-high school, it’s about 236. Angie does plan to add more children in the new school year and may include the preschool children, too.

Angie shared that her students are dealing with persistent poverty. 86% come from low-income families. There are no more active coal mines in Jenkins. The best jobs are with the school system or at the small regional hospital. The remainder of available work is small retail or service jobs, such as at dollar stores, gas stations and fast food restaurants.

After the pandemic learning loss, the students are slowly gaining ground. The middle school children are still struggling, but most of the high school students have hit average benchmarks.

Angie likes to do much of her Children Incorporated shopping at Sam’s Club. She will mostly purchase clothing, hygiene items and food. Then she called a student into the room for me to meet, Jacob.* Jacob is polite and very well-spoken. He is ready to graduate from high school and is still thinking about what he wants to do for his future. Jacob said that he is frankly tired of the school routine and is ready for a break and a change. A part of him wants to take a “gap year,” where he can work and get a paycheck. Another part of him wants to plow through and just get college done and behind him. At the time we spoke, Jacob had applied to a couple of places but hadn’t heard back.

Happily, in mid-May Angie called me with the very good news that Jacob had just received an acceptance letter from Alice Lloyd College, which is in adjacent Knott County. The college is tuition-free! The costs are funded by donations from across the country. However, there are costs for room and board, textbooks, fees, and other miscellaneous expenses. Angie asked if she could nominate Jacob for our Higher Education Program. I gave them an extension and they told me to get the application to me soon. I am thrilled for Jacob to have this opportunity.

*Name changed to protect the child.

***

How do I sponsor a child with Children Incorporated?

SPONSOR A CHILD

Renee Kube | June 21, 2024

Letcher County is located in the southeastern part of Kentucky. It is bordered by four other Kentucky counties as well as Wise County, Virginia. The county seat, Whitesburg, is located in the middle of the county.

As European explorers and the earliest settlers made their way into Kentucky, the Native American populations of the area (Shawnee in the north and Cherokee in the south) were steadily displaced. Kentucky became a state in 1791, and what became Letcher County was a beautiful but sparsely populated area. Its scattered families made their living by farming. These were very small farms, due to the mountainous terrain, which also made road building and maintenance difficult. The main crop was corn, and the primary livestock was pigs. These made a modest “cash crop” possible, as corn was primarily distilled into alcohol and moved by barrel, and hogs were driven through the mountains into a market town. Most of these small homesteads also had a few horses, a couple of milk cows, and some sheep and chickens. Some men supplemented the farm income by cutting and selling timber. A few men had salt licks on their land – salt was an important resource in the settling of the Commonwealth – and they were glad to sell it.

But of course, the big resource that changed everything was the discovery of coal, and later the ability to mine it on a commercial scale. The discovery of coal in Kentucky is credited to Dr. Thomas Walker in 1750, who was the first known person to find and use coal in what would become the Commonwealth of Kentucky. By 1790 coal had begun to be produced commercially, albeit on a rather small scale, in Lee County. Small quantities continued to be mined across the state, but it wasn’t until 1855 that annual production exceeded 100,000 tons.

The start of the Civil War in 1861 interrupted production. However, soon after the end of the Civil War in 1865, agents from eastern corporations poured into Kentucky’s mountain region. They were eager to secure extraction rights, and many farmers signed away their rights for a few cents per acre.

Letcher County had rich veins of coal. Company towns sprang up, and the coal was mined and hauled away, enriching the absentee owners. At first, the existing families and newcomers who came for work were happy with the chance for better incomes and provisions for their families. But many were swindled. Many owners paid the men in scrip, not cash, which could only be exchanged within the company town, where charges were so high for the food, clothing, and work equipment that some residents were perpetually in debt. [The song “Sixteen Tons” by Merle Travis was about the scrip system and contained the famous line “I owe my soul to the company store.”]

For years, many families made a good life by working in coal mines. But gradually the coal industry went into a decline. This was primarily due to mechanization – as mines grew their machine capacity, they didn’t need as much manpower. The thick, easily accessible coal seams in eastern Kentucky have mostly been mined. What remains is harder and more expensive to mine. Meanwhile, there is more competition from coal mines out west in Montana and Wyoming. Finally, there is less demand for coal as more industries look for cleaner and more sustainable energy sources.

