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Frequently Asked Questions
Please call us at 1-800-678-2168 if you have further questions.
Special Gift
When you send a special financial gift, World Vision staff work with your sponsored child, their family, and community to determine what is needed most. Your sponsored child could receive school supplies, clothing, livestock, or something else they could really use. The entire community also can benefit from gifts like agricultural tools, building supplies, support for a local school or clinic, or a water tank. Learn How it Works.
In order to provide a gift that will make a meaningful and lasting impact, Special Gifts must be over $100. This minimum has been requested by our field staff who've found that the rising prices of goods make it difficult to purchase meaningful gifts for less than $100. In addition to wanting to make the best use of your donation for your child, we also seek to be good stewards of our field staff's time and resources. It can take a considerable amount of time and fuel for our staff to travel to the often remote villages where many sponsored children live. We encourage you to send a maximum of two Special Gifts per year.
Note: Special Gifts over $200 will be distributed between your sponsored child and his or her community. Your sponsored child and family will benefit from a gift of up to $200, while the rest of your donation over $200 will be used to benefit the entire community.
Please allow at least four months to hear back from your child after you send a special gift. Once our staff in the field have received a notification about your gift, it takes time to meet with the family to determine the most pressing needs, travel to purchase items in town, write a thank-you letter, and send it to you by international mail.
Unfortunately, we can't. We refrain from asking staff in your child's community what your child's greatest needs are because this adds time to the process and needs may change. Please allow our staff to talk with the child and their family to determine what they most need. They will always work to ensure that your gift is used in the best way possible for your child, their family, and community.
Once you've given a gift, World Vision staff will meet with the child and their family to determine their greatest needs. Then together, they'll go purchase the items, take a photo, and send you the photo and a letter to show how your child, their family, or community has benefited.
About World Vision Child Sponsorship
World Vision requests that monetary gifts not be sent directly to your sponsored child. There are several reasons for this.
Our National offices are not equipped to handle funds sent to them directly from sponsors, or to issue tax-exempt receipts. In some countries it is even against the law to have foreign currency in one's possession. Also, some postal systems are unreliable, and there is no guarantee that the monetary gifts will reach the intended recipient.
Child sponsorship is an opportunity to personally connect with a child, family, and community in need. You'll walk alongside them as they work on lasting solutions to fight poverty and help vulnerable children reach their God-given potential.
When you become a child sponsor, you'll start to build a relationship with one special child. You can connect with your child by writing letters and emails or sending cards and gifts. Knowing that someone far away cares about them and their future will be a great encouragement for a sponsored child.
World Vision's decades of experience have proven that the most effective way to help a child is to strengthen the child's entire community. We do this by pooling your monthly sponsorship donations with those of other sponsors in a community to provide the assistance that children and families living in poverty need most. Your generous donations will help the whole community have access to vital resources like clean water, nutritious food, healthcare, education, economic opportunities, and more.
Each community that we work with faces different challenges and has different needs, so the work we do is unique to each community. World Vision listens to the people in the community to understand the issues hindering children from reaching their full potential and partners with them to address their short-term and long-term needs. We also work with local groups—such as churches or government organizations—to build stronger communities.
In 2011, World Vision assisted more than 4.1 million sponsored children worldwide. Sponsors in the United States support about 1.1 million children; the rest are sponsored by people in more than 20 other countries, including Canada, Australia, Singapore, Great Britain and, in a few cases, the same country where the sponsored child lives.
With your monthly donation, you will help your sponsored child and other children in their community enjoy good health, be educated, cared for, protected, and participating in making their community a better place to live—and to love God and their neighbors.
Your monthly sponsorship gifts help provide the basic necessities that can help a child reach his or her God-given potential, including access to resources like clean water, better nutrition, basic healthcare, education, spiritual nurture, and economic opportunities for his or her family, the community, and other children in need.
Sponsorship also assists the entire community by providing benefits like new or restored water wells, new or renovated schools and health clinics, as well as improved agricultural training. Adults may receive vocational training in areas like tailoring and carpentry or may attend classes in nutrition and hygiene.
World Vision offers help in these areas and more–according to the needs of the community–because we believe the best way to change the life of a child is to change the community in which he or she lives.
Because proper nutrition and adequate healthcare are critical to children's development in their early years, World Vision Child Sponsorship works to help ensure that young children have access to these important resources, including nourishing food, clean water, and medicine. To give children a higher chance of survival even before birth, sponsorship projects strengthen healthcare services for pregnant mothers and provide them with a nutritious diet.
Newborns, babies, and toddlers living in developing countries face an immense challenge in their first days and months of life: living past their fifth birthday. Nearly 7.6 million children under the age of 5 die every year—more than 20,000 each day. Many of these child deaths are preventable through access to practical, low-cost interventions and effective primary care up to age 5.
Without access to adequate healthcare, many young children struggle to survive their early years:
- More than 3 million children die in their first 28 days of life.
- About 8 million children under 5 worldwide are severely malnourished.
- Undernutrition contributes to more than one-third of child deaths.
- Every two minutes, a child dies from malaria in Africa—the leading cause of death in that region among children under 5.
Despite these odds, World Vision believes that poverty and disease must not be reasons for a child to die before his or her fifth birthday. World Vision projects are designed to make sure that children have access to the essentials they need to celebrate their fifth birthday and beyond while living life in all its fullness — that they are healthy by local standards, receive appropriate education, and experience spiritual nurture.
Other goals are determined by what the children and community need most: clean water, improved sanitation, better income opportunities for parents, improved agricultural production, etc.
*Statistics from UNICEF & WHO, 2011
World Vision works in communities where our presence is requested and welcomed. Before a sponsorship project begins, World Vision workers meet with local community leaders to assess the needs in the community and determine appropriate and effective responses.
Together, we develop a plan for project areas and activities that will address their needs and priorities. A plan of operation with a proposed timeline, budget, specific goals, and objectives is created. This plan includes the number of children and families that will be assisted through the various components of the project. A majority of World Vision project staff are local residents who are best suited to evaluate and serve the needs of their community.
As World Vision earns trust and credibility within the community, community members participate in and take ownership of the projects. While projects are in progress, the work is evaluated to ensure it is having maximum impact. Within the last years, the community prepares to carry out the development work after World Vision leaves.
By partnering with local people in the project communities, World Vision empowers them to bring about change themselves and to sustain progress in their community long after the project goals they have established with World Vision have been achieved.
The answer to this is no, and yes.
No, because sponsorship donations from World Vision donors are pooled together to help all of the children within the community. The sponsorship program is a demonstration of God's love for all children in a community—not just those fortunate ones who have sponsors. Our years of experience have shown us the best way to change a child's life is to change the community in which they live.
Yes, because sponsored children can significantly benefit from the personal relationship they build with their sponsors. The cards, letters, and prayers they receive from their sponsors are a great source of encouragement and help children build self-esteem and realize their self-worth in a world where poverty tells them that they don't matter.
Also, in some cases, certain benefits are exclusive to the sponsored child and not available to other children or adults in the community. For example, a sponsored child may receive help in paying for her school tuition and school uniform, while non-sponsored siblings and friends would not receive paid tuition or uniforms.
On the other hand, World Vision may work with the community to build a school and the teacher's salary may be paid with sponsorship funds. This would benefit all of the children in the community.
World Vision helps children, families and their communities by supporting sustainable, long-term development projects.
Sustainable development work takes time—approximately 15 years. World Vision may stay in a community for less than 15 years, or longer, depending on when the development goals we set out to achieve have been completed. However, at times World Vision may have to leave a community or country because local conditions—often involving political issues or stability—have changed.
Because we want to ensure that children continue to flourish after we leave, our exit is planned from the start. From the very beginning of our sponsorship projects, we work with the community to build lasting systems that will enable them to maintain and build on what has been achieved so their children can continue to thrive after the World Vision project has ended.
We work with communities to establish priorities and the time it will take to achieve the goals. Addressing the root causes of poverty involves building trusting relationships, breaking mindsets, changing attitudes, and providing tools, skills, and training.
The goal of sponsorship in a community is to help break the cycle of poverty so children and families can step into the future with well-founded hope. When these goals are met, World Vision can move on to serve children with great need in other communities.
Sponsorship is a long-term commitment; however, the length of each sponsorship depends on the needs of the child and their community. Your child's age of independence or circumstances will vary from country to country. Sponsorship may end for any of the following reasons:
- The community has "graduated." The goal of sponsorship is to help break the cycle of poverty so children and families can step into the future with well-founded hope. When sustainability goals are met, projects are phased out and World Vision moves on to serve children in great need in other communities. This is a time for celebration!
- The child becomes self-sufficient. In many cases, children are sponsored until they finish school, reach the age of independence in their community, are able to support themselves, or marry.
