Friday, August 20, 2010
Sports Cards and Stickers
Our oldest sponsored child from Ethiopia is interested in the World Cup and we've exchanged some letters on the subject. I found some cool football/soccer stickers and cards and sent those. I got them on Amazon.
Mail for unsponsored kids
I went through all of my old Christmas cards, cut out images and taped those to cardstock. On the back of each I put a Bible verse. I put each one in an envelope with some stickers.
They're on their way!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Mail for Unsponsored Kids Part II
I found some cute Peanuts stickers around the house and decorated up my envelopes for the unsponsored kids a bit. I think they look cute:
Monday, July 5, 2010
Bookmarks
There is a new group on OurCompassion that is inviting people to write letters to children in the program who don't yet have sponsors. You can write letters, send stickers, bookmarks, etc.
To find out more about this, join OurCompassion and sign up with the "Encouragement and Hope" group. They have all the info on where to send your letters.
My daughter and I made some cards/bookmarks to send. We'll put them in an envelope along with some stickers. I hope the kids like them!
To find out more about this, join OurCompassion and sign up with the "Encouragement and Hope" group. They have all the info on where to send your letters.
My daughter and I made some cards/bookmarks to send. We'll put them in an envelope along with some stickers. I hope the kids like them!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Soccer Stencils
Here is my latest find for my sponsored kids. "Fun with Soccer Stencils." It has six paper stencils of a person playing soccer. My Ethiopian kids love soccer/football! One thing to note, Compassion International can no longer send books or booklets -- anything that has a binding that is too thick or stiff. But these very small Dover booklets will go through. I found this one at my local children's museum.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Pop-Up Cards
I'm getting ready to send a package off to one of my children in Ethiopia. I found these cute pop-up cards at Barnes & Noble. The brand is Panoramics.
Friday, February 22, 2008
How to be a top-notch sponsor
Everyone has their own approach to building a relationship with their sponsored kids. Here are a few tips that have helped me be the best sponsor I can be!
1) WRITE TO YOUR CHILD: I write once every 6-8 weeks. But I would say writing 3-4 times a year is great. With Compassion, you can e-mail your child through their website -- how easy is that? A birthday card, a Christmas card, a postcard and an e-mail and you've corresponded four times right there -- totally doable!
2) SEND FUN THINGS FROM TIME TO TIME: Photos, postcards, stickers, bookmarks. Anything paper and flat. Whenever we go someplace new, I enjoy scouting out the giftshops for cool cards or postcards to send. (Greeting cards that play music were a particular hit!)
3) KEEP YOUR LETTERS AGE-APPROPRIATE AND REASONABLE IN LENGTH: I read a post from a woman talking about the 7-page letter she sent to her sponsored child. My personal opinion is that's too long and taxes the resource of the organization - specifically the translators. One to two pages in length is appropriate.
4) UNDERSTAND THAT THE INITIAL LETTERS FROM YOUR CHILD MAY BE SHORT AND GENERIC: All relationships take time to build -- and your child is likely young and still learning the skill of correspondence.
5) TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ADDITIONAL GIVING OPPORTUNITIES: Birthdays, family gifts, etc. With Compassion, these gifts go directly to the family, maximizing what your money is doing for your sponsored child.
6) LEARN ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S COUNTRY AND CULTURE: I knew nothing about Ethiopia when I started as a sponsor. Well, nothing other than the usual stereotypes -- I doubt I need to elaborate on those. What a difference two years has made. I know a ton about the Ethiopian government, current events, tourist spots, national parks, landscape, wildlife, national holidays. What a wonderful place it is! Having my horizons expanded was an unexpected benefit for me.
1) WRITE TO YOUR CHILD: I write once every 6-8 weeks. But I would say writing 3-4 times a year is great. With Compassion, you can e-mail your child through their website -- how easy is that? A birthday card, a Christmas card, a postcard and an e-mail and you've corresponded four times right there -- totally doable!
2) SEND FUN THINGS FROM TIME TO TIME: Photos, postcards, stickers, bookmarks. Anything paper and flat. Whenever we go someplace new, I enjoy scouting out the giftshops for cool cards or postcards to send. (Greeting cards that play music were a particular hit!)
3) KEEP YOUR LETTERS AGE-APPROPRIATE AND REASONABLE IN LENGTH: I read a post from a woman talking about the 7-page letter she sent to her sponsored child. My personal opinion is that's too long and taxes the resource of the organization - specifically the translators. One to two pages in length is appropriate.
4) UNDERSTAND THAT THE INITIAL LETTERS FROM YOUR CHILD MAY BE SHORT AND GENERIC: All relationships take time to build -- and your child is likely young and still learning the skill of correspondence.
5) TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ADDITIONAL GIVING OPPORTUNITIES: Birthdays, family gifts, etc. With Compassion, these gifts go directly to the family, maximizing what your money is doing for your sponsored child.
6) LEARN ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S COUNTRY AND CULTURE: I knew nothing about Ethiopia when I started as a sponsor. Well, nothing other than the usual stereotypes -- I doubt I need to elaborate on those. What a difference two years has made. I know a ton about the Ethiopian government, current events, tourist spots, national parks, landscape, wildlife, national holidays. What a wonderful place it is! Having my horizons expanded was an unexpected benefit for me.
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