This has left eastern Kentucky’s coal mining communities plagued by higher unemployment, a rise in low-wage service jobs and poverty. Furthermore, as coal companies left, the communities lost their main tax base. The communities’ infrastructure is fragile. These communities are left to deal with the fact that many coal companies did not reclaim the land.

Coal mine owners and operators often ordered the stripping of hillsides and the blasting of mountaintops to get at even more coal. After a company’s mining operations stop, the company is supposed to rehabilitate the land. It is a requirement of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) of 1977.

The companies that cease mining operations are supposed to reshape the disturbed area, prevent soil erosion and, based on the soil’s needs, fertilize and replant with appropriate vegetation. Erosion prevention is important for clean creeks and streams. The regional water tables are important, as many rural families use wells. Reclaimed land can be used for agriculture, forestry, wildlife habitation and recreation. The cost of reclaiming the land was to be factored into the mines’ costs.

The problem is that many mining companies pulled out without reclaiming the land. The 1977 law is having problems working as envisioned because regulators set the amount of money for reclamation bonds too low, and they are not strictly enforcing the requirements that the companies reclaim land and water contemporaneous with the coal removal. Coal companies postponed reclamation for as long as they could – often for many years. The issue has been made worse as many coal companies have gone bankrupt before doing any reclamation.

Unless land is reclaimed with new grading and planting, then the surrounding communities are more vulnerable to flash floods. And that is what has been happening more frequently.

We are coming to the second anniversary of the horrendous and devastating floods that struck southeastern Kentucky July 26-30, 2022. The flood caused an immediate disaster but also resulted in long-term negative impacts on the children and their families.

In Letcher County, three people died. Two were a married older couple who worked as janitors at Letcher County Central High School. They died when their car was swept off a bridge, and their deaths grieved the students and the community. (The third was an older lady who had a heart attack as she was trying to escape.)

A very large number of people were left homeless. There was already an affordable housing shortage, and the flood made a bad situation much worse. This forced many people to move, at least those who had the skills and the ability to leave.

Looking at the schools, Kentucky Education Commissioner Jason E. Glass said of the 25 school districts in the Commonwealth that were affected by the flooding, Breathitt County, Jenkins Independent, Knott County, Leslie County, Letcher County, and Perry County schools were impacted the worst, with significant damages to school operations and/or buildings. Several of the schools were inundated and damaged too badly to open in August after the summer break.

It has been a long road to rebuild and recover. I am proud that Children Incorporated was able to respond immediately. Our Hope In Action Program helped with grants in August 2022 to our affiliated sites in the impacted areas. Another round of grants went out in September 2022 to the hardest-hit counties.

***

How do I sponsor a child with Children Incorporated?

SPONSOR A CHILD

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 15, 2024En Español

Over the years, Children Incorporated has been affiliated with a total of 10 Washington, D.C. public schools. The affiliations began in approximately 2009, when our U.S. Programs Urban Division Director at that time, Ron Carter, sought to expand upon the relationship he had made possible between Children Incorporated and Communities In Schools (CIS) of Richmond.

Being pleased with CIS as a partner, and ready for Children Incorporated to grow to its next urban affiliations, Ron reached out to the Executive Director at Communities In Schools of the Nation’s Capital at that time. Our organization’s first affiliation was at Ferebee-Hope Elementary School, and our organization’s impact has grown from there.

Understanding our capital city

It is ironic that in the richest nation in the world, there are children who are literally growing up in the shadow of the White House, who are living in bitter poverty, and who have never experienced the cultural and educational offerings in the city.

Asjya is pictured with one of our sponsored children.

However, despite the poverty, there is also a huge sense of pride. Many communities have been established for decades and have a strong sense of identity.

Some U.S. cities are divided into districts; others (like New Orleans) have parishes and Washington, D.C. has wards. There are eight wards currently in Washington, D.C. The city is bordered by Maryland to the north, east and west; and Virginia is to its south, on the other side of the landmark Potomac River.

There is also a smaller and lesser-known river named the Anacostia that runs through the city. For decades, the Anacostia River split Ward 7 and Ward 8 from the others. That divide was not only geographic, but economic, too. Ward 7 and 8 have had the highest poverty rates. There are children who have lived their whole lives without crossing the Anacostia River. These two wards also have had higher rates of violence than others.