- The family has moved to a different community. Occasionally, circumstances arise that mean a child must leave the sponsorship program. For example, a child's family may move out of the community to an area where World Vision child sponsorship is not available.
If circumstances change and your child is no longer available for sponsorship, World Vision will notify you and send you a precious new child in need to begin sponsoring.
Wherever World Vision works, we identify ourselves as a Christian organization. We are honored to have a distinct role in building God's kingdom. That role is to demonstrate God's love and care in the world. We believe that bearing witness to Christ is every Christian's responsibility. We demonstrate our faith in various ways – by who we are and how we live, what we do, the words we use to express our faith, and by pointing to God's work (i.e., life, deed, word, and sign).
As followers of Jesus, we serve all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender. Every day, children and families see God's love through the care provided by our field staff. Whenever communities and their countries welcome it, and in ways that are appropriate, we verbally share our faith and provide opportunities for children and families to learn more about Jesus.
In communities where Christianity is practiced, we work closely with local churches to help provide children and their families with spiritual nurture activities like vacation Bible school, the distribution of Bibles to those who desire them, and more.
Churches often are one of the few stable institutions in these communities. They play a critical role in both spiritual and social development, and it is the Church that will nurture the faith of new believers. Churches also help World Vision staff to understand the community and its needs, and provide staff and volunteers. And churches continue to care for communities long after our work is completed.
Sponsors also have a vital role: praying for the child, family, and community.
Often sponsored children and their families, after being touched by the love and care of World Vision staff, have asked questions about our faith; many have come to share it. Yet, World Vision believes that only God can change hearts. Our role in the kingdom is to be faithful to His command to serve the poor. In communities where Christian teachings are not welcomed, we abide by local laws and customs while endeavoring to show respect and honor to those of different faiths.
World Vision's dedicated staff strive to model Jesus' example of love to children and the entire community in everything we do.
If you have any other questions about your child's spiritual teaching, please call us at 1.800.777.5777.
World Vision's sponsorship program reaches out to children in need in developing countries in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. Some countries that are further along in their development don't require World Vision's assistance.
Life for children in need living in the developing world can be very harsh. They lack the basics—food, water, clothing, and access to education—and, many times, have no protection from being exploited or abused under weak laws or oppressive cultural traditions.
World Vision sponsorship focuses on bringing sustainable development to sponsored children and their communities. In places where there is an appropriate level of political and societal stability, World Vision's sponsorship program allows us to build sustainable development that provides children with benefits like education, healthcare, and improved nutrition, as well as income-generating activities for families.
Frequently, people in need live in places where political and social stability do not exist. In these countries, World Vision is unable to provide long-term assistance through sponsorship due to security risks or unstable socio-political environments, or when children and their families are displaced to refugee or transit camps. In these situations, even though conditions can't support the long-term development goals of sponsorship, World Vision still addresses the needs of children and families, whenever possible, through relief operations.
World Vision's approach recognizes that the family and the child's community have the primary responsibility and desire to provide a secure and full life for the child. Unfortunately, poverty often prevents families or communities from fulfilling this responsibility and desire. The only lasting solution is to help those living in poverty bring about fundamental changes in their situations.
We believe true community development is not about providing money or even services. It lies in helping people discover their God-given potential as human beings, and working together to realize that potential. Fundamental to this is spiritual transformation that instills hope and promise for the future.
Technical help and funding in areas like health, agriculture, water resources, sanitation, nutrition, and income generation are important, but the underlying foundation of community development work is motivation and community organization — something a simple cash handout can't provide.
God loves all children. At World Vision, we believe that sponsoring a child in any religious or ideological context is an extraordinary privilege. Child sponsorship provides an opportunity to live out our Christian faith by caring for those in need regardless of their situation. We feel blessed to serve and bring hope to any precious child who lives in extreme poverty and to help that child reach his or her God-given potential.
World Vision was founded on Christian and Biblical principles and follows Jesus' example in helping the poor. Every day, children and families throughout the world see God's love through the care provided by our field staff. More than 1.1 million children in 50 countries are sponsored through World Vision U.S. Our intent is to demonstrate God's love to all children regardless of their religious or cultural background so that they might have a better life and personally experience God's love. Often times, World Vision's ministry is the only Christian influence a community or country will experience.
World Vision supports verbal proclamation of the Gospel whenever it is possible. However, in some cases this is forbidden in the countries where we serve.
World Vision works in a wide range of contexts and communities, from those where Christians are free to express their faith, to others where they may face imprisonment or even death for speaking about Christianity. We practice and communicate our faith in ways that are sensitive and appropriate for the audience and the cultural context in which we work. But we never deny our Christian faith.
World Vision serves all people, regardless of their faith. We work in communities where we are welcome, including many where other faiths are practiced. We respect the communities where we work, while making it clear that we are a Christian organization. Our staff seek to pray for all people to whom they minister and hope, in restricted contexts, that their lives and deeds will be testimony to the power of the Gospel.
In some countries and communities where Christianity has a small presence, World Vision may hire staff of other faiths. However, these staff members follow our core values, and World Vision always is identified as a Christian organization. Our staff works hard to ensure that the way they live, the words they use, and the deeds they do point others to a loving God.
Yes, your sponsorship contributions will be used to benefit your sponsored child and their community. World Vision combines sponsorship donations to support community-based projects that improve the well-being of all children, including your sponsored child.
World Vision also leverages funds from child sponsorship, one-time donations, goods donated by corporations, and government grants to ensure that all gifts entrusted to us have maximum impact. In 2011, 86 percent of all the contributions entrusted to us went towards programs that help children, their families, and communities in need.
We place a special priority on helping vulnerable children. Representatives from the community work with World Vision staff to identify and prioritize areas of greatest need. The community selects the girls and boys for the child sponsorship program from those areas, and families are asked if they want to be part of the sponsorship program. Sponsored children serve to link sponsors with the entire community in the World Vision sponsorship program.
Understanding How Child Sponsorship Works
Yes! Being a child sponsor is also about building a wonderful friendship. Exchanging letters, cards, or emails is a great way to connect with your sponsored child. Be sure to ask your child some questions to get the conversation started! Visit the "Send a Letter" page for ideas on what to write.
You may send letters to your sponsored child at the National Office address located on your child's picture folder, which you received in your sponsorship welcome kit. You can also find the address by signing in to your my World Vision account and visiting the "Send a Letter" page.
Note: For the protection of the children, sponsors, and our staff, we read letters that are exchanged between sponsors and their sponsored children. The letters are reviewed to ensure people do not threaten children, put their lives in danger, or try to develop inappropriate relationships.
In many of the countries where we work, Christian expression is restricted so we monitor the letters to make sure nothing written could endanger the child or family. We also review letters to our sponsors to ensure they do not receive inappropriate solicitation of funds from children's families.
If your sponsored child lives in a country where Christianity is restricted, we will notify you. Please see your Welcome Kit or visit the "Send a Letter" page for writing tips on what topics to avoid.
If you are a corporation that sponsors children, or if you sponsor more than 15 children, please use this special link to email your sponsored children.
Because your sponsored child may live in a remote location, delivering and receiving a reply to your letter may take three to four months. But the joy of hearing from your child is well worth the wait!
World Vision works in communities that are impoverished and often are located in areas difficult to get to—far from the highways or any other forms of rapid communication with the outside world. Many rural areas do not have phones, internet or, at times, even postal service.
There are also other reasons why it takes time to deliver and receive letters:
- Only a handful of project workers and staff members supervise the writing and delivery of these letters—in addition to all of their other responsibilities for providing services to the children in the community.
- Most sponsored children have never written a letter, and they need assistance writing to their sponsors. If your sponsored child is unable to read or write, someone must help them read your letter and write out the response, which takes time. This person may be a school teacher, a family member, or a World Vision staff member. If your child has received assistance with writing, there will be a special note on the letter.
- Once the letter is written, it must be delivered to World Vision's National Office in your sponsored child's country, then be translated to English. In many developing countries, transportation can be a challenge and travel may be interrupted or impossible during certain times of year due to heavy rains and flooding. Also, often the child's village is remote and can require World Vision staff to travel by foot to deliver or collect a letter. All of this can take a substantial amount of time.
We hope this helps to explain why communication between you and your sponsored child may require some patience and time. However, if you do not receive a reply from your child within four months after you have written, please let us know by calling 1.800.777.5777. We will then check for you with the National Office in your sponsored child's country.
If your child lives in an area that welcomes Christianity, please feel free to share your faith and spiritual encouragement with your child.
However, if your child lives in a community where Christian expression is restricted, please do not refer to Jesus or send Christian tracts or Scripture in your messages. Doing so could jeopardize World Vision's work in your child's country, or even endanger the child or our staff. Please look for the Sensitive Area Alert icon under your child's picture on the "Send a Letter" page in My World Vision for more explanation.
