Equipping Tomorrow's Leaders
Today
Last summer 11-year-old
Rodreguez participated in a Bless-A-Child sponsored six-week summer Metro
Camp with 200 other elementary-aged children in Birmingham, Alabama. A couple
of months before, the young boy had witnessed the tragic death of his father.
Living in a low-income area, life was additionally hard because his mother
was unemployed. At the beginning of the camp, Rodreguez read below the 5th
grade level and struggled with math. Find out how his life was changed…
Every day was busy at Metro Camp.
Rodreguez and other campers worked on things including word recognition
and vocabulary building skills, daily reading and handwriting as well as
basic addition, subtraction and multiplication. Time passed and his self-confidence
grew. He began participating in oral and written class assignments more
often after he began receiving special one-on-one attention from the caring
teacher and youth counselor. By the end of the camp, Rodreguez had made
several friends and was smiling more. “I like Metro Camp,” he
said. “It was fun. We did a lot of things and went on field trips.
My teacher was nice and she helped us a lot.”
Rodreguez is not the only one needing loving attention. Fourteen million
of America’s young people suffer from poverty’s destruction
every day. It is estimated 10 million children in the United States are
left unsupervised after school while parents work (CNN). So, what are
they doing for those three to four hours? Northeastern University criminal
justice professor Alan Fox has found that the peak time for teenagers
to commit crimes, be a victim of a crime, smoke, drink or use drugs is
between three and six p.m. on school days. On the international front,
the problems only intensify. Countless numbers of youth suffer from additional
problems including malnutrition. Many haven’t ever seen a doctor.
Others desperately wanting to attend school are unable to afford required
uniforms or are needed to care for their younger siblings while parents
struggle to find food for the next meal.
Sound like a hopeless situation? With your help, it doesn’t have
to be! Since 1984, Operation Blessing’s Bless-A-Child program has
helped over 2.4 million children across the United States and around the
world to build strong hearts, minds and bodies for the future! Both school
year and summer education programs and mentoring projects give at-risk
children the opportunity to gain essential skills as well as academic
knowledge. Nutritional programs teach healthy eating habits and provide
food for impoverished children. Medical care, health and physical education
programs help ensure that these young bodies will grow in strength and
stature. In order to increase the level of confidence, school age children
living in poor households are armed with new clothing and supplies before
their academic year begins. Showing love today will be remembered tomorrow.
After her husband died several years ago, Norma was left to provide for
six children. Sometimes she will get paid to do laundry for a wealthier
family, but this is hardly enough for their basic needs. Norma was very
thankful when her little daughter Camille was chosen to be one of one
hundred children that took part in Operation Blessing Philippines’
Bless-A-Child 2002 program. Ages 3-6, boys and girls received medical
care, school supplies, school uniform, a scholarship to attend pre-school
classes as well as a daily nutritious lunch including milk and vitamins.
“Because of Operation Blessing, my child’s health has improved,”
she shared. “I’m so glad and thank the Lord because he never
forgets me. He is always there for us and willing to help anytime.”
Bless-A-Child 2003 begins in May. With your help, over 200,000 at-risk
boys and girls living around the world can receive the educational, nutritional,
emotional and medical assistance they need to grow into tomorrow’s
leaders!
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