Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Richmonder Takes the Reigns as Board Chairman

By David Hylton, Public Relations Specialist

Charles Caravati Jr., a Richmond resident and graduate of the University of Virginia’s School of Medicine, became Christian Children’s Fund’s Board of Directors chairman this week. He has been on CCF’s board since 2002.

CCF’s Board of Directors held its quarterly meeting at Richmond’s Henrico County headquarters on Emerywood Parkway off Broad Street.

For more on this and details on a new CCF board member, check out our latest news release here.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

We Just Feel Like Running (and walking)

By David Hylton, Public Relations Specialist

Every year when spring rolls around, thousands upon thousands of runners and walkers hit Monument Avenue in Richmond with the same goal – to complete 6.2 miles on one of the city’s most famous streets.

This year, Christian Children’s Fund staff in Richmond will be well represented at the 10th Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10k. To date, we have more than 10 percent of our staff registered, with more signing up every day.

Our newly formed wellness committee – POWER UP! – will have a special recognition for those taking part – but SHHH! It’s a secret right now what they’re doing.

Continue to check this blog as we have various training updates leading up to the race, which is March 28. For details on the 10k, click here to visit the Richmond Sports Backers Web site. If you have any training advice for us, please leave a comment below!

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

This Little Piggy …


By David Hylton, Public Relations Specialist

Some pigs go to market, some pigs stay home … but in Uganda, some pigs are changing the life of one woman and her family.

Thanks to Christian Children’s Fund livelihood programs, Milly’s life has changed for the better following the death of her husband in 2003. When he died she was unemployed and left with eight children to raise.

A year after her husband’s death, a meeting was held in her Ugandan village to tell residents that CCF was looking for people to train in farming. CCF Uganda staff visited the village soon after the meeting to register people in the program.

“We were immediately enrolled for a one-week course on gardening and farming,” Milly said. “Before the training, I used to rear a few pigs at home. I would tied them on a rope and take them to the garden to feed. Now I have given them shelter because I am equipped with knowledge on how to look after them in the right way.”

At the end of the training, CCF gave Milly a pair of piglets – male and female – to help her start a piggery business. Today she is an accomplished community piggery farmer, and she has started other income-generating activities such as poultry and banana farming. And because of this business, she is able to afford to send her children to school. Her children also participate in the family business.

“My first born is now studying at a university,” Milly says.

To read more about Milly’s story, click here to read CCF’s latest news release.

Monday, January 12, 2009

CCF Among Groups Stressing Gender Integration

By David Hylton, Public Relations Specialist

Over the past several months, Christian Children’s Fund has been engaged in increasing U.S. foreign aid. Earlier this month, CCF Washington Office Director Laura Henderson joined a group of 25 nonprofit organizations that met with President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team to discuss the importance of gender integration in U.S. foreign assistance.

Laura was one of several people who spoke at the meeting Jan. 8. She discussed the difficulties in carrying out gender integration in projects in the field without the full commitment from USAID and other development agencies from the level of the USAID administrator to the level of technical officers.

The meeting took place in response to a Dec. 16 letter on the importance of gender integration in U.S. foreign assistance that Women Thrive Worldwide drafted and CCF and 40 other organizations signed.

To read more about the meeting with Obama’s transition team, click here.

Friday, January 9, 2009

Henrico Doctor’s and CCF Maintain the Spirit of Giving

By Stephanie Brummell, Interactive Content Specialist for CCF

The holidays may be over with the start of the New Year, but that didn’t stop Henrico Doctor’s Hospital from making one last drop off at Christian Children’s Fund.

The mitten tree, which began only 7 years ago, has turned into an annual event for both patients and staff at Henrico Doctor’s.

“We started doing it because we had so many patients who would bring us holiday gifts and food,”said Bonita Jones, registered nurse in cardiopulmonary rehab. “So instead, we wanted to encourage them to give back to their community through a mitten tree.”

Each holiday season, beginning as early as the day after Thanksgiving, patients at Henrico Doctor’s begin inquiring about the tree. And every year, dozens of mittens, scarves, hats and even a few blankets are brought to the rehab facility in hopes of helping others less fortunate warm up during the winter months.

After the mittens were hung on the tree with care, the staff at Henrico Doctor’s counted a total of 197 warm items for donation. A portion of these items went to the Girl Scouts and the rest, about 150 items, came to CCF.

“We love working with CCF because we know that our donation will go to children in need,” said Jones.

“One year CCF sent them to the Afghanistan and one of your employees went there to help establish a school and came back with pictures of all the children with their hands up in the air covered with our gloves. Those pictures were worth a million words.”

This year, CCF will be sending the donation to the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation in South Dakota.

The CCF and Henrico Doctor’s connection came in the form of patient care when a former CCF employee had Jones as a nurse.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

What Can You Do to Help?

By Anne Goddard, CCF president and CEO

The news that each of us hears each day is not good – the world’s economy is struggling like never before. Although it might be easy to focus our thoughts on any ramifications for us personally, it might help to think of our personal story within the larger one, which is something that we at Christian Children’s Fund do regularly.

Childhood is a one-time opportunity. Many of the world’s deprived, excluded and vulnerable children don’t have televisions to watch or the literacy skills to read a newspaper. To them, the world’s recession is not a new story – they have heard about and lived tough times their whole lives. And if we let their lives get tougher in any way, their one-time opportunity for a healthy childhood is gone forever.

As you think about your own personal resolutions for this year, please add the world’s children on your list. Think about anything you can do within your own world to help others in need around the world.