Yes! Your child will be thrilled to receive small inexpensive items that fit into a 6"x9" envelope. Visit the "Send a Package" page for ideas on what to send and how to address your package.
Important Note: Some sponsors may want to send Christian tracts, Scripture verses, or references to Jesus. Please do not send these items if your child lives in a community that may not welcome Christian teachings.
Sponsors whose children are in these communities were informed of these sensitivities in their sponsorship welcome kit. Please look for the Sensitive Area Alert icon under your child's picture on the "Send a Letter" page in My World Vision for more explanation. If you have any doubts about what is appropriate in your child's community, please call us at 1.800.777.5777. We ask for the child's protection and the protection of our staff that you use sensitivity when sending items.
Yes! Meeting your sponsored child face-to-face can be an exciting and moving event for both of you. If you ever wish to do so, we're here to help you. Be sure to contact our U.S. office at least three months in advance of your trip at 1.888.200.3075.
Our priority is to make sure children are safe. We work with police advisors and child welfare agencies, nationally and internationally, to develop strong child protection policies and services. All World Vision staff and visitors must submit a background check.
Due to our child protection requirements, you will need to fill out a "Request to Visit My Sponsored Child" application and a "Protection of Children Release Form," and complete a background check through World Vision. Once your visit is approved, a staff member will be assigned to act as your guide and interpreter and must accompany you at all times during your visit. Go to the "Visit Your Child" for more information on the visit process.
Each year, we'll send you a progress report in the mail updating you about your child's health and educational status. This report will also include a new photo, so you can watch your child grow up.
If it's been more than a year since you last received a progress report, we will be glad to communicate with the national office for you. Please call us at 1.800.777.5777.
You'll also receive an annual newsletter highlighting the achievements your sponsored child's community has made with the help of your support, as well as a Christmas or a New Year's card from your child.
If you'd like to help your child and their family meet extra needs in their lives, you can provide a Special Gift for them. The funds you send could buy a goat, school supplies, clothing, or another much-needed item. Local World Vision staff will help your child's family in selecting appropriate gifts.
Please visit the Special Gift page or call us at 1.800.777.5777 to give a Special Gift today. To ensure the best stewardship of our staff's time and resources, such gifts must be $100 at minimum or $1,000 at maximum. Your gift will be used to purchase the item(s) in the child's country, saving shipping and other logistical costs as well as helping to improve the economy in that local area. Because the whole community is struggling to beat poverty in the areas where we work, any portion of your gift over $200 will be used to purchase something that will benefit others in the community as well.
Throughout the year, World Vision will mail you fun greeting cards that you can sign and return for delivery to your sponsored child. They're a great way to encourage and connect with your child.
Children love to receive these colorful cards from their sponsors. Visit the "Send a Card" page to learn more about the cards.
A $5 donation is suggested to help cover the costs of handling and mailing the cards, but this donation isn't required in order for the card to be forwarded to your sponsored child.
We print messages on the cards primarily in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Swahili because these are the primary languages spoken in our World Vision offices around the world. Our staff translates the card into the local dialects of the children.
If you would like to send your sponsored child a letter, but want to avoid the cost of postage to mail it, you may include a letter with one of these greetings cards. Please note, because of how these cards are distributed, it will likely take longer to receive a reply from your sponsored child than if you were to mail the letter directly.
One of the easiest ways to communicate is by sending an email to your sponsored child. Visit www.worldvision.org/emailmychild to write and send the message. The emails will be sent to the National Office in your sponsored child's country, where it will be printed out, translated, and delivered to your child. And, your child will respond via standard mail.
When writing your letter, it's important to consider your sponsored child's environment and culture. For example, it's best not to write about the things you own since your child might have very few possessions.
Also, if your child lives in a community where Christian expression is restricted, please do not refer to Jesus or send Christian tracts or Scripture in your messages. Doing so could jeopardize World Vision's work in your child's country, or even endanger the child or our staff. Please look for the Sensitive Area Alert icon under your child's picture on the "Send a Letter" page in My World Vision for more explanation.
At World Vision, we are fully committed to ensuring that children and their families are protected from the fear or reality of any physical or emotional abuse. This could result from inappropriate and unsafe Internet and social media use, including the sharing of private information about a child and their family. Because of this, we ask all sponsors to abide by the following standards while participating in World Vision's sponsorship program:
- Refrain from any direct, unmonitored communication with your sponsored child or family without our knowledge. This includes contact through the Internet or social media (including instant message, Facebook, Skype, Twitter, etc.). Note that World Vision does not, under any circumstances, allow visits to the child's residence or community that have not been coordinated by World Vision staff.
- Do not post your sponsored child's last name or child ID number on the Internet or social media sites.
- For both their security and yours, please let us know immediately of any contact initiated by your sponsored child or family that makes you feel uncomfortable.
For more information on safe Internet and social media use, please visit myworldvision.org/childsafety.
We appreciate your interest in having your sponsored child visit the United States. However, World Vision does not permit sponsored children to visit the U.S. for several reasons, including:
- The safety and well-being of the child
- The culture shock experienced by the child
- The child's readjustment to his or her own lifestyle can be difficult
If you would like to spend time with your sponsored child, perhaps you'll consider planning a visit to your child's country. Please call us at 1.888.200.3075 if you'd like to visit your child, or go to the "Visit My Child" page.
Additional Questions about Child Sponsorship
World Vision requests that monetary gifts not be sent directly to your sponsored child. There are several reasons for this.
Our National offices are not equipped to handle funds sent to them directly from sponsors, or to issue tax-exempt receipts. In some countries it is even against the law to have foreign currency in one's possession. Also, some postal systems are unreliable, and there is no guarantee that the monetary gifts will reach the intended recipient.
No; resources available in developing countries are different from those in the U.S.
World Vision works with the local government in your sponsored child's country to give access to healthcare and education and to improve the lives of children in the communities where we serve.
For example, clean water is something we largely take for granted in the U.S., but unsafe water is the biggest threat to the health and life of a child living in a developing country. World Vision often finds that the most urgent need for local children is a well or pump that can provide a continuous source of clean, life-giving water. While work is being done to assure clean water, sponsorship funds can be used for other health needs such as immunizations, building a medical clinic or dispensary, nutrition training classes for parents, improving agricultural productivity, or improving sanitation or latrines.
While free education is standard in the U.S., access to any type of education in many developing countries may be limited. Each family and community will uniquely address the best way to improve educational opportunities for sponsored children. For example, in an urban slum, this might mean that sponsorship funds are used to provide uniforms, shoes, and books so that sponsored children can attend local schools. In a remote village in Africa, sponsorship funds might be used to build a small home so that a teacher will come to live in the village.
No. World Vision helps children within the context of their families and communities and does not facilitate adoptions, but refers prospective parents to reputable organizations certified to be in compliance with the Hague Convention by the Council on Accreditation and listed on the State Department Web site.
World Vision believes God's concern for the poor extends to all children, including those living in the United States. However, because of cultural and economic differences, we believe the needs of children in the U.S. can best be met through programs other than sponsorship.
For more than 20 years, World Vision has partnered with U.S. churches, schools, businesses, and communities to help children and their families living in poverty through work that focuses on linking mentors and tutors with struggling children and youth; providing local churches and ministries with additional skills and resources to help their communities; and distributing donated goods to families, churches, and other groups in low-income communities.
In some cases, this means providing subsidized educational supplies to children in poor neighborhoods in inner cities. In other places, at-risk teenagers are provided play and other entertainment facilities, as well as counseling and rehabilitation programs.
World Vision assists the needy in the United States through projects in urban areas such as in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle/Tacoma, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Washington, D.C., and Dallas, TX. In addition, we also have ministry in rural areas like Albany, Georgia, Picayune, Mississippi, and the Appalachian area of West Virginia. Click here to learn more about World Vision's U.S. programs.
On rare occasions there may be conflicting information about a sponsored child; however, our staff is committed to providing sponsors with accurate, error-free information.
World Vision staff process hundreds of thousands of child sponsorship files, letters, and photos each year. With this large volume, human error sometimes can occur no matter how hard we work to eliminate it. Very often, English is a second or third language for members of our international staff, and translating letters and information from a child's native language to English can be challenging. In other cases, the local language may have unique characteristics such as not distinguishing between genders. In addition, children in your sponsored child's community may not have both a first and last name as we have come to expect in our culture.
Also, in the case of some cultures, families tend to be close, so if the parents have passed away, the child may go to live with other family members, like an aunt or an uncle. Many times, the child will begin referring to these relatives as they would their parents. So, when a child signs up for sponsorship, they may say that they're living with their parents, when in actuality, it's another family member.
These types of issues can all cause confusion in translation, correspondence, and reporting. We will notify you as soon as possible if we discover an error.
