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A Mission
Council program of the Diocese of Fort
Worth
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About
Bolivia | About
Fr. Thames | Article: "The
View from Bolivia"
Fr. Thames NewsletterFr. Thames' Newsletter (Jan./Feb. 2009)
Educate the Children Newsletter
 Learning to read and write
is important to a child’s self-esteem, and even more
importantly, education is essential for third-world countries
to become self-sustaining societies. About 400+ children will
attend school (grades 6 – 12) coming from remote areas and
very poor families in Cabezas, Bolivia. Fort Worth diocesan
priest Father
Robert Thames works in Bolivia and has developed a
substantial program of pastoral care, medical clinics, and
buildings – churches, clinics and schools.
You
can help by sponsoring a child's education for $25 a month or
$300 per year which will supply tuition, meals, lodging,
supplies, teachers, and utilities. This could be a
wonderful opportunity for you and/or your children to connect
with another culture as well as learn early the teachings of
our faith about justice and charity.
Who is an Educate the Children Sponsor? An Educate
the Children sponsor is someone like you who has made the
decision to personally invest in the life of a child in need.
As an Educate the Children sponsor, you enable your sponsored
child to participate in a church-based program that offers
life-changing benefits including help with:
- education
- social skills development
- Sacramental Training
And more than this, you can
help your sponsored child develop a sense of confidence and
self-worth with the love you express through letters and
prayers.
 As an Educate the Children sponsor, you
are assured that there is a real connection between you and
the specific child you support. The child you sponsor will
know your name, write to you and benefit directly from your
monthly sponsorship. Your relationship with your sponsored
child makes you a very important person who has a significant
role in his or her development.
What specific benefits will the child I sponsor
receive?The child you sponsor through Educate the
Children will receive opportunities and services that most of
the world's poorest children will simply never see. These
opportunities and services include the following:
- The opportunity to receive an education. In some cases,
this means providing the cost of school fees, clothing and
supplies. For those from great distances, dormitory
facilities are provided. Your Educate the Children
sponsorship will allow one special child to stay in school
longer and get the most out of his or her education.
- The opportunity to develop self-confidence and social
skills. The child you support will be part of a church-based
program where adults offer love, guidance, personal
attention, guided recreation and safety.
- The opportunity to hear the gospel and learn about
Jesus. Most important, your Educate the Children sponsorship
provides the child you sponsor with training and preparation
to receive the sacraments.
How important is prayer in Educate the Children
sponsorship? Prayer is a critical link between Educate
the Children sponsors and the children they help. Your
sponsored child is in need and vulnerable.
Your prayers
for the health, safety, education and spiritual development of
your child are critical. Sponsored children are greatly
encouraged when they hear that their sponsors are praying for
them.
Remember that the child you sponsor will pray for
you, too. Often, a sponsored child's family and church join in
prayer with the child on behalf of a sponsor. As you share
your own family and personal concerns with the child you
support, you'll probably discover that he or she is
consistently praying for you.
How much does it cost to sponsor a child through Educate
the Children? It costs $25 a month, or less than a dollar
a day, to sponsor a child through Educate the Children. It is
a pretty big commitment but not too big when you think about
the incredible difference you can make in a child's life.
How can I communicate with the child I sponsor?We
encourage you to send your sponsored child a personal or
family photograph and a short letter of introduction. Educate
the Children volunteers will translate your letter and deliver
it to the child you support. Sponsored children typically keep
their sponsors' photos and letters as treasured
possessions.
You may write to the child you sponsor at
regular intervals. When you write, your sponsored child will
benefit from knowing that someone in addition to his or her
family really cares. Your words of encouragement will make a
big difference to your child.
Correspondence between a
sponsor and the child they support is truly developmental. The
more you write the child you sponsor, the more he or she will
reap the benefits of your relationship.
Will my child write to me? Yes, your child will write
to you once a year and include a picture of them self. A
teacher or staff person will help children who have yet to
learn how to read and write. Letter writing is developmental
for children as it improves their basic literacy,
self-awareness and ability to put thoughts and feelings into
words.
 As your exchange of letters with the
child you sponsor grows over the years, you can build a
scrapbook of letters and photos from your child. Your
scrapbook will serve as a constant reminder of the
relationship you have developed with the child you are helping
and of how you have contributed to his or her growth.
How do I contribute?If the call of Christ is
leading you to a personal and caring relationship with a
child, contact a Mission
Council representative or complete the sponsorship pledge
card (below) and mail it to the Catholic Center (See address
below). Your contribution can be made monthly or annually by
check, credit card or automatic withdrawal. If you have
questions please contact Hilda Flores at (817) 560-2452 Ext.
112 or Amy Zeder at azeder@verizon.net.
Educate
the Children
Catholic Center
800 West Loop South
Fort
Worth, TX 76108
Download the Educate the Children: Mission Council Program
PDF
Pledge Card / Folleto y la
inscripción
Download the Educate the Children Brochure/Pledge card
PDF
Download the Folleto y la inscripción (una página)
PDF
(Note: If you are unable to open the
Pledge Card, you will need to get Adobe Reader, a free
download.)
(Si no es posible abrir estas
formas, es necesario obtener el programa Adobe Reader.)
What percentage of expenditures are spent on program
activities? Educate the Children is unique in that 100%
of your contribution goes to support your child‘s education.
There are no fund raising or administration fees associated
with the program. These costs are handled by the Mission
Council of the Diocese of Fort Worth.
Are my contributions to Educate the Children, including my
sponsorship support and gifts, tax-deductible? Yes. All
contributions to Educate the Children are tax-deductible in
the United States. As a requirement of the 1993 Revenue
Reconciliation Act, we verify that no goods or services of
value are given to you for your contribution.