Changes being made in recent years

However, the city began to redraw its wards based on the 2020 federal census. There are now small “bumps” on the tops of Ward 7 and Ward 8 that expand them north of the river for the first time ever. Ward 8 now includes gentrified areas such as Navy Yard and Southwest Waterfront. As The Washington Post stated in 2021, “The end of the days of exclusively east-of-the-river wards is inevitable, a result of a decade of explosive development in some Washington, D.C. neighborhoods and near-stagnation in others that has left the city’s eight wards unbalanced.”

With many neighborhoods becoming increasingly gentrified, there is an increasing inequity between “the haves and the have-nots.” Housing costs are skyrocketing, and the influx of new residents makes parking very difficult. There is still a shortage of grocery stores south of the Anacostia River. Food insecurity and transportation barriers go hand in hand. Additionally, Washington, D.C. does not provide school buses for students. Families must drive, walk or take a city bus. Transportation is a significant barrier for the children, and many absences are related to these ongoing challenges.

Providing regular, consistent support can truly make a difference in children’s well-being and healthy development, and we are seeing that through our affiliations in Washington, D.C.

The child poverty rate in Wards 7 and 8 is over 50%. Children who grow up in poverty are often exposed to high levels of trauma, which can have adverse effects on their development. Adding the stress of the pandemic years made a bad situation worse for impoverished students. Many children saw family members become very ill and even die. They worried what would happen to them. There were extra financial benefits provided, which improved child poverty, but those have now expired.

All these reasons are why the benefits of our sponsorship program are so important. Providing regular, consistent support can truly make a difference in children’s well-being and healthy development, and we are seeing that through our affiliations in Washington, D.C.

Visiting Burrville Elementary School

Children Incorporated’s Assistant Director of U.S. Programs, Kristen Walthall, and I visited our affiliated sites in Washington, D.C. in early 2024. Our first appointment was scheduled for Burrville Elementary School. After stopping for gas near the school, we drove around for some time looking for a place to park. This was complicated by road repairs by the school, with a street blocked off.

We arrived at the school a bit breathless, but excited. We were greeted by the Executive Director of Communities In Schools of the Nation’s Capital, Dr. Rustin Lewis, who had driven across town to welcome us personally. But he had to leave and return to the office immediately. We were also greeted by the Communities In Schools of the Nation’s Capital’s Program Director, Monique, and our volunteer coordinator Asyja, who runs the Children Incorporated sponsorship program at Burrville Elementary School.

To start our visit, Asyja took us on a tour of the school building. It’s an old structure, but it is well maintained. Due to its age there are few windows and thus no natural light, but the faculty has worked hard to make things cheerful with colorful bulletin boards and posters. The hallways are named after universities; Asyja explained to us that the school wants to plant the seed of higher education in the children’s minds from the beginning.

Burrville Elementary School offers a beacon of hope for children in the community.

During our walk, we were introduced to one of our enrolled children, Brooks.* Brooks is seven years old and is in the second grade. He loves playing soccer, practicing rap, and the color red. That’s a good thing, as it matches the school color. Brooks lives with his mother, stepfather, two older sisters, one older brother and one younger brother. His mother makes and sells bead necklaces for a living. His stepfather is currently unemployed. After Asyja sent Brooks back to his classroom, she said this family is one she works with a lot. Brooks and his older brother are enrolled on our sponsorship program. She is working on enrolling the two older sisters as well.

After our tour of the school, we all went to Asyja’s office, where Kris and I got a better idea of how Burrville is able to support children in the community. The school itself serves children in grades PK3 through fifth. (PK3 is prekindergarten for three-year olds. The “regular” prekindergarten is for four-year olds.) According to Asyja, the school offers several supplemental programs for its students. These include Reading Partners, the Joyful Market (a Children Incorporated favorite and past beneficiary of our Hope In Action Fund grants) and a variety of clubs, including a gardening club.

Asyja said her students’ greatest need is clothing. She is doing home visits and knows at least one child who needs a real bed. She will reach out to me or Kris once she gets an estimate on the cost of the bed and request Hope In Action Funds to purchase it. Asyja said she also sees food insecurity and works to address that. The average rent is $1,724 monthly, which means many families are paying a tremendous share of their limited income toward housing. She also said that a lot of Burrville Elementary School families are employed in service jobs (such as fast food), and some work in sales or for the government (such as in the clerical and tech support fields). Almost 30% don’t have cars and take public transportation into the downtown area and its work environs.