We work to improve the lives of vulnerable children in the community, whether they are orphans or not. Not all children enrolled in sponsorship are orphans, but many have lost one or both parents, especially children living in communities impacted by HIV and AIDS.
There are many reasons HIV and AIDS can make children vulnerable, including the following reasons:
- When one or both parents have died and left young children, extended family members often take in and care for these children. So, a sponsored child may not be an orphan, but his or her home may have additional children living there and stretching already meager resources.
- Parents may be alive, but too sick to care for their children. In fact, the children often end up taking care of their parents.
- The child lives in an area that is at high risk of being impacted by the AIDS epidemic. These children have lost school teachers to the disease and schools have closed. Or the area itself may have declining food sources because many of the farmers are too ill to grow crops or they have passed away.
More about Your Donations to World Vision and Our Work
The children with whom we work live in harsh and difficult circumstances. Sponsorship allows us to introduce social and economic benefits which foster stability in the lives of these children, and advocacy addresses laws and systems to ensure that children are supported and highly valued.
In many cases, an important part of our work involves dealing with local laws and deeply entrenched traditions in which children are not as highly valued. We also work with the U.S. government to influence and support legislation that has a positive impact on children and poor communities around the world.
Raising these issues with local governments, the media, and church groups in sponsorship countries allows us to address the root causes of poverty and injustice and champion the cause of children in order to increase support and change oppressive traditions and institutions. Our advocacy efforts in the U.S. work to ensure that government leaders here remember the needs of the children we serve and enact legislation aimed at improving their well-being.
In both large and small governments, and in industrialized countries or those that are still developing, advocacy can move officials and politicians to enforce laws that protect the rights of children and to actively support causes that improve their lives. In some countries, our joint advocacy with other key groups has led to laws being changed to help and protect children.
Our responsibility to advocate is found in Proverbs 31:8-9: "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly, defend the rights of the poor and needy."
World Vision is a founding member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA), the leading financial integrity-accrediting body for Christian non-profit organizations.
In addition, World Vision meets the nine standards for fundraising of the National Charities Information Bureau (NCIB), which focuses on charities in the U.S. being financially accountable to the public. World Vision is re-certified every year as complying with each of the nine standards.
World Vision also complies with standards set by The Council for Better Business Bureaus' (CBBB) Wise Giving Alliance. This organization publishes a comprehensive 22-point list of standards for philanthropic organizations. These standards fall under the categories of public accountability, use of funds, solicitation and informational materials, fundraising practices and governance.
In fiscal year 2011, 99 percent of World Vision's budget was composed of cash and product donations from individuals, churches, corporations, and foundations:
- 53%=private contributions from individuals (including child sponsors), churches, corporations, and foundations
- 27%=gifts-in-kind (pharmaceuticals and medical supplies, clothing and shoes, school supplies and educational materials, personal hygiene items, sporting goods and toys, building supplies, tools, and furnishings donated from corporations and other private donors)
- 19%=public grants
To request a copy of our detailed Annual Report, please call 1.888.511.6598.
Gifts to World Vision, a 501(c)(3) organization, qualify as charitable contributions and are tax-deductible. Whether or not a particular gift to World Vision is fully tax-deductible may depend on your own financial situation. You should contact a tax advisor if you have any questions.
You can print a current tax receipt by signing into your My World Vision account and going the "Giving History" page in the My Giving & Account tab.
Giving & Account
World Vision is always working to protect your confidentiality and identity. At certain points in the check-out process we may ask you to sign in again for verification. Or, your session may have timed out.
You may have accidently created more than one World Vision account. Please call us at 1-800-678-2168 so we can merge your records into a single account.
No, you don't need a new account to sign in to My World Vision. Just use the same email address and password that you already use to sign in to your World Vision account at worldvision.org.
If you've forgotten your user name—which is also your email address—we can help you locate your information. Click on "Forget your Login?", and we'll help you look up your username. Have your account number ready (found in the top left corner of your paper giving statements) to enter when prompted.
If you've forgotten your password, we can assign you a new, temporary password. Click on "Forget Your Password?" and we'll email you your sign-in information. Please call us at 1-800-678-2168 if you have problems.
Your preferred address is the physical mailing address where you'll receive all correspondence not sent by email. If you want to edit your mailing address, select the "My Account" page in the My Giving & Account tab. Under the "Address" section, select 'Edit' and you can update your preferred address.
If you have forgotten your user name—which is also your email address—World Vision can help you locate your information. Click on "Forget your Login?", and we'll help you look up your username. Have your account number ready (found in the top left corner of your paper giving statements) to enter when prompted.
If you've forgotten your password, we can assign you a new, temporary password. Click on "Forget Your Password?" and we'll email you your sign-in information. Please call us at 1-800-678-2168 if you have problems.
Your user name is your email address. To make any changes, select the "My Account" page in the My Giving & Account tab. Under the "Account Information" section, select 'Edit' and you can change your email address. Any future emails will be sent to the updated email address.
To change your password, click on 'Change Password' in the "Account Information" section and save your changes.
To update your email address—which is also your user name—select the "My Account" page in the My Giving & Account tab. Under the "Account Information" section, select 'Edit' and you can change your email address. Any future emails will be sent to the updated email address.
If you can't see your child's information, you may find that you have more than one World Vision account. Please call us at 1-800-678-2168 so we can merge your records into a single account or determine if there's another issue.
If you would like to make a one-time payment online using your credit card or PayPal, select the "My Pledges" page in the My Giving & Account tab. Choose the sponsorship or pledge for which you'd like to make a donation, and click on 'Make This Donation.'
To easily make recurring payments online, you can sign up for Automatic Giving. Just select the "My Account" page in the My Giving & Account tab. Under the "Payment Options" section, click on 'Manage Automated Giving' and enter your payment information.
Yes. Just visit the "My Account" page in the My Giving & Account tab. Select 'Manage Automated Giving.' You can add or edit your credit card or bank information.
Be assured that World Vision provides you with a secure online connection to enter your personal information. All web forms requesting your confidential information (such as credit card numbers) on the My World Vision website use "SSL," an Internet security protocol that encrypts your entered information to make it as safe as possible.
Online donations may take up to seven business days to post to your account. Donations sent to World Vision through the United States Postal Service may take up to two weeks to process. You may also find that you have more than one World Vision account. If that's the case, please contact us to merge your records into a single account. Call 1-800-678-2168, and we'll take care of this for you.
Although we encourage sponsors to commit to the sponsorship of a child for as long as possible, we do understand that people's circumstances change over time. You're free to cancel at any time, for any reason.
Before we cancel, we'd love to see if we can make adjustments to your account so it's easier for you to continue sponsoring. Please call us at 1.800.777.5777 if you'd like to discuss these options to cancel your sponsorship. We'd be happy to help.
Top 2 Questions
The Automatic Giving Plan helps your gifts go even further. When you sign up, World Vision is able to save on printing, processing, and postage fees, allowing more dollars to go to your sponsored child and their community. The most efficient payment method on this plan is paying directly from your bank account (EFT), but you can also use a credit card.
To sign up for Automatic Giving, go to the My Giving & Account tab and select the "My Account" page. Under the "Payment Options" section, click on 'Manage Automated Giving' and enter your information.
World Vision assures you that we protect the identity of our donors, including all who contact us online:
World Vision is committed to donor privacy
We value your trust and assure you that we will always strive to be responsible in our management, truthful in our advertising, and cost-effective in our fundraising. We respect your privacy and do not rent, sell, or exchange our mailing lists.
To most efficiently use the resources you entrusted to us, we may disclose to select third parties information regarding donation history in order to more effectively target our donor communications. Information of this kind is used to enable World Vision to identify others like yourself interested in partnering with us to help children and their families. Information provided in donation history may include statistics such as total number of donations and value of donations for a set period of time. This information disclosure is done very carefully to ensure that your personal information is protected.
If you have questions or concerns, please contact our Donor Service Center at 1-888-511-6548. Read our complete web privacy policy.
Online Giving
No. For a one-time donation, accepted payment methods are a credit card or PayPal. To make a payment, select the "My Pledges" page in the My Giving & Account tab. Choose the sponsorship or pledge for which you'd like to make a donation, and click on 'Make This Donation.' EFT is used for recurring donations on our Automatic Giving Plan.
Yes. All forms requesting confidential information (such as credit card numbers) on World Vision's Web site utilize the Internet security protocol known as "Secure Sockets Layer" or "SSL." This is a certification and encryption technology designed to make using your credit card on the Internet as safe as possible.
Independent agencies report that (statistically speaking) using a credit card on the Internet through SSL is far safer than submitting your credit card to a clerk in the grocery store or over an open telephone line. In fact, they report that there are no recorded instances of someone "breaking" SSL encryption and using stored credit card information for fraudulent purposes.
