Forget the Same Old, Same Old for Dad

By David Hylton,
Public Relations Specialist

To honor your dad this Father’s Day weekend, why spend money on a tie that he’ll never wear or a bottle of cologne that nobody really likes? Instead of a $20 tie, how about buying two baby chicks in The Gambia?

Through the Christian Children’s Fund Gifts of Hope & Love catalog, gifts can be purchased to help 15.2 million children and families in the 31 countries we work. When you buy a gift in his honor, we’ll send him a personalized gift card to let him know of your thoughtfulness.

We know that times are tough for many families due to the current economy, but there are lots of items you can buy for less than $20 including picture books for a child care center in the Caribbean, a drawing kit for a child in India, a mosquito net for a family in Uganda, a pair of reading glasses for a parent in Sri Lanka, a duck for a family in Timor-Leste and cough medicine for a child in Honduras. (And don’t forget about those baby chicks.)

And these are just a few of the items! Click here to check out the entire gift catalog. And from our worldwide family to yours, have a Happy Father’s Day!

We’d also love to hear from you about the worst Father’s Day gift you’ve either received or given. Leave your comments below!

Give a Chick, Help Children and Families for Years

By David Hylton, Public Relations Specialist

For the price of a few bags of Easter candy, you can change the life of a child in a developing country.

$9 buys a live baby chick for a family in The Gambia. That chick provides eggs to feed the family and the extra eggs are a source of income. For $10, you can purchase a duck for a family in Timor-Leste.

When children grow up in a family that is economically secure they are able to eat nutritious meals that help them grow. They can attend school and develop life skills.

You can buy chicks and ducks and many other animals through Christian Children’s Fund’s Gifts of Love & Hope catalog. The gifts are delivered straight to families in need in the areas we work. Dozens of other items are available, including $6 cough medicine for a child in Honduras and a $5,357 motorcycle for medical emergencies in Bolivia.

When buying a gift, you can select the items in honor of your friends and family. When you do that, we’ll send them personalized gift cards to let them know of your thoughtfulness. It may be a perfect conversation starter for you and your family this weekend.

To purchase a gift from the Gifts of Love & Hope catalog, visit www.christianchildrensfund.org and click on “Gifts of Love & Hope.”

A Little Bit Can Go a Long Way

By David Hylton, Public Relations Specialist

$10 … should I buy 10 songs from iTunes or a duck that can provide food to a family in Timor-Leste? As more and more Americans receive their tax refunds in the next several weeks, this is a legitimate question we should ask ourselves.

In writing a recent news release about tax refunds and breaking it down by the numbers, I realized that it doesn’t take much to make a big difference in the life of a child where Christian Children’s Fund works. In these tight economic times, more and more people are watching every penny spent, but we should not forget about the children less fortunate than us around the world.

The average American will receive more than a $2,000 tax refund this year. While this can certainly help pay off some bills or even catch up on some debt, did you know that it costs just $288 to sponsor one child for one year through CCF? Besides sponsorship, there also are several other ways to help deprived, excluded and vulnerable children in the 31 countries CCF works. $6 can buy cough medicine for a child in Honduras; $10 can buy a duck for a family in Timor-Leste; $14 can provide an art kit for a child in Angola; and $36 can purchase a goat for a family in Zambia. Hundreds of gifts are available up to $5,300 apiece.

The statement of a little bit goes a long way certainly applies when talking about children living in poverty.

For more on this subject, click here to check out our latest news release. For more information on CCF, visit www.christianchildrensfund.org. (We’re on Twitter too at www.twitter.com/C_C_F.)

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.

Soldier's Memory and Efforts to Help Afghanistan Live On

By David Hylton, Public Relations Specialist

Forrest Ewens – a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army – was passionate about helping the people of Afghanistan. In addition to handing out treats to the children, the elders in the nearby village where he was stationed would often ask for him by name.

“When he wrote home, he would write more about the help he was able to provide to the local people rather than his military adventures,” Forrest’s mother, Carol, said.