Ultimately, Children Incorporated helps provide a foundation that removes barriers and improves the social and emotional challenges that negatively affect our students.

– Asyja

Hearing from Asyja

Upon returning to the Children Incorporated office after our visit to Burrville Elementary, I received the following email from Asyja:

Approximately 258 students are enrolled at Burrville currently. 92% are African American and 7% Hispanic/Latino. English language learners make up 6% of the student population, 17% of students have an Individualized Education Program and 100% of the students receive free/reduced price meals.

Family engagement is a priority at Burrville. We conduct home visits, set up parent/teacher conferences and communicate with our families consistently. We also host annual events that our families and community members enjoy participating in. These activities include: Family Movie Night, Literacy Night, Fall Festival, Black History Month Programs, Family Game Night and Field Day. Burrville has partnerships with D.C. Scores, Teens Run D.C., Martha’s Table, Raising a Village and Boys Town, as well as Communities In Schools and Children Incorporated.

Homelessness, poor attendance and inadequate resources are the challenges at Burrville that impact the well-being and education of our students. Many of the struggles occur due to a lack of basic essentials and necessities in this high-poverty, low-income environment. Moreover, these challenges contribute to an evolved mental health population that affects the overall behaviors of our youth. Children Incorporated helps by providing additional support and resources to the students and their families to aid in breaking this cycle. Further, these supports and resources can empower our youth to matriculate appropriately through their educational career. Ultimately, Children Incorporated helps provide a foundation that removes barriers and improves the social and emotional challenges that negatively affect our students.

One of our students lost everything in a fire, except the clothes she had on. We were able to provide the student with clothes; she was provided with shirts, pants, socks, underwear, pajamas and a jacket. The family reported that because of the assistance they were able to comfortably finish the school term. Two other students did not have housing and stayed in a hotel for 60 days until they were moved into permanent placement. We were able to provide Christmas gifts for them, along with groceries, all thanks to the support these children receive from Children Incorporated.

*Name changed to protect the child.

***

How do I sponsor a child with Children Incorporated?

SPONSOR A CHILD

Children Incorporated | June 4, 2024En Español

As our Director of International Programs Luis Bourdet continues his visits to our affiliated India, we hear about his visit to the English Medium Hostel, where learning the English language is a focus for students.

Welcome to Dornakal

“Within the Dornakal Diocese, Children Incorporated provides support to six programs. One is a child care center and five are homes or hostels, including the English Medium Hostel. All our affiliated sites are administered by the Church of South India (or CSI), through the bishop in charge, and from its offices in Dornakal. This Diocese is in charge of over 1500 small and big churches and compounds (including schools and hostels) around the Diocese territory,” explained Luis.

“The Bishop of the Diocese, Rev. Dr. K. Padma Rao, who was appointed almost two years ago, is responsible for the upkeep of all churches and facilities within the Diocese. Children Incorporated support allows the children to stay at each center or hostel, and they are provided with food, clothing, boarding and educational support.”

“Children Incorporated support allows the children to stay at each center or hostel, and they are provided with food, clothing, boarding, and educational support,” explained Luis.

“English Medium Hostel is a small facility that accommodates about 30 to 35 children who are selected to attend the English Medium School. All are boys who come from remote areas but are taking the initiative to learn English, as the new government mandates, and attend this school to get more adept with the language from an early age,” said Luis.

“The hostel occupies a small area with two main buildings — one is a small two-story dorm, and the other is a kitchen and dining hall, with an adjacent set of toilets. The children have a busy schedule here, as they start their day early at around 5 a.m. by having breakfast, then attending school, and returning back to the home for a brief rest. Then they bah homework time, some cultural recreational activities, and are off to bed for the next day,” explained Luis.

Visiting English Medium

“The new volunteer coordinator Ms. Aruna Devi is the superintendent and is in charge of the home. During my visit, she had the opportunity to learn more about our sponsorship program requirements.”

“After a short presentation from the children and a meeting to discuss the importance of writing letters, providing reports and making sure the funds are properly distributed to the children, Ms. Devi and I discussed many areas of how Children Incorporated is helping children at the school. Ms. Devi shared with us in detail about how she distributes the funds and what they cover. After meeting with the children and touring the facility, we ended our visit,” said Luis.

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How do I sponsor a child with Children Incorporated?

SPONSOR A CHILD