Why do you sponsor with CFCA?
July 15, 2010
CFCA takes a very grassroots approach to spreading the word about our Hope for a Family sponsorship program. We don’t spend a lot of money on advertising to find new sponsors (in fact, fundraising only totals 2.8 percent of our expenses). Consequently, that also means we rely on the enthusiasm of our sponsors to share CFCA with others by talking about their sponsorship experience.
We have approximately 270,000 sponsors, and we want to hear from you. Why do you sponsor with CFCA? What would you tell others about sponsoring through CFCA? Share your thoughts in the comments section below or on our Facebook page.
Entry Filed under: Around the World with CFCA. Tags: cfca, sponsor.
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1. Bill Jasman | July 15, 2010 at 1:22 pm
My wife picked up the sponsorship package and said “I believe that God wanted us to sponsor this child” That was 7 years ago. I believe that not only God wanted us to do it, but it was the right thing to do.
2. Marsha Murphy | July 15, 2010 at 2:09 pm
My husband and I sponsor Maria who lives in Guatemala. I have had her for about 8 years and I have been able to actually go to San Lucas and meet with Maria and her parents. It is the most rewarding experience i have had and she is now in 7th grade and loves school. She wants to finsih school and be a teacher. We are so happy to know that Maria and her family appreciate the help and it means I think as much to ys as it does to them. I feel very blessed to be a part of her life and asctually see her. Getting the letters and pictures are so exciting and I am so glad we are able to be a part of this wonderful program. It is worth every penny. Blessings to you all. Truly consider this experieince and I know you too will feel rewarded for this.
3. Lily Kornacki | July 20, 2010 at 8:35 pm
I am sponsoring a little girl named Anabel and i have been giving her money and writing her her for about a year now.I haven’t actually gotten to go see her but i want to sometime in the next few years.When I chose to sponsor this little girl i had a feeling that what i was about to do was the right thing.It turns out my feeling was right.Now i just hope that Anabel and her family are doing better that what they were doing when I had just started sponsoring Anabel.
4. William & June Leicht | July 21, 2010 at 9:37 am
My husband and I sponsor five people. We have sponsored Merry Grace a child in the Philippines and Rafaela an aging person in Guatemala since 2001. In 2009 we went to the Philippines to meet Merry Grace. This was a life changing event, seeing first hand the poverty and how much our sponsorship meant to her and her family. We decided to sponsor her two younger sisters Merry Dee and Merry Joy and another little boy in India, his name is Pavan.
We are assisting Merry Grace with her dream to be a math and science teacher, she is starting her third year in college. We hope to go back and see her and her family again in a couple years.
We also hope to go to Guatemala and meet Rafaela, she turns 91 this year. This is a great sponsorship program and also a great way to teach your children about other parts of the world and how fortunate they are to have what they have.
5. Judith K. Puetz | July 21, 2010 at 12:42 pm
My sponsored friend is Lidia of the Valparaiso Project in Valparaiso, Chile. Initially, when the CFCA organization came to our church in Columbus, Nebraska in 2003, I thought it would be great to sponsor a child. However, when looking thru the packets, I noticed several elderly people waiting for sponsorship. When I saw that Lidia’s birthday is the same as my deceased grandmother, I knew it was a sign that I should pick her. It has been such a rewarding experience getting to know this wonderful woman, who just turned 81, and her family. They have so little and are so grateful for the help I can give to them. I have learned so much about her country and I am blessed to have her in my life. I would very much like to visit her sometime. Meeting her and her family would be a dream come true for me. I just recently chose another friend to sponsor. His name is Wilder – a 6 year old boy from Guatemala. And, I chose him because his birthday is the same day as our wedding anniversary…another sign from God that this was the right thing to do! I pray for these people all the time and hope our relationship via mail will continue for many years. Thank you CFCA for making it all possible.
6. Margaret Looper | July 21, 2010 at 12:45 pm
Sponsoring children through CFCA is a way of doing GOD’S WORK. For 20 years my husband and I have looked forward to the letters and photos, and watched our “God Children” grow and develop into adults. Our first was Rosa, then came Daysi. While visiting Daysi with CFCA in 2008 in Bolivia I saw Camelia and just knew we should sponsor her. This December my husband and I will journey back to Bolivia with CFCA to see Camelia again. The next visit will be to El Salvador to meet Dalia our newest young “God Child”. Notice that each of their names is a flower!
We provide nourishment for God’s Flowers to bloom and grow.
Thank you CFCA for providing the way that our meager gifts can directly reach ” God’s Flowers”.
