Corn, OKLA. — When the Student Council officers began to talk about ways to reach out to local communities by collecting food and coats to benefit the Cordell Ministerial Alliance and The Mission House, another idea began to surface: Compassion International.
In the fall, the Corn Bible Academy student body takes one school day to work at a job instead of going to school. It is a fundraiser for the Student Council and provides money for all of the student activities for the school year. The Student Council also gives a portion of the money back to the school by purchasing much needed items. This year, the group purchased 15 tables to replace worn, heavy tables that have begun to show wear. However, while discussing other ways to “give back,” Ellie Troyer, President, Emily Dick, Secretary, and Skyler Voss, Treasurer, came up with an idea to do more than expected.
Along with the food and coat drive, they discussed ways in which the student body could sacrifice extra spending money that is normally spent on incidentals like sodas and candy, and the idea of adopting a child from Compassion International was born. Originally, the three officers thought that the entire student body might choose to adopt one child, but little did they know the classes had other plans in mind.
According to the organization’s website, “Compassion International exists as a Christian child advocacy ministry that releases children from spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty and enables them to become responsible, fulfilled Christian adults. Founded by the Reverend Everett Swanson in 1952, Compassion began providing Korean War orphans with food, shelter, education and health care, as well as Christian training. Today, Compassion helps more than one million children in 25 countries.”
After presenting the idea to all of the students and their sponsors, the Student Council was excited to learn that not only were the classes willing to sponsor one child, but among the 78 students in the 7th-12th grades, they will sponsor four children every month as an ongoing project. It costs $38 a month to sponsor one child, and the classes at CBA will sponsor children from Ecuador, Thailand, Peru, and the Dominican Republic. In addition to monetary sponsorship, students will be able to establish a relationship with their children by writing letters and sending small gifts to them periodically throughout the year. In return, the students will receive letters and pictures from each of their children.
“This is a way for me to learn about what is going on in the world, in other countries, and gives us a way to help the underprivileged children around the world. It also allows us to do what Jesus taught, instead of just talking about it,” said Emily Dick.
To learn more about the ministry of Compassion International, go to www.compassion.com.
###
Media Contact:
Rhonda Goering
580.343.2262