Online Personal & Account Information
To print a tax receipt for your donations, select the "Giving History" page in the My Giving & Account tab. Choose the current or previous tax year and click on the 'Print Tax Receipt' icon in the top right corner. A new window or tab will open in your browser with a printable version of your tax receipt. For receipts from earlier years, please contact us at 1-800-678-2168.
Yes. First, sign in to My World Vision using your email address and password. If you don't have an online account, you can easily create one today.
For a quick overview of your account, select the "Dashboard" page under the My Giving & Account tab. Also, you can click on the "My Pledges" page to see your monthly commitments, and select the "Giving History" page to look over your giving details. Visit the "My Account" page to make changes to your online account.
General Questions
You can choose our paperless statements option after you've signed up for Automatic Giving. Go to the My Giving & Account tab and select the "My Account" page. Scroll down to the "Communications from World Vision" section, click on 'Manage Statement Preferences,' and choose to receive electronic statements.
If you're having trouble making an online donation, here are some troubleshooting steps you can take:
- Make sure you are using a browser supported by World Vision. We support Internet Explorer 8 and 9, as well as the most current versions of Google Chrome, Safari, and Firefox.
- Sign out and then sign in again. Sometimes the system freezes up or does not recognize your credentials.
- Our systems could be having technical difficulties. Please wait for a few hours, then come back and try again. Or, call us at 1-800-678-2168 to make your donation over the phone.
Gift Catalog
Unfortunately, we can only ship to addresses within the United States. You can have the cards shipped to yourself and forward them in order to honor someone outside of the US.
You can order cards that will be sent directly to you by sending your order in the mail or by phone at 1-888-511-6511. If you would like to have cards shipped directly to someone else, and/or if you would like your cards to be personalized, you can place your order on our website, www.worldvisiongifts.org.
Due to the prohibitive costs and administration required to report on each individual gift, we cannot provide photos and stories on gifts. For larger items such as wells, clinics and schools, a report will be available as progress updates come in.
Yes, you can give any donation amount to any of our items.
Yes, you will be mailed a receipt for your gift to World Vision. Your gifts are tax deductible, excluding the amount for shipping and handling charges or the fair market value for any Maximum Impact items, if applicable.
Cards are sent by first class mail within 48 to 72 hours of receiving your order. You should receive your cards within 7 to 10 days of your order.
Due to high mail volumes during the holidays, we cannot guarantee the US Postal Service will deliver cards sent via first class mail by December 25. However, we recommend placing orders online no later than December 17th for the best chance of delivery by December 24th.
Gift amounts typically include the actual and management costs associated with purchasing and/or delivering an item or carrying out the service. It reflects the total amount needed to make that specific activity happen, whether it's shipping and distributing pharmaceuticals, or building a home for an orphan in Africa.
Unfortunately, no. The items offered in our catalog are planned for projects benefiting children and families and cannot be given to individual sponsored children. If you would like to provide a gift for your sponsored child, call 1-800-777-5777. To ensure the best stewardship of our field staff's time and resources, such gifts must be $100 or more. Your gift will be used to purchase the item(s) in the child's country, saving shipping and other logistical costs. You will then receive an acknowledgement of your gift, stating how the gift was applied.
Gifts have been selected for the Gift Catalog based on the needs and goals of our field projects. We aren't able to change the description of a gift or designate a more specific location.
We promise to use your donation in the most effective way possible. The needs shown in this catalog reflect World Vision projects at the time the catalog was written and each item is representative of the gift category in which it appears. Donations will be used to provide assistance where it is needed most within that category or to address a similar need. With the larger items, such as wells, clinics and schools, World Vision pools donations in order to provide as many wells, clinics and schools as possible. These items are not matched to individual donors.
There are several easy ways to make your monthly gift:
- Cash/Check
- EFT (Automatic Giving Plan) — This plan makes giving more convenient for you. No more check writing, and we're able to reduce our processing and postage costs, so more money goes to help children in need. Our donor service reps can help you get started. Please call us at 1.800.777.5777 or go online and sign up today. Learn more about the benefits of giving automatically, click here.
For $20 a month, you can help a child escape a life of horror and make a life-changing difference. Or, give as much as you are able.
The most vulnerable children in society look to your partnership to help pull them from harm's way, one at a time, and instill hope into their wounded hearts.
Yes. You will need to log into My Account (if you do not already have an online account you will need to create one). From there, you can select the 'Go Paperless' option on the left hand side and choose your preference:
- Electronic Statements Only
- Electronic and Paper Statements
You will then receive a monthly email reminder when your statement is ready.
You can provide your monthly gift to us via:
- Phone - use your credit card via telephone
- Mail - pay by mail using our pre-addressed return envelope
- Online Billing – select to receive paperless statements and pay online
Your gifts are providing support for children around the world. To learn more about the different giving options click one of the links below:
Child Crisis Partner Monthly Giving Options:
- Children in the Greatest Need
- Children who are Hungry
- Children who are Exploited
- Children Affected by HIV/AIDS
- Children Affected by Disasters
- Children of War and Conflict
Other Monthly Giving Options:
World Vision will use your monthly support to help the world's most vulnerable children. We provide resources such as safe shelter for children who have been abandoned, orphaned, abducted and exploited; nutritious food for children affected by famine, AIDS, armed conflict, and neglect; and counseling, health care and recovery assistance for children who have survived sexual abuse, enslavement, the horrors of war and other atrocities.
As a Child Crisis Partner your monthly gifts will provide for multiple children who are in need around the world. You can also choose from a cause that you are most passionate about, such as Hunger or HIV/AIDS and ensure that your gifts are helping many children who are suffering from that cause.
As a Child Crisis Partner you have the opportunity to give to the cause of your choice and help many children around the world. With your monthly gift of $20 you can help save the lives of so many vulnerable children who suffer from hunger, preventable diseases, sexual exploitation and other atrocities. To find out more about what it means to become a Child Crisis Partner, visit our Benefits page.
Email FAQs
Sending an email rather than a letter to your sponsored child saves you time, paper, and stamps. Children love to learn about their sponsors. Even a brief email lets your sponsored child know that you care. Your child will respond to you by letter.
When you email your sponsored child, he or she will respond to you by regular mail. A reply may take up to three or four months due to the time it takes to translate your email, deliver a printed copy to your child, translate his or her response, and mail the reply to you.
Consider your child's environment and culture before writing. Since your child has very few possessions, it's best to avoid talking about the things you own. Also, if your child lives in a country that restricts Christian communication, please do not refer to Jesus or send Christian tracts or Scripture in your email. Doing so could jeopardize World Vision's work in your child's country or even endanger the child or our staff.
Gift FAQs
Yes, but certain restrictions apply. Please call 1.800.777.5777 for assistance.
If your sponsored child hasn't responded within four months of sending a package, please call us at 1.800.777.5777 and we will send an inquiry to World Vision staff in your sponsored child's community.
Letter FAQs
If you would like ideas for topics to write about in a letter, click here to read tips for writing to your sponsored child.


text:
General Electronic Company
|General Electronic Company Patent applications
|Patent application number
|SPRING LOADED SHELF FOR AN OVEN APPLIANCE - A shelf assembly is provided with a spring-assisted shelf for an oven appliance. A spring is placed into tension as the oven door is closed and the oven shelf is slid towards the rear of the oven cavity. As the door is opened, the spring retracts so as to cause the oven shelf to slide forward at least partially out of the oven cavity. The shelf assembly is vertically adjustable and can be removed from the oven cavity for repositioning at another height therein.
|ARCHITECTURES FOR HIGH TEMPERATURE TBCs WITH ULTRA LOW THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY AND ABRADABILITY AND METHOD OF MAKING - A method for fabricating thermal barrier coatings. The thermal barrier coatings are produced with a fine grain size by reverse co-precipitation of fine powders. The powders are then sprayed by a solution plasma spray that partially melts the fine powders while producing a fine grain size with dense vertical cracking. The coatings comprise at least one of 45%-65% Yb
|SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CONCATENATING MULTIPLE DEVICES - System and methods are provided. In one embodiment, a system includes serial peripheral interface (SPI) bus and a master device communicatively coupled to the serial peripheral interface (SPI) bus. The system further includes a first slave device communicatively coupled to the SPI bus. The system additionally includes a second slave device communicatively coupled to the SPI bus and to the first slave device; wherein the first and the second slave devices are communicatively coupled in parallel to the SPI bus and wherein the first and the second slave devices are communicatively coupled to each other by using a first chain line, and wherein the master device is configured to communicate with the first and with the second slave devices over the SPI bus.