7. Rosanna Flournoy | July 21, 2010 at 1:39 pm
I sponsor an aging person in Honduras. I have been sponsoring Antolina for 2 1/2 years. I started sponsoring her right after my mother died in honor of her and in her memory. My mom died at 92 and was quite ill for a very long time. I wanted to help another aging woman who didn’t have the resources we have in the USA so she wouldn’t have to suffer for a lack of necessities in addition to advancing years. I enjoy her letters and her pictures. I feel this is an extremely wonderful program and the personal contact with the sponsored friend is fantastic!
8. Elizabeth Williams | July 21, 2010 at 1:46 pm
I began to sponsor because I wanted to share the blessings that God had given me. Guess what? You can’t out give God, He gave me more blessings. LOVE of and for two little girls that I will likely never meet but love as long as I live. One of my little girls isn’t in the program anymore but is always in my thoughts and prayers. It isn’t likely I will ever meet either one of these girls but it is possible to love some one you never met. I am forever grateful to God for giving me these girls.
9. Ted Dauphin | July 21, 2010 at 3:00 pm
Hi, I have been sponsoring for about 14 years now. God has blessed me with an adundance of blessings in many different ways. I wanted to see others have an opportunity to suceed also. I started out by sponsoring two children. After my first MAT trip I added a few more children. Now I sponssor 14 children, including a second generation of sponsorship. I also give back by being an advocate for CFCA. I feel like CFCA is the best charity available that meets and exceeds my expectations for a charity. For those that have never met your sponsored child or aging I recommend you signup for one of the MAT trips. It will change your life forever. For those that want to do more than sponsoring I would recommend becoming an advocate for CFCA. As sponsors we can be the voice of those living in extreme poverty. We have an opportunity to help others enjoy a better life. I would be happy to share ideas concerning the ways I am an advocate for CFCA. Feel free to contact me. God bless all!
10. Paul Predecki | July 21, 2010 at 3:25 pm
After WW2 my parents and I were immigrants from Poland via England. I was a sickly, weak child and my father was a wounded RAF pilot. South Africa welcomed us with open arms and gave us a wonderful new start in life. After 12 years I went to graduate school in the US and then stayed here. I now take every opportunity to give back to the poorest in South Africa (through Missionaries of Charity) and elsewhere in Africa (CFCA Kenya). It is my prayer that CFCA will start a project in South Africa.
11. Suzanne Marullo | July 21, 2010 at 5:18 pm
Ever since I was a little child I have always wanted to help people. Now that I am an old lady sponsoring children from their pre-teen years until they reached adulthood makes me feel like I’m helping and watching grandchildren with their lives, so that they can be the best that they can be, and help this war-torn world to a horizon of peace and love.
12. Judy Reynolds | July 21, 2010 at 6:08 pm
Never having had children of my own, this seemed like a great way to make a difference in the life of a child. I received my first sponsee in 1996. She was 8. Though she and I never met, I feel like I grew up along with her.Lucia is now 22 and married. After her father died in the late 1990′s I was able to also start sponsoring one of her sisters. So it was a real family affair! (For awhile I had three girls that I was sponsoring, but am now back down to two.) I am still sponsoring Lucia’s sister Regina, who is such a precious young woman with a heart of gold. My other sponsee, Daniela, is 14 and is now finally able to write letters to me on her own. God Bless her aunt for always writing to me for her while she was still learning to do so. CFCA is such an awesome organization to be involved with. I feel blessed to have made such wonderful acquaintances with my Guatemalan Girls.
13. Donna Patty | July 21, 2010 at 6:23 pm
My daughter and I sponsored a child from Guatamala about five or more years ago. CFCA came to our church and gave speeches after each mass. The speaker gave us alot of information and it definitely sounded interesting. We both are glad we picked Magdalena and still feel it was an omen. After mass, they had a table full of packets for sponsoring. Regina and I picked a girl since we could relate better to a girl than a boy. It was definitely meant to be. Magdalena was born on the same day as my daughter but a year earlier. We were so shocked and said this was meant to be. It has been a blessing to do this and we are so excited to receive mail from Magdalena. We haven’t personally met her but we think of her as our family. We love to send her things and send letters and just love hearing from her. CFCA even sends you an update how she is doing in school and how her family is doing. It was one of the best decisions I ever made.
14. Cecilia Senesac | July 21, 2010 at 7:15 pm
God has blessed me with many blessings and I wanted to share with others. I’ve gained a feeling of satisfaction in sharing with Mary Jane these past 4 1/2 years. Her appreciation makes me want to continue to share with her to make it possible for her to have some of her needs met. I have more peace of mind in giving and also in writing letters to her. I enjoy receiving her letters also.
