child sponsorship
Dec. 6th, 2007 07:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
arishaAnd now for something completely different!
I sponsor four children through Children International. If you're all like, "Say what?," yeah, I know, I never talk about it. ^^; For a number of reasons I guess. But I've been a sponsor for two years now and I really enjoy it and it is pretty rewarding and has encouraged me to learn more about other countries that I never would have learned about before.
Today I got a couple letters letting me better know how my Christmastime donations are going to be spent, and I was so thrilled with them that I thought I would share them with you. :3
This is the first letter I opened, so I'll post it first. Besides its main sponsorship program, Children International has a number of other programs to which you can donate. There are funds to provide medicine for sick children, there's a fund to provide people in the countries CI serves with decent housing, there's a fund that supports career fairs and training ... There's also a fund called Miracles on Hold, and the idea with that one is that companies make item donations to CI, but since CI has to pay to ship them to the countries that they serve, the items sit in wait until CI can afford to ship them. When someone donates to this fund, for every dollar of the donation, CI can ship about seventeen dollars' worth of items. I hate the idea of such useful, basic items just sitting in a warehouse somewhere when they could be helping a poor family, so I sent a little donation. Here's the letter I got in response to that. :)
Dear Miss ----,
Thank you so much for responding to our need to ship donated items overseas! Your generous gift of $25.00 will allow us to provide $525.00 worth of new clothing, medicine, books and household goods to the children and families we serve.
Because we want to make the most of your contributions, we're always looking for ways to provide additional support. When we acquire new items that have been donated by companies and corporations, we're able to give children and their families top-quality items that we might not otherwise have been able to afford.
I can't tell you how much I appreciate your support -- to help all the children in our program receive the assistance they need and deserve.
Thank you again, Miss ----. I'm so glad we have friends like you.
Sincerely,
Jim Cook
President
Haha, I think sometimes the letters go a bit over the top with the flattery. ^^; And obviously they're total form letters. I still really like to get them, though. The $525 this letter talks about really surprised me! I didn't do the math before I sent the donation, and gosh, I never imagined we would be talking about hundreds of dollars' worth of items being shipped because of a wee $25 that I sent! ^^; ($525 is actually a hundred dollars more than the result of 25 x 17, but even if that's a typo, $425 is still a lot of stuff!) So that was cool to learn. :)
But the most exciting part of the letters I received today is that I got to find out what my sponsored children are getting for Christmas! :D Basically, when it comes to Christmas/birthday/Easter/whatever presents, the local employees try to figure out what the best present for your sponsored child or their family is. So it's always an awesome surprise for me too, just finding out what they get. xD; haha I am easily made happy I guess.
Here's the letter!! :D (Words not in italics are mine.)
Dear Miss ----,
Christmas is a magical time of the year. It's an opportunity to celebrate with family and loved ones and share the joy of the season. I want to thank you for also celebrating the holiday with your sponsored children with your generous gift of $30.00.
Without our program, many children won't have even a small present in honor of the occasion. Just think of the joy that the children will experience when they receive a gift just for them. That's why I'm thrilled that you have chosen to help provide your sponsored children and all the children in our program with a present.
Each year, we ask mothers of sponsored children to help select gifts that will be used and truly appreciated. I'm pleased to share with you what we have selected this year:
Steven (he's four years old, lives in Colombia and he's adorable!) is receiving a backpack and an educational game. A new backpack will help make learning fun while giving kids a place to store homework or other important papers. The educational game will be a special treat and provide hours of entertainment and fun. (Oh man I just think that's awesome. An awesome present. <3 )
Keyly (she's nine years old, lives in Honduras, and I've sponsored her the longest - two whole years :) ) is receiving a denim skirt and a shirt. Great for everyday wear or special occasions, this brand new outfit will boost girls' self-confidence while fulfilling a need for clothes. Children in our program rarely receive new clothing, so this gift will be a special treat. (haha, poor Keyly, she always gets clothes. xD; For her birthday last month she got a shirt and a pair of pants. I just hope she enjoys them and doesn't get sick of receiving clothing like I would. ^^; )
Ma. Fe (she's ten years old, lives in the Philippines, and is pretty well more talented than I'll ever be) is receiving a foam mat that can be rolled up for easy storage. It's not unusual for children in the Philippines to sleep on the floor, so this practical gift will likely be used each night. As children get ready to enjoy a comfortable night's rest, they are sure to think of you and your generosity. (Okay the last line weirds me out a little. ^^; But it sounds like a really good present!)
Mercy (she's eleven years old, lives in Zambia, and her family makes only ~$23US a month oh my god) is receiving a brand new blanket. Made of soft and comfy material, this gift will ensure children stay warm during Zambia's surprisingly cooler nights. This gift can also provide extra padding, helping ensure a comfortable night's sleep. (The information I have about Mercy's family says that she sleeps on "the floor with a mat," so I hope that this present helps. I was pleasantly surprised that they told me what she'll receive; I only started sponsoring her really recently, after I made the Christmas donation. ^^; )
Once again, thank you for helping your sponsored children celebrate the season. It is sure to be a memorable one.
Sincerely,
Jim Cook
President
Awesome. :D I love learning what presents they'll get. I hope they all enjoy them, I hope they're really useful. <3
And so, unless anyone wants to talk about child sponsorship (and I am totally up for it if you do), I guess I'll go back to not talking about it for another two years. ^^;
(And I posted an edited version of this entry at![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
childsponsors.)