|SYSTEM AND DEVICE FOR OVER-SPEED PROTECTION OF A TURBO-MACHINE - This disclosure describes embodiments of a system and device to prevent damage that can occur during an over-speed condition in a turbo-machine. The embodiment includes a fluid circuit with a header, which couples to the turbo-machine, and a hydraulic circuit through which fluid can evacuate the header to a drain. The hydraulic circuit includes a trip header manifold with a pilot element in flow connection with a drain valve element that has an actuator to regulate the flow of fluid from the header. In one example, the pilot element uses solenoid valves to change the pressure of a fluid in the drain valve element and, in particular, maintains the actuator in a first position to prevent fluid to evacuate during normal operating conditions at the turbo-machine. When the over-speed condition occurs the actuator moves to a second position to place the header in flow connection with the drain.
|SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR OPTICAL POWER AND DATA TRANSMISSION IN ULTRASOUND IMAGING - An ultrasound system includes an optical conduit adapted to transmit an optical signal between a first end of the optical conduit and a second end of the optical conduit. The ultrasound system also includes a console coupled to the first end of the optical conduit and having an optical power source adapted to generate the optical signal. Further, the ultrasound system includes an ultrasound probe coupled to the second end of the optical conduit and having power conversion circuitry adapted to receive the optical signal and to convert the optical signal into electrical power.
|DYNAMIC VOLTAGE RESTORATION SYSTEM AND METHOD - A system, in one embodiment, includes a voltage fault detection system. The voltage fault detection system may be configured to acquire a reference voltage signal from a power line to determine if a voltage sag condition is present in the power line, determine a correction voltage for correcting the voltage sag condition, use the reference voltage to produce the correction voltage, and apply the correction voltage to the power line.
|SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CLINICAL DECISION SUPPORT - Systems and methods for providing clinical decision support are provided. It is determined whether a health attribute qualifies for a condition for which a care provider is to be notified. When the health attributes qualifies for such a condition, a patient indication is provided. A first care protocol that includes a plurality of rules and that corresponds to the patient indication is selected. From the plurality of rules, a first plurality of treatment-observation options is generated. Each of the first plurality of treatment-observation options is displayed. A first user-generated response that corresponds to at least one of the plurality of treatment-observation options is received. A treatment recommendation is determined based at least in part on the first user-generated response. The treatment recommendation is displayed. Feedback is accepted with respect to the treatment recommendation.
|SYSTEM AND METHOD OF MONITORING THE PHYSIOLOGICAL CONDITIONS OF A GROUP OF INFANTS - A system for monitoring the physiological conditions of a plurality of infants in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The system includes a plurality of microenvironments, a plurality of environmental sensors to detect a first environmental condition in the microenvironments, and a plurality of external environmental sensors to detect a second environmental condition in the NICU. The system also includes a central processor that compares signals from the environmental sensors to signals from the external environmental sensors and determines a correlation between the first environmental condition and the second environmental condition. A method of monitoring the conditions of a plurality of infants is also disclosed.
|METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ULTRASOUND SIGNAL ACQUISITION AND PROCESSING - The present disclosure relates to the measurement of acoustic noise during ultrasound imaging. In one embodiment, a receive beam is directed in a different direction from a transmit beam when an acoustic noise signal is being measured. When a tissue signal is being measured, the receive beam is directed in substantially the same direction as the transmit beam.
|IMAGING PALLETS FOR MULTI-MODALITY IMAGING SYSTEMS - A multi-modality imaging system including first and second imaging modality units having respective field of views (FOVs) that are spaced apart from each other. The imaging system also having a positioning system that includes an imaging pallet. The pallet has an elongated support body that includes first and second portions that extend lengthwise along the support body. The first portion is shaped for imaging within the FOV of the first modality unit, and the second portion is shaped for imaging within the FOV of the second modality unit. The first and second portions are shaped differently than each other. The positioning system is configured to position the first portion of the pallet within the FOV of the first modality unit and configured to position the second portion of the pallet within the FOV of the second modality unit.
|SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GENERATOR STATOR MOUNTING - In one embodiment, a system includes a stator mounting kit that includes multiple radial adjustment shims having different thicknesses from one another. The stator mounting kit also includes multiple stator alignment adapters having different circumferential alignments between a keybar mount and a spring bar mount. The stator mounting kit is configured to enable radial and circumferential alignment between each spring bar and respective keybar in a stator framework via selection of one of the stator alignment adapters and selection of one or more of the radial adjustment shims.
|COLD SPRAY METHOD OF APPLYING ALUMINUM SEAL STRIPS - A method for applying a seal strip to a surface of a turbine component by accelerating solid particles to a velocity sufficient to cause the solid particles to plastically deform and bond to the surface and each other when impacted on the surface, and impacting the solid particles on the surface so as to cause the solid particles to deform and bond to the surface and each other to form the seal strip on the surface.
|B10 NEUTRON DETECTOR IN PIE SHAPED SECTORS - A neutron detector array that includes a hollow member circumscribing an axis and bounding a volume. A divider extends parallel to the axis within the hollow member to divide the volume into a plurality of volume portions. A plurality of anodes extend parallel to the axis; at least one anode within each volume portion. A plurality of cathodes wherein the hollow member has an interior surface and the divider has surfaces that are coated with neutron sensitive material. Also, a neutron detector that includes a hollow cathode bounding a volume portion with at least a partial wedge cross-section, and an anode extending thought the volume portion. An electric field exists during operation of the neutron detector within the volume portion, the electric field varying across the cross-section, and the anode being located at an area of maximum field strength within the field. The detector may be used in the array.
Patent applications by General Electronic Company

subset: commoncrawl


text:
4 hours ago
Andy Baio : How Pop Music Evolved - audio/visualization of 22,000 Billboard hits from 1956 to today#
4 hours ago
Andy Baio : GeoCities Forever - neural network-generated web nostalgia [via]#
8 hours ago
Andy Baio : PocketCHIP - real micro hardware for playing and coding games for the wonderful PICO-8 fantasy console#
1 days ago
nelson : Further Future - Burning Man for the 1%#
2 days ago
nelson : Chinese-American websites - Parallel Internet for Chinese speakers in the US#
2 days ago
nelson : Robert Burnham Jr - Obit of a famous astronomer. "Burnham spent his last years mostly on a park bench in San Diego selling paintings of cats. He died in 1993 destitute and unnoticed" (quote from Sky & Telescope)#
2 days ago
nelson : Badger Stewart - Astonishing, well written story about a young man whose father injected him with HIV#
2 days ago
Andy Baio : Radiohead erase internet presence - faded away to nothing at all#
3 days ago
nelson : Null Island in LOC - Library of Congress heralds the geographer's favorite tropical vacation spot#
3 days ago
nelson : FISA rejects 0 warrants - The secret court overseeing the FBI's spying is a joke#
3 days ago
nelson : Sugar cutters - Tools for using traditional hard sugar lumps#
3 days ago
nelson : What Happened to Google Maps? - Detailed breakdown of levels of detail#


text:
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text:
The dark arts of simulation are being taken to new levels and Leandro Damiao would appear to be leading the way with a new technique
There are still fears Arsenal may return with a bid close to £50m - and boss Rodgers wants more attacking options regardless
Manager Pochettino admits he's chasing the Brazil striker, plus Celtic's Wanyama and Banega of Valencia for his midfield
Brazil duo and Barca striker seen as the calibre of player who can deliver Champions League spot PLUS Adebayor out, Ince in?
Marseille and Napoli are also monitoring the forward as he plays in this summer's Confederations Cup
Speaking about who he believes will be a threat to the host nation in next summer's competition, he said: "we don't see England as one of them"
Missing Champions League again "is something we have to learn from. We will take it into the future" says in-demand star PLUS Damiao latest
"The Italian championship is a goal for Damiao," revealed the Brazil striker's agent
If you're serious about qualifying for the Champions League and you're Tottenham, you just have to spend the necessary money to do it
The Braga forward has £26m buy out clause in his contract but a deal could be done for closer to £8m
Villas-Boas defends club's January battle-plan after they run out of time in chase for Brazil striker PLUS Clarke sure Baggies have bouncebackability
Follow all the latest news, analysis and signings as your team looks to boost their squad for the rest of the season
Look back on the news, analysis and signings as they broke on MirrorFootball's Deadline Day late afternoon live blog recap
Brazilian striker has long been on Spurs' wishlist but it looks like Levy has left it too late this time
PLUS: AVB admits defeat in chase for Damiao, but Jose María del Nido will try and sell his star to the North London club
Tottenham boss Villas-Boas is back in for the Brazil striker he was chasing in the summer but his club will demand £25m to part with him this month
Internacional are ready top accept £15m plus keeper Heurelho Gomes for the Olympic top scorer
Spurs are looking for up to three new signings in January to help their Champions League push but star duo would cost £37million
'The Premier League holds great attraction, of course...it is a great country with good people' says Brazil striker
Young Brazilian striker was wanted by Harry Redknapp, then by Andre Villas-Boas, and thought to be ripe for move, until now...