15. Patrick Jernigan | July 21, 2010 at 7:33 pm
My wife and I sponsor five children, one in India, one in Guatemala, one in Bolivia and two in Costa Rica. We feel blessed and honored to be able to assist these hard-working children who want nothing more than to better their lives and those of their families. I can’t imagine a more relevant, and satisfying charitable experience than CFCA. The love we receive from the kids alone makes it all worth it. We will and do recommend CFCA to anyone capable of helping the lives of others.
16. Madeline Mullen | July 21, 2010 at 8:06 pm
We sponsor three children (in school) and three young adults (who are finishing their education). It all started when we found CFCA, a non-profit organization (with low overhead) that doesn’t try to force Hindus to become Christian, Catholics to evangelicals, etc. The CFCA agenda is simple, helping families. I originally thought it would be good for my teen daughter to relate to another girl across the world, and it has been great for her. But in the internet age, I have to say that NOTHING brightens my day more than getting a letter and/or a photo from a sponsored friend. That’s because Teresa, Dayana, Alma, Njeri, Lucy, and Amutha are part of our extended world-wide family.
17. Mario & Cyndi Vasquez | July 22, 2010 at 8:26 am
We were approached by a visiting priest who brought this program to our Church. He shared with us all about these children and families and all they experience. Made us realize how fortunate we are here and in all we have. We complain about a lot of things but don’t realize the little things complained about are a big thing for those men, women and children who are suffering more than us. It’s a wonderful feeling for the gift of giving! It is what God is calling us to do. Knowing that we can help makes us happy. We are blessed and grateful that we have the means to give to our adopted child and we are able to make this donation whole heartedly. God Bless!
18. Nancy Maria | July 22, 2010 at 9:10 am
Words can’t express how wonderful it feels to get letters from my sponsered child Karen in Guatemala.
This expierence has rocked my world and brought joy to my life.
I hope to someday make a mission trip to visit her and her family.
Life is too short not to share it with the poor and change their life for the better. God Bless CFCA!
Mother Teresa said it well:
“The problem with the world is that we have forgotten that we belong to each other!”
19. Barbara K. Hanna | July 22, 2010 at 7:27 pm
My husband and I sponsor children and an aging woman because we believe that we are called to “love our neighbors as ourselves”.
Now that we have been sponsoring for more that 13 years we have found that when they have problems and tell us about them we can write to encourage them and pray.
However, the best gift is their care and love that continues to come in prayer and letters. We think of each other each day. We are family, we are neighbors..
20. Patricia | July 22, 2010 at 11:31 pm
I see sponsorship not only as a chance to connect with people from around the world, but also as an investment in our future. These kids WILL change the world.
21. hannah | July 24, 2010 at 8:48 am
I got my first job when i turned 16, seven years ago. A couple of weeks after I started (the week i got my first paycheck) a priest visited my church, and told us all about CFCA. I remember sitting there listening to him, and thinking wow! I have enough money to help someone! That feeling is amazing! I started out sponsoring one child, and now that my job pays more than fast food did, I am able to sponsor two children. I love being able to know every day when I go to work, it’s not just for me or for the kids in my class, every day I am working to help two children who otherwise wouldn’t be able to eat well or go to school. And that is amazing!
22. Donna Melnick | July 24, 2010 at 7:15 pm
My husband and I decided to sponsor a child when a priest spoke at our church. I had been thinking about doing this for a while, not knowing how to do it. Listening at mass, it was if he was talking directly to me. God has blessed us and we wanted to share this with others. We sponsored William Paul, a boy in the Philippines. After about two years, we received a heart breaking note from the coordinator that his family had to move quickly, so he was no longer in the program. We then sponsored another boy in the same project, Paul Anthony. We write to him about three times a year and get wonderful letters from him. We now sponsor a second boy, Marwin, that our nephew writes to. We wanted him to see that there were children who weren’t as blessed as he is. When our nephew turned 8, we told him of “Win” and asked if he wanted to write to him. That night, he took his blanket to his mom and asked if he could send it to Win because he was afraid he did not have one. We told our nephew that we would take him to meet Win one day, which will really open his eyes. Our 7 year old nephew is also looking forward to when he will also get the opportunity. As long as we are here and physically able to sponsor, we will. I pray each night for our 5 boys, William Paul (wherever he is), Paul Anthony, Win and our 2 nephews as they are all our family.
