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Homeschoolers
Changing The World
 Our
Sponsor: World
Vision
http://www.worldvison.com
Founded in 1950, World Vision is a Christian international
humanitarian organization, serving the world's poorest children and families in nearly 100 countries.
Homeschoolers Changing
The World
It was only five years ago when then President Bill Clinton used
his weekly radio address to urge state governments to add community service as a condition for high school graduation. For
many of the nation's teens, this "mandatory volunteering" has since extinguished the joy and satisfaction inherent in service
by turning volunteer work into just another on a long list of non-negotiable duties to perform.
Fortunately
this is not the case for homeschooled children and teens. While their
academic achievements are well documented, a less touted secret of this
learning lifestyle is the large amount of time it frees up for
non-academic activities. For many homeschooling youth, volunteerism
ranks high on their interesting-things-to-do lists, and the world is so
full of good deeds that need doing it won't be hard for your children
to find those that inspire and touch their hearts forever.
A HERO LONG BEFORE BECOMING A FOOTBALL STAR
Homeschooler and Miami Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor's
volunteer work started off tamely enough. As part of a puppet team he made monthly visits to Pittsburgh's Children's Hospital.
As he grew into a teenager, he joined a group that visited nursing homes to sing for the residents.
During
the cold winter months, Jason helped a church group venturing into
Pittsburgh's worst neighborhoods to serve coffee and doughnuts and to
distribute much needed warm clothing. He also grabbed the opportunity
to join a group of teens headed for Grenada. The mission? A two-week
stint to help rebuild after the war.
Jason had brought candy from home to pass out to the children
there. "They didn't even eat it," he remembers. "They hid it to treasure it." He quickly learned why when he was fed the same
food as they, "brown stuff that ran across my plate." Though ill-fed, the young man labored with a construction crew all day
before joining the other teens to perform song-and-dance programs for local children in the evenings.
TEACH A MAN TO FISH
Homeschooling gave Sasha Earnheart-Gold the opportunity to
"graduate" from high school at age fourteen. He then pursued independent study that included instruction in a teaching garden.
Here he learned about orchard maintenance, including how to graft and prune trees. A short year later, when the young man was
hiking out of Tibet on his way to Nepal as part of a work-study program, he "encountered starving children with bone thin arms
and bloated stomachs." Sasha had seen similar poverty while traveling throughout Asia but now he, too, suffered extreme
weight loss and parasites and was moved to think of a way to offer lasting help.
After
visiting another village where healthy children played among and ate
from apple trees, Sasha returned to his California home, gathered
together a team of knowledgeable people to help, and Apple Tree
International was born. Within four years, he established a nursery in
California to supply apple trees for numerous projects in Nepal and
Bolivia.
Rather
than simply giving food to hungry people, Apple Tree International
trains subsistence farmers in fruit and nut tree propagation techniques
to provide the tools for people to feed themselves. Striving for the
goal of making the existing programs self-sustaining by 2005, the
organization ships one thousand trees per year to establish stock for
farmers while every trained village farmer agrees to teach two more
people how to graft and propagate the trees.
Donors who help support the program tell Sasha, currently 19
years old and attending Dartmouth College, "Yes, this is the way it should be. Simple and direct, from our hands to your hands,
working together."
THE BENEFITS OF SERVICE TO THE CHILD
We reap what we sow, and children who grow up serving their
fellow man receive many life blessings in return. Whether the project involves world travel to feed the hungry or a trip down
the street to comfort nursing home residents, the benefits to the provider are universal.
Service is Educational
Volunteering puts children in a personal situation with people
they would not otherwise meet. Children may gain satisfaction from teaching others, or receive first-hand knowledge about
different cultures, values, and daily life. When travel is involved, volunteers participate in one of life's most
educational experiences.
Service Creates Kind, Caring Adults
Volunteerism opens hearts through which children gain empathy,
compassion, and understanding, qualities they maintain throughout life.
Service Helps Children Learn About Themselves
Voluntary work reveals to children their strengths and weaknesses
of character thereby providing opportunity to reinforce deficiencies and build on natural gifts. Exposure to the reality
of people living without some or all life's necessities helps children realize - and appreciate and value - the blessings of
their own lives.
ONCE A TRUE VOLUNTEER...
A
veteran homeschooling mom recently relayed news of her own new
volunteer project to her adult son, one of countless homeschooled
children who grew up experiencing the value and joy of service himself.
He chided her, saying, "Boy, it must be nice to have so much time to
volunteer." She thought this comment strange, coming from a young man
who continues to donate countless hours to voluntary efforts, so she
asked him to elaborate. "I just always wish there was time to do more,"
he told her.
A Letter to World Vision
Dear World Vision,
When I first learned of World Vision and about the help that they
provide to needy children and families, I knew that I wanted to help in their effort. I have been making donations to World
Vision through biweekly payroll deductions for 2 years.
This
year, my son, Michael celebrated his 7th birthday. I have tried to
teach Michael the importance of being of service and of helping others.
My son and I visited World Vision's website, and that is what prompted
our creative fund raising effort. When Michael saw the little boy that
had to eat rats, he was so sad. We talked about the poor people in the
world and about how blessed we were to have a nice home and food to eat
whenever we are hungry. Michael talked about his bedroom and all the
toys he has. He asked if the little boy had any toys? I told him
probably not. Together we came up with an idea to help the hungry
children in Africa. Instead of receiving birthday presents at his
party, Michael asked his guests to bring a cash donation that he would
in turn give to World Vision. We collected $195! In addition to the
wonderful feeling that my son got as he collected the money for
charity, together we raised awareness in other children and their
parents about the poverty in the world. My son's unselfish act was well
received by everyone who donated money and I am very proud of him!
I understand that as part of your African Relief Program, there
are corporate sponsors that will triple our donation. A $585 match to Michael's $195, would bring the total donation to $780.
We know that World Vision will use that money to help the children and ease their suffering! We are grateful to you for
allowing us to help!
Sincerely,
Sue from Kansas City
Our Sponsor:
World
Vision
World Vision's Child Sponsorship, Family Sponsorship, and 30 Hour
Famine change children's lives - including your own.
 What is it like to grow up in Africa? Through World Vision's
Child Sponsorship, children exchange letters and photos, learning first-hand about cultures and compassion. Geography is
personalized. International current events gain new meaning. World Vision sends you regular country-specific reports and a
magazine that explores poverty issues. Your children learn that living out their values makes an impact, by helping a child in
need.
More about World Vision's Child
Sponsorship
 What's
family life like in Asia, or Romania? Through World Vision's Family
Sponsorship Program, you and your child can learn first-hand about
different cultures and traditions across the world. You and your child
will be able to exchange letters and photos with their sponsored
family, as well as receive country-specific reports and articles.
Through this relationship, not only will your child gain valuable
knowledge and educational skills, you will see his or her eyes opened
to a world in need.
More about World Vision's Family
Sponsorship
 What does it mean to be hungry? World Vision's 30 Hour Famine
engages 600,000 youth annually to go without food for 30 hours. Educational materials contain Biblical direction on fasting,
compassion for the poor, and loving your neighbor, whether they live across the street or around the world. And kids learn that
their actions and compassion can change the world.
More about World Vision's 30 Hour
Famine
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