Swinging Into Action
James, age 7, Saskatchewan, Canada
James loves soccer and other outdoor activities. So when he saw on Compassion Canada’s website that some sponsored children in Rwanda, Africa, didn’t have a swing set at their Compassion center, he formed a plan to get them one!
Since most kids don’t have $200 lying around, James needed other caring kids to help pay for the swings. When he invited friends to his birthday party, he asked them to donate money instead of bringing gifts. Together, the 16 birthday guests raised $263. James gave $200 to Compassion Canada to buy the swings and donated the extra $63 to a kitchen that serves food to poor people in his community.
Fashionable Fundraiser
TrinKids 4th- and 5th-graders, Tuscaloosa, Ala.
As part of the children’s group at Trinity Presbyterian Church, Betsy and her friends couldn’t afford ongoing sponsorship of a child — even though they give regular donations to the church. “But together, our church could raise tons,” Betsy says.
“With this in our hearts, we set off to find the perfect idea to raise money for our sponsored child, Sumaya.”
TrinKids came up with a crafty idea: making and selling hair bands! Betsy says they spent about $40 on 70 yards of fold-over elastic in many colors and patterns. Then at Sunday school, TrinKids made more than 400 cute hair ties out of the elastic, which they sold in the church lobby. The hair ties were a hit, pulling in $340!
“Just knowing that people really cared for Sumaya felt great,” Betsy says. “My wish for Sumaya is that she will always be able to look up to God as her protector and someone who will always love her, no matter what.”