23. BIll & Terri Schinkal | July 26, 2010 at 9:12 pm
CFCA is among the best-run charities in the world. The program is on-the-mark in terms of providing opportunities for education, health and spiritual support. We greatly appreciate the opportunity to directly touch the lives of those we sponsor, through the letters we exchange. It’s a wonderful way to be a blessing to those who need our support to redirect their lives on a path of self-reliance and faith. We started sponsoring about 15 years ago, and currently sponsor 5 children. We love CFCA!
24. Merton Garrison | July 27, 2010 at 5:14 pm
I have been sponsoring since approx. 2003. Over these seven years I have met the greatest people, the people of the countries I sponsor in. I have made many new friends, many that I have stayed in touch with. Bob and Cristina are the best people. I always enjoy seeing them on MATs. My sponsored friends are always smiling when I go to visit them. We are both happy to see each other. After the first child was sponsored it just kept growing. Now there are five and I have visited three of them. I plan on seeing all of them and, who knows, maybe more will be added. CFCA has been great for me.
25. Lynne Hook | July 27, 2010 at 11:34 pm
CFCA has allowed us to provide direct help to a Guatemalan family in need for nearly 15 years now. Our first adopted girl has graduated from school and become a teacher. We encourage her two sisters through our sponsorship to do well in school. The children are so thankful for the support and it is really such a small way of doing good in the world. There is no better feeling that knowing that a small poor child in a faraway place sleeps better at night knowing that someone far away cares for them.
26. Bob and Mary Clark | July 28, 2010 at 4:53 pm
We heard about CFCA from a mission priest and God gave us Amarilis in Guatemala that night. She was 5 yrs. old. Letters from her mother were like Christmas every 2 months. They brought us so much joy that we then received Erick. He was 4. IN 1999 we went to San Lucas Toliman in Guatemala for a MAT and met both children and one parent each. What joy. She was 9 and he was 5. A couple years later we added Luis and in 2003 we met all 3 children and their parents and some siblings in San Lucas Toliman and had a joyous time with our extended family. Along the way, we added an elderly lady in El Salvador, who then died and we got another one, who moved out of the project and now have a 75 yr. old lady in Colombia. Henry Flores in El Salvador was the one who made us realize that children aren’t the only needy ones, but the elderly live precarious lives, too. What Bob Hentzen, board and staff do is truly miraculous. We have been blessed continually by the love and letters from these loved ones. Our Godchildren are now 20, 17 and 16 and our little girl is now a mom. Thank you CFCA!
27. Lauren Glass | August 2, 2010 at 5:26 pm
I was 10 years old when a CFCA representative came to my church and set up a table with dozens of packets spread across it, each packet containing a mini bio about a different child up for sponsorship. Out of curiousity, I began to read through some of the bios, and after only a couple, I found one–Jose, a Salvadorian boy the same age as me, whose favorite hobby was also soccer, and favorite subjects were Math and Science, just like me. I asked my parents if we could sponsor him, and they agreed it might be a good thing.
I went home that day and already started to write my first letter. To me, this boy wasn’t just some random stranger, I could already tell we were meant to be friends. We wrote letters back and forth constantly. In the summer of 2006, my parents and I went to El Salvador with CFCA to meet Jose. Despite the language barrier and never having met before, we hit it off right away. We even took the initiative to organize a game of soccer among all the children and their sponsors! At the end of the day, when it was time to leave, Jose shared a poem about friendship he had written for me, and with tears in our eyes, we said goodbye. It has been ten years since I started writing Jose, and we are still write eachother. He is now attending the University thanks to the sponsorship money I give. My family has also since started sponsoring a few other children and elderly through CFCA.
These people won’t just become your friends, they will become your family. Human presense is just as much of a need as food or water, and that’s exactly what you can provide and receive in return through sponsorship. You will feel the love and appreciation in every letter, and with every thought and prayer for your sponsor friend. And if you have kids, I highly suggest considering this. It is such a great way to begin raising generous, caring children with a global awareness, and it is something they will take with them for the rest or their lives.
Sponsoring a child or aging isn’t just about the money you give, or simply feeding a family half way across the world, it’s about building relationships, and spreading love. It’s the perfect Christian response.
28. Nancy Maria | August 2, 2010 at 8:29 pm
Dear Lauren,
You are such a testement to what sponsorship is all about, I loved your story and God Bless you and many others who have found it in their hearts to help those so much in need of a helping hand and a friend to share their lives with.
Sponsorship for me has also been a very rewarding expierence and I’m looking forward to someday meeting my sponsored child.
Nancy Maira