Forrest, of Gig Harbor, Wash., was killed in action in 2006, but his memory and effort to help the people of Afghanistan live on. Forrest’s parents have been contributing to Christian Children’s Fund since 1992 and wanted to find a way to honor their son. They quickly realized that a well would be a good way to have his memory live on.

Earlier this year, construction of a well in the remote Samady Village in Badakhshan Province was completed, thanks to funding from Forrest’s parents, family and friends.

The well provides clean water to about 500 families in this area, bringing about significant change. Children who once had to walk to nearby villages to find water can now focus on their education instead of waiting in long lines. Clean water also prevents illnesses from water-borne diseases found in rivers.

“It is especially encouraging to us to see that our decision to be involved in CCF long ago has been so worthwhile,” Carol said.

To read more about Forrest and the new well, click here to read the latest news release from Christian Children’s Fund.

We Can't Control Our Chickens and Goats!

By David Hylton, Public Relations Specialist

A few weeks ago, we told you about Christian Children’s Fund’s "Gifts of Hope and Love" catalog and how you can use it for your holiday shopping needs.

Well, we’re here to tell you that chickens and goats are flying off CCF’s shelves – more than 1,200 have been purchased this season.

For more details on the gift catalog, click here to check out our latest news release, go here to read our blog entry from a few weeks ago or check out the catalog on our Web site here.

Want to Give a Goat? Buy it Here

By David Hylton, Public Relations Specialist

We’re no David Letterman, but we're borrowing his idea of a top 10 list to help you with your holiday shopping. We know that you just threw out that Halloween pumpkin, and the Thanksgiving turkey may already be in your freezer, but the holiday season is right around the corner.

Christian Children’s Fund can help you with your holiday shopping with its "Gifts of Hope and Love" catalog. From solar lanterns to paper and pencils to chickens and goats, all of our gifts change the lives of the deprived, excluded and vulnerable children and families in developing countries.

Items from this year's "Gifts of Hope and Love" catalog can be found by clicking here.

We know you don't want to get up at 5 a.m. to shop on Black Friday – besides, that flat screen TV will be on sale again in January and that Nintendo Wii you've been dying to have will eventually be back in stock. You know you really don't want to wrap and ship gifts this year – just think of that headache of looking for that roll of tape you thought was in the kitchen drawer.

Do you still need more reasons to shop our "Gifts of Love and Hope" catalog? Well then, here are 10 more:

10

You don’t have to dig around your attic for a gift box or wrapping paper for your gift. CCF takes care of that for you. No bows required.

9

You don’t have to bite your fingernails or wring your hands waiting for it to be delivered in time for your holiday celebration.

8

You don’t have to ask the help of cranky, overworked store clerks for the size you need or wait for them to check for it in the back room.

7

The item you order will not be out of stock, backordered, sold-out, or no longer available. There is an unlimited need for “Gifts of Love and Hope” and CCF has all of the items available.

6

We have gifts that will fit any budget and don’t require you to pay shipping and handling. Gifts start at $6.

5

Gas prices may have come down, but who wants to search for a parking space at the mall? And with the “Gifts of Love and Hope” you don’t have to fear forgetting where you parked.

4

You can shop in your jammies anytime of the day, or night. Shop and order online.

3

Your gift will reduce your income taxes because it is tax deductible (if you itemize).

2

You will get a heartwarming feeling about the gift you purchased in honor of your friends or loved ones.

1

The number one reason why you should shop from CCF’s “Gifts of Love and Hope” catalog – Your gifts provide a brighter future for children and families in the 32 countries CCF works.

So what are you waiting for? Get your shopping done now and then sit back and relax with a smile on your face knowing that you’ve helped change the lives of children around the world.

To learn more about the gift catalog, click here to watch a video from CCF's Vice President of Marketing and Strategic Resources Mike Pressendo. For more information on Christian Children’s Fund, click here.