What makes Educate the Children stand out among other
childcare organizations? As an Educate the Children
sponsor, you will discover our distinctive values:
- focus on child educational needs: Our program targets
the educational needs of children to bring them a brighter
future.
- All of your contribution – 100% - goes to support Fr.
Thames mission education programs and your sponsored
child.
- Sponsored children view the benefits of Educate the
Children sponsorship as an expression of God's love for
them.
Is it possible to visit my sponsored friend? Yes, we
encourage you, if possible, to visit your sponsored child. The
Educate the Children committee will help you make arrangements
for participating in our mission trips. Sponsors will find
such visits both reassuring and heartwarming.
May I send gifts to my child? Yes. As an Educate the
Children sponsor, you may give additional gifts to your
sponsored child for special occasions, to address specific
needs or simply as an act of love. These gifts are another
effective way for you to reinforce your care and a commitment
to your child.
 Unfortunately, packages are subject to
high customs duties and are easily lost or stolen. If they do
arrive intact, they may cause discord when one child receives
more than another. If you wish to mail your sponsored friend a
gift of your own choosing, we suggest something simple and
lightweight such as pens, pencils, colored pencils, coloring
book, picture book, spiral note books, paperback spanish
dictionaries, hair ribbons, T-shirts, postcards, holy cards or
photos as age appropriate.
Please be sure any items you
send fit in an envelope 10 x 13 inches or smaller, and weigh
less than one pound.
What other opportunities will I have to learn about the
child I am helping? In addition to letters from your
sponsored child, The Educate the Children committee will send
you periodic updates and a newsletter from Fr. Thames about
Educate the Children's work in Cabezas.
You will have
a better understanding of your sponsored child's culture and
life and it is quite likely that your vision of God's Kingdom
will expand, too. You may even decide to visit the child you
sponsor on an Educate the Children Sponsor trip. It is an
unforgettable experience.
Will I be the only person sponsoring the child I am
helping? Yes. The child you are helping has just one
sponsor: you. That's why your prayers, letters and support
mean so much to your sponsored child. Even if you choose to
sponsor a child as a family or a group (for example, a youth
group or a religious education class), the child you help will
still be relating to your family or group as his or her only
sponsor. No other group or individual will sponsor the child
you help.
How long should my sponsorship last?Educate the
Children sponsorship offers you the opportunity to stay with a
child for a number of years, usually through the school year
in which they complete their secondary education. While we
hope that you will be able to continue in your support of your
sponsored child until he or she completes the Educate the
Children program, we recognize that your circumstances can
change. You may discontinue your sponsorship at
anytime.
Please understand that a sponsored child's
circumstances may change, too. For example, sometimes families
move beyond the reach of Educate the Children's program and
children may be asked to leave our sponsorship.
We will
inform you as quickly as possible if any such circumstance
affects the child you sponsor, and we will offer you the
opportunity to support another child in need of your help.
If I must discontinue my sponsorship, what happens to the
child I am helping? If you need to discontinue your
support, we will immediately look for a new sponsor for your
child and continue the child's support without interruption.
The work of Fr. ThamesFort Worth diocesan priest
Father Robert Thames has worked in the mission fields of
Mexico and Bolivia for almost all of his 40+ years as a
priest. Currently in Bolivia, he has developed a substantial
program of pastoral care, medical clinics, and buildings –
churches, clinics and schools. Also, with some of the funding
coming from individuals in the Diocese of Fort Worth, he has
built a school in Cabezas, his rural parish, which opened in
February 2004.
Bolivia FactsArea:
424,164
Square
Miles
Population:
8.8
Million
People:
Quechua Indian - 30%, Mestizo
- 25%, Aymara Indian 30%, European
15%
Religion:
Roman Catholic
95%
Infant Mortality:
56/1000
Language: Spanish, Ayamara and
Quechau
Education: Despite a notable increase in
enrollment, only 7% of children in rural areas complete
primary school within the standard eight years with girls
being affected the most. Over half of rural primary schools
offer only three of eight grades.
Birth Rate:
Bolivia has the highest birth rate but also the highest death
rate. About half the population live in rural communities,
days away from medical help.
Land: Bolivia is
about twice the size of Texas. Only about 3% is arable and
over 50% is forested.
Volunteer your time with "Educate the
Children"Are you unable to make the financial
commitment to sponsor a child at this time but would like to
help? Are you looking for another way to be involved? Educate the
Children is coordinated completely by volunteers so 100%
of all contributions go to Fr. Thames for his work in Our Lady
of Carmen Parish. With over 400+ students in the program,
there is a lot to be done. And many hands make less work for
all.
Are you bilingual?
Help with
translating correspondence: English to Spanish or Spanish to
English.
Are you a computer
junkie?
Maintain databases of children with
corresponding sponsors, sponsors e-mail
addresses.
Love to talk on the
telephone?
Some sponsors like to call and ask
questions.
Is email your thing?
Handle
e-mail communications with Fr. Thames, sponsors and fellow
volunteers.
Is marketing your
specialty?
Help devise and implement strategies
that will solicit sponsors on a continuous
basis.
Do you have great organizational /
administrative skills?
Help to coordinate the
day-to-day tasks of this worthwhile project.
Want
to use your marketing skills you learned in college or the
real world?
Write press releases and distribute to
the local and national media promoting Educate the
Children.
If your talents fit with any of these needs,
contact Educate the Children at educate-the-children@fwdioc.org
or call Co-chairs Amy & Steve Zeder.
Contacts
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