I sponsor four children through Children International. If you're all like, "Say what?," yeah, I know, I never talk about it. ^^; For a number of reasons I guess. But I've been a sponsor for two years now and I really enjoy it and it is pretty rewarding and has encouraged me to learn more about other countries that I never would have learned about before.
Today I got a couple letters letting me better know how my Christmastime donations are going to be spent, and I was so thrilled with them that I thought I would share them with you. :3
This is the first letter I opened, so I'll post it first. Besides its main sponsorship program, Children International has a number of other programs to which you can donate. There are funds to provide medicine for sick children, there's a fund to provide people in the countries CI serves with decent housing, there's a fund that supports career fairs and training ... There's also a fund called Miracles on Hold, and the idea with that one is that companies make item donations to CI, but since CI has to pay to ship them to the countries that they serve, the items sit in wait until CI can afford to ship them. When someone donates to this fund, for every dollar of the donation, CI can ship about seventeen dollars' worth of items. I hate the idea of such useful, basic items just sitting in a warehouse somewhere when they could be helping a poor family, so I sent a little donation. Here's the letter I got in response to that. :)
Dear Miss ----,
Thank you so much for responding to our need to ship donated items overseas! Your generous gift of $25.00 will allow us to provide $525.00 worth of new clothing, medicine, books and household goods to the children and families we serve.
Because we want to make the most of your contributions, we're always looking for ways to provide additional support. When we acquire new items that have been donated by companies and corporations, we're able to give children and their families top-quality items that we might not otherwise have been able to afford.
I can't tell you how much I appreciate your support -- to help all the children in our program receive the assistance they need and deserve.
Thank you again, Miss ----. I'm so glad we have friends like you.
Sincerely,
Jim Cook
President
Haha, I think sometimes the letters go a bit over the top with the flattery. ^^; And obviously they're total form letters. I still really like to get them, though. The $525 this letter talks about really surprised me! I didn't do the math before I sent the donation, and gosh, I never imagined we would be talking about hundreds of dollars' worth of items being shipped because of a wee $25 that I sent! ^^; ($525 is actually a hundred dollars more than the result of 25 x 17, but even if that's a typo, $425 is still a lot of stuff!) So that was cool to learn. :)
But the most exciting part of the letters I received today is that I got to find out what my sponsored children are getting for Christmas! :D Basically, when it comes to Christmas/birthday/Easter/whatever presents, the local employees try to figure out what the best present for your sponsored child or their family is. So it's always an awesome surprise for me too, just finding out what they get. xD; haha I am easily made happy I guess.
Here's the letter!! :D (Words not in italics are mine.)
Dear Miss ----,
Christmas is a magical time of the year. It's an opportunity to celebrate with family and loved ones and share the joy of the season. I want to thank you for also celebrating the holiday with your sponsored children with your generous gift of $30.00.
Without our program, many children won't have even a small present in honor of the occasion. Just think of the joy that the children will experience when they receive a gift just for them. That's why I'm thrilled that you have chosen to help provide your sponsored children and all the children in our program with a present.
Each year, we ask mothers of sponsored children to help select gifts that will be used and truly appreciated. I'm pleased to share with you what we have selected this year:
Steven (he's four years old, lives in Colombia and he's adorable!) is receiving a backpack and an educational game. A new backpack will help make learning fun while giving kids a place to store homework or other important papers. The educational game will be a special treat and provide hours of entertainment and fun. (Oh man I just think that's awesome. An awesome present. <3 )
Keyly (she's nine years old, lives in Honduras, and I've sponsored her the longest - two whole years :) ) is receiving a denim skirt and a shirt. Great for everyday wear or special occasions, this brand new outfit will boost girls' self-confidence while fulfilling a need for clothes. Children in our program rarely receive new clothing, so this gift will be a special treat. (haha, poor Keyly, she always gets clothes. xD; For her birthday last month she got a shirt and a pair of pants. I just hope she enjoys them and doesn't get sick of receiving clothing like I would. ^^; )
Ma. Fe (she's ten years old, lives in the Philippines, and is pretty well more talented than I'll ever be) is receiving a foam mat that can be rolled up for easy storage. It's not unusual for children in the Philippines to sleep on the floor, so this practical gift will likely be used each night. As children get ready to enjoy a comfortable night's rest, they are sure to think of you and your generosity. (Okay the last line weirds me out a little. ^^; But it sounds like a really good present!)
Mercy (she's eleven years old, lives in Zambia, and her family makes only ~$23US a month oh my god) is receiving a brand new blanket. Made of soft and comfy material, this gift will ensure children stay warm during Zambia's surprisingly cooler nights. This gift can also provide extra padding, helping ensure a comfortable night's sleep. (The information I have about Mercy's family says that she sleeps on "the floor with a mat," so I hope that this present helps. I was pleasantly surprised that they told me what she'll receive; I only started sponsoring her really recently, after I made the Christmas donation. ^^; )
Once again, thank you for helping your sponsored children celebrate the season. It is sure to be a memorable one.
Sincerely,
Jim Cook
President
Awesome. :D I love learning what presents they'll get. I hope they all enjoy them, I hope they're really useful. <3
And so, unless anyone wants to talk about child sponsorship (and I am totally up for it if you do), I guess I'll go back to not talking about it for another two years. ^^;
(And I posted an edited version of this entry at
childsponsors.)