Dear Friends,
I want to tell you a story about a special young lady named Anna.* Anna lives in Kentucky and is a senior in high school. She is an ambitious girl who has always dreamed of a better life for herself — better than the life she had become so accustomed to as she was growing up.
Years ago, Teresa, our volunteer coordinator at the school Anna attends, saw Anna’s potential to rise above poverty.
As one in a family with seven children, Anna’s home was chaotic. She had no personal space, no privacy, and it was next to impossible for her to find a quiet place to study. This was a problem for Anna who wanted to make good grades and excel in her schoolwork. Her parents worked hard to provide for their family, but there was just not enough room for all of them. Additionally, there was never enough food, and Anna and her siblings were often forced to wear worn and tattered shoes and clothing. They often attended school with insufficient school supplies.
Dreams for the future
Since Anna started high school, she has participated in the Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps. She now wants to join the Army as soon as she graduates from high school in the spring. She then hopes to get a college degree and continue to serve our country as a military nurse.
Years ago, Teresa, our volunteer coordinator at the school Anna attends, saw Anna’s potential to rise above poverty.
She saw Anna’s drive and determination to do something more with her life, and enrolled Anna in the Children Incorporated sponsorship program. Thanks to the hard work of our U.S. Sponsorship Division, Anna was matched with a sponsor very quickly, and Teresa was able to use the funds she received to buy Anna new clothes, hygiene items and other items she desperately needed.
When Anna turned eighteen 
in December, she moved out of her family home and in with a friend’s mother, where she hoped to find a peaceful place to accomplish her studies. For a while, things went well, but then quite suddenly, her circumstances changed and she was forced to find another place to stay. Anna packed her meager possessions into a trash bag and set off to find a new home or someone that would give her lodging. She missed quite a bit of school while she was looking for a place to stay, until finally a friend offered to let Anna move in with her family and sleep on their sofa.
Helping Anna in a time of need
Teresa found out that Anna had missed quite a few days of school and immediately recognized that Anna was in danger of becoming a drop-out; something Teresa definitely did not want to happen. Teresa reached out to Renée Kube, our Director of U.S. Programs, and asked for help for Anna so that she could survive through winter break and into the new year. Children Incorporated, through our Hope In Action Fund, was able to provide Anna with food and other necessities, as well as financial assistance to cover her various living expenses. As a bonus, Children Incorporated helped her share a nice Christmas dinner with her host family. Teresa, our wonderful volunteer coordinator, helped her find part-time work at local café, the same one where Teresa’s daughter is employed. Anna is now making some money of her own and can contribute to her friend’s household, where she plans to stay until graduation from high school in the spring. After that, she intends to join the Army.
Will you consider making a donation to our Hope In Action Fund today? With your help, we will continue to be ready to help children in need at any time – for any reason.
None of this could have happened without the support of our Hope In Action Fund — as well as that of Anna’s sponsor. This very special fund is intended to help in wide-ranging and diverse situations, including ones just like Anna’s. When emergencies arise and families and sponsored children need assistance, sometimes beyond what sponsorship alone can provide, Hope In Action is there to help fill in the gaps. For Anna, the assistance she received from Hope In Action dollars made an incredible difference.
Will you consider making a donation to our Hope In Action Fund today? With your help, we will continue to be ready to help children in need at any time – for any reason.
From the heart,
Ronald H. Carter
President and CEO
Children Incorporated
*Name changed to protect the child.
***