Busy Tottenham are also still chasing Moutinho, Dazgoev, Willian and Damiao while van der Vaart, Defoe and Rose could all yet go
Willian, Moussa Dembele, Joao Moutinho, Yann M'Vila, Hugo Lloris and Leandro Damiao are all on Andre Villas-Boas' shopping list
Sunderland, Reading and Queens Park Rangers have all been linked with the England striker as Spurs chase Damiao and Adebayor
City have also warned Adebayor,
28, they will not be held to ransom and are willing to let the Togo
international rot in the reserves for two years if he continues to hold
out for crazy money
The Uruguayan's move from Inter Milan to Internacional opens the door to a fresh Tottenham bid for the Brazilian side's current star striker
Tottenham have sent scouts to compile a final report on the £15million-rated Internacional striker


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Oldcastle family show will start on SaturdayNovember 09,2013Family show to
start today
BENNINGTON The Oldcastle Actors Express will present I Didnt Know That, a lighthearted revue of first facts, selected oddities and world records based on The Guinness Book of World Records for family audiences, opening at 11 a.m. today at Oldcastle Theatre.
The show will run Saturdays throughout November.
This comedy for children presents more than 50 startling facts about topics like the first policewoman, the origins of superstitions and world records for leapfrogging, sneezing and laying eggs.
The production is directed by Sheila Childs, a longtime Oldcastle actress, director and teacher who has appeared in numerous Oldcastle productions.
The cast includes Amanda Garcia and Ana Anderson, who recently appeared in the Actors Express production of The Revenge of the Big, Bad Wolf.
Oldcastles producing artistic director, Eric Peterson, said that Saturday mornings have proven to be very popular with families and a great way to introduce children to the joys of theater.
The show is funny and fun and will be enjoyed as much by adults as children. Kids will particularly love the musical moments and physical humor and they will learn some interesting facts that will allow them to amaze their friends, Peterson said.
For ticket information or reservations call Oldcastle at 447-0564.MORE IN This Just InBARRE The Raiders built a 13-1 halftime lead before shifting into cruise control Thursday... Full StoryPOULTNEY Dylan Manning made the most of his last-minute addition to the Poultney lineup. Full StoryThe Plainfield Area Business Alliance will hold the first of a series of meetings for local... Full Story
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pregowiak's Mom Answers Activity
How can I tactfully tell my mother-in-law I don't like the clothes she buys for my son?
Most recent answer (11/06/2014):
We're having a baby girl & we recieved a bundle of clothes from my parents in law which I thought were quite boyish apposed to ne...posted by RetroPrincess
How do I get my mother-in-law to stop using a nickname for my son?
Most recent answer (05/24/2014):
I don't see what is wrong with that. Y would he get confused? we all give our children billions of nicknames as they grow up, doesn...posted by hinakhan21
Should I use the word Chubby in a Brand Name for a clothes line for chubby babies?
Most recent answer (04/08/2011):
Thank you all for your responses! They have been incredibly helpful and insightful!!! I have decided to use a word that describes my un...posted by irenee1000


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Mr. McCormick also noted "We continue to see some signs of economic improvement in the markets in which we operate, although high levels of unemployment and other persistent issues continue to constrain any significant growth. We believe our long-term focus on traditional lending criteria and conservative balance sheet management has enabled us to maintain a strong balance sheet with continued profitability. As a result, we have been able to focus on conducting business, which has put us in a position to take advantage of the significant upheaval that customers of other banks have experienced."TrustCo continued to report solid growth in loans and deposits on a year-over-year basis. For the quarter ended September 30, 2012, average loans were up $134.7 million or 5.5% compared to the same period in 2011, while average deposits increased $166.1 million or 4.5% over the same period. Compared to the second quarter of 2012, average deposits were down $27.0 million or 2.8% (annualized) and average loans were up $42.3 million or 6.7% (annualized). Mr. McCormick noted that, "The year-over-year growth of our loans and deposits reflects the long term strategic focus of the Bank, while the decline in average deposits relative to the second quarter reflects our near term tactical decision to intensify our focus on enhancing our mix of deposits and growing our core customer base. Our efforts in this regard resulted in certificate of deposit balances falling from 33.9% of deposits at June 30, 2012 to 29.4% at September 30, 2012. Because certificates are our most costly deposits, this decline contributed to our overall cost of deposits falling to 0.44% in the third quarter compared to 0.52% in the second quarter.
TrustCo Announces Third Quarter Pretax Earnings Up 10%
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IDC Retail Insights Presents Five Critical Initiatives for Retail Companies Deploying Mobile Solutions
Framingham, MA – June 26, 2014 – IDC Retail Insights today announced the availability of the first IDC PeerScape, "Business Strategy: IDC PeerScape – Retail Mobility Project-Based Initiatives," (Document RI249424). IDC PeerScapes were designed to identify the practices that have the most impact on the success or failure of an initiative. For retail companies seeking new mobile solutions to build customer loyalty and improve business performance, this report highlights the five critical initiatives that can make or break the program. Research Director and report author, Leslie Hand examines several real-world retail deployments and identifies the initiatives that will have the greatest impact on the success of similar projects. The report also measures the impact of these practices on revenue, customer satisfaction, and operational productivity, and assesses how difficult they are to deploy and maintain.
For the past half century, retail business growth has been achieved by opening more stores, broadening assortments, and automating processes to make shopping more convenient and valuable for the consumer. Satisfying customers today transcends place or time, and growth is dependent on continually creating "best experiences" — the last best experience etched in the mind of the consumer every time a shopping journey is more extraordinary and engaging than the last. Mobility, a critical enabler of this "best experience," requires applications that will engage and inform consumers and increase employee productivity. Mobility brings with it significant complexity and a rate of change most retailers have never seen before. For those companies that have successfully deployed mobile solutions, the rewards have been greater customer loyalty and higher sales and profitability. On the other hand, those that have failed to meet customer expectations have seen abandoned "carts" and lost sales, and declining performance.
This IDC Retail Insights report is a guide to critical initiatives for retail mobility projects. The five critical initiatives include:
- Identify and Align Cross-Functional Resources
- Establish KPIs and Test for Performance and Usability
- Clearly Articulate Governance Policies
- Adopt Agile Implementation Methods
- Leverage Cloud or SaaS-Based Services
Leslie Hand, research director, IDC Retail Insights, reports, "Consumer-facing and enterprise-facing mobility programs top the list of initiatives retailers are actively pursuing, and applying the best practices of the leaders can speed progress and reduce costs."
Mobile applications will soon be playing a part in many more retail transactions. But as mobile app–enabled sales spread from the early adopters to mainstream buyers, there will be dramatically increased reputational risk associated with app failures or poor customer experiences. More effective testing will become increasingly important. The consumer's last best experience will be the benchmark for all others, and customers will increasingly expect mobile devices to play a central role in their shopping.
For additional information about this report or to arrange a one-on-one briefing with Leslie Hand please contact Sarah Murray at 781-378-2674 or email@example.com. Reports are available to qualified members of the media. For information on purchasing reports, contact email@example.com; reporters should email firstname.lastname@example.com.
About IDC Retail Insights
IDC Retail Insights assists retail businesses and IT leaders, as well as the suppliers who serve them, in making more effective technology decisions by providing accurate, timely, and insightful fact-based research and consulting services. Staffed by senior analysts with decades of industry experience, our global research analyzes and advises on business and technology issues facing the retail industry. International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology market. IDC is a subsidiary of IDG, the world's leading technology, media, research, and events company. For more information, please visit www.idc-ri.com, email firstname.lastname@example.com, or call 508-935-4490. Visit the IDC Retail Insights Community at http://idc-community.com/retail.
Regions Covered:
Topics Covered:
App stores, Governance, risk and compliance infrastructure, IT operations and implementation, Mobility, Software as a service
Vertical Markets:
For more information, contact:
Ally Hughes
Sarah Murray


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Semifinalists Announced for Operation First Novel
The Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild is pleased to announce the 10 semifinalists for the 2010 Operation First Novel contest. In alphabetical order by author, the finalists are:
Sandy Cook, Emporia KS, The Darkest Night
Sandra Hendrickson Esch, San Diego CA, Tracks in the Snow
Kimberley Graham, Memphis TN, The Rocking Horse of Tuscumbia
Allison Martin, Newton NC, The Answer
Timothy Owens, Summerville SC, The Search Committee
Diana Prusik, Sullivan MO, Delivery
Jennifer Slattery, Kansas City MO, Impossible Choices
Kimberly Stokely, Bellevue NE, Winter Trees
Terrie Todd, Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada, Silver Suitcase
Beverly Varnado, Athens GA, Give My Love to the Chestnut Trees
The five finalists will be announced January 21, with the winner of the $20,000 and a contract with Tyndale House Publishers announced at the 2011 Writing for the Soul conference in Denver CO. To attend the conference, visit our website to register or call 866.495.5177.
The Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild congratulates our 10 semifinalists, as well as the other 129 aspiring novelists who entered the 2010 contest.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Operation First Novel Semifinalists Announced!
Posted by Jennifer Valent at 2:11 PM
2 comments:
- Audra Krell said...
I loved seeing you win! Will you be there this year? I'm still on the fence....
- January 20, 2011 at 10:13 AM
- Jennifer Valent said...
Thank you, Audra! It certainly was an amazing weekend! Unfortunately, I won't be there this year, though. Wish I was!
- January 22, 2011 at 1:36 PM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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Video: Geico Skytypers cruise over Lake Michigan before Milwaukee Air & Water Show
I had never truly appreciated Milwaukee's lakefront until I sailed over it at 1,200 feet aboard the Geico Skytyper SNJ2 -- an aircraft used in the 1940s to train World War II soldiers for single seat Mustang fighters.
The ride lent itself to an up-close-and-personal view of the city. The pilot flew with the cockpit open at 135 mph. And while the aircraft welcomed its share of jostles, shakes and full-body thrusts while cruising over Lake Michgian, the unforgettable airborn performance stirred up ample excitement for the fleet's debut at the Milwaukee Air & Water Show this weekend. »Read Full Blog Post
Kid Rock falls short at Harley fest finale
Instead of starting Saturday's Marcus Amphitheater concert with a trademark cry of "My name is Kiiidddd!," Kid Rock began the show — the closing headlining set for the Harley-Davidson 110th Anniversary — with, of all things, a prayer.
In this recorded message to God, recited as an eagle's wings slowly expanded, Rock vowed that this was not going to be just another show, that he would not disappoint. »Read Full Article(97)
Performing Arts Events
Barnes & Noble Racine: Norma Lundstrom "The Chubby Girl," 6:30 p.m. Sept. 4, Southland Center, 2710 S. Green Bay Road, Racine, (262) 598-9757. »Read Full Article
Exclusive Video: The White Buffalo performs "Don't You Want It"
Even if you don't know Jake Smith by his stage name the White Buffalo, you may have heard his incredible voice. Smith has performed six songs for FX hit biker gang drama "Sons of Anarchy," with another placement planned for the upcoming season, he told the Journal Sentinel.
That connection makes him a good fit for the Harley-Davidson 110th Anniversary Celebration, where he's performing at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard - before a headlining set from "Sons" star Katey Sagal with the band the Forest Rangers. Smith told the Journal Sentinel he's expecting to perform during that headlining set. »Read Full Blog Post
Brazilian, Argentine flavors on menu as Kasana extends dinner hours
Kasana Cafe, in the lower level at 241 N. Broadway, has extended its dinner hours and rolled out a new menu focused on South American dishes.
Dinner now is served 6 to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday at the Third Ward restaurant. »Read Full Blog Post
Film by Mequon native 'stuns' Telluride; called 'Oscar frontrunner'
"12 Years a Slave," with a screenplay by Milwaukee native John Ridley Jr., stunned the audience in its premiere at the Telluride Film Festival, according to The Wrap, which asked: "Do we have an Oscar frontrunner?"
The film is directed by British conceptual artist turned filmmaker Steve McQueen from a screenplay Ridley adapted from the memoir of Solomon Northup, a free black man who was kidnapped and spent a dozen years in slavery. »Read Full Blog Post(1)


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OMW this is SO incredible!!! Would I be out of line if I could use this to print on some t-shirts!?! (to sell*) I live in South Africa and have a very small business, please contact me
Fascinating style and choice of colours !
These are so beautiful and mesmerizing! Extremely well composed too! Will have to become a fan!
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love this one
Your work has such a cool collage look to it! Very unique!


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During the eighteenth century, Americans began giving hand-made valentine's to each other. Esther Howland popularized Valentine's Day greeting cards in the nineteenth century and earned the nickname, "The Mother of the American Valentine."
Look back and see how Cincinnatians have celebrated the holiday of love over the years. This gallery contains photos from the Enquirer's archives as well as photos from the Cincinnati Museum Center.
Interested in seeing more old valentines? Visit the Cincinnati History Library and Archives located at Union Terminal.


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North Central will travel to Chesterfield for Friday's first round class AA Upper State playoff football game.
Playing the top-ranked team in the state requires some adjusting on your part.
So close but yet so far away.
An uncatchable fourth down pass landed harmlessly on the Camden sidelines with a little more than four minutes left in Friday's 25-20 loss to visiting Chapin, with the bouncing ball went the host Bulldogs' AAA playoff chances.
Camden High offensive tackle Mauric James was selected to play in the 2013 Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl in Myrtle Beach on Saturday, Dec. 14.
His players huddled around him following last week's loss to Westwood, Camden head coach Jimmy Neal told his Bulldogs that their playoff chances were probably done and the game with Chapin would, more than likely, be for pride and, for the seniors.
All Will Rice wants from his Camden Military Academy football team come late Saturday afternoon is for his players to play hard for all 48 minutes of that day's game with visiting Rabun Gap and then, let the chips fall where they may.
With all that has been written and/or said about Spring Valley and its prolific offense this season, you might have thought that Lugoff-Elgin head football coach Scott Jones would have a pile of "Please excuse from practice" letters on his desk.
What can speed do for you?
Led by a 20th place finish from senior Jordan Wood, the Camden High girls' cross country team finished fifth in last Wednesday's Region 4-AAA championship held at Historic Camden Revolutionary War Site.
BLYTHEWOOD -- Lugoff-Elgin had no answer on defense for a potent Blythewood offensive attack.
BLYTHEWOOD – It was as if Westwood stole the sheet music which Camden was playing off of in the first half, leaving the Bulldogs out of tune in the second 24 minutes of Friday's Region 4-AAA pairing at Richland District 2 Stadium.
COLUMBIA – There is no way, even in this day and age of new math, that three feet equals 101 yards.
Victories, even those which put an end to a 20-game losing skid, have all the shelf life of a one-time teen idol.
This is a high-wire act which the Flying Wallendas might not want to touch.
Recalling a telephone conversation he had with his good friend and Augustin Stable owner, George Strawbridge, several years ago, Austin Brown chuckled as he told ...
On a night which she did not need to be, Baleigh Lunsford was "Bail" ed out by freshman teammate Bailey Douglas.
Heart, meet throat, then, meet stomach.
Lynn Looney is not in the habit of randomly handing out game balls to member of her Camden High softball team. This case, however, was ...
Frustration had been Camden's constant offensive companion for the better part of nine innings in last Friday's AAA District I tournament opener with ...
It had happened so many times this season that when the Lugoff-Elgin softball team only managed one run in a bottom of the first inning ...
Having played in the winners' bracket game three times before, Lugoff-Elgin head softball coach James Marlow knew the importance of what was at stake on ...
There were times last spring when all Kevin Kahkola could see from his vantage point located near the finish line at the Camden Training Center ...
Billy Ammons is head to the hall of fame, again.
Talk about rising to the occasion.
Randy Stokes is the antithesis of a "me first" guy. So when the Lugoff-Elgin head baseball coach notched his 300th win in the Demons' dugout ...
Forty-pitch first innings are hardly harbingers for success but Camden and Devin Beckley were able to overcome a shaky start and held onto first place ...
There are a lot worse places where one can go to heal from surgery than on a beach in southern California.
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NEW YORK ( TheStreet) -- On Wednesday, after the markets close, the financial world will learn the latest earnings news on a company that's received little fanfare.Cohen & Steers (CNS - Get Report) may deserve a place on our "watch list" for a number of reasons. Since its inception in 1986 the New York City-based firm operates as an investment manager in the United States, Japan and elsewhere internationally. It has offices in London, Brussels, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Seattle and serves institutional and individual investors around the world
The parent CNS also manages alternative investment strategies such as hedged real estate securities portfolios and private real estate strategies for qualified investors. In addition, it provides distribution services for its funds and advisory consulting services to model-based strategies accounts. The company also manages its sponsored open-end and closed-end mutual funds, U.S. and non-U.S. pension plans, endowment funds, foundations, and sub-advised funds for other financial institutions. It has an impressive array of ways to make revenue flow and grow. Before looking at the analysts' projections for Wednesday's earnings and revenue numbers, take a look at one of the company's ETFs, the Cohen & Steers Global Realty Majors ETF (GRI), which recently hit a 52-week high and, as of March 30, yields 6.68%. GRI has an appealing three-year average annual return of nearly 14%. If dividends were reinvested at that return rate, $10,000 would turn into $20,000 in a little over five years!


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Judicial Restraint
Sol Wachtler's worthy sentiments on prison.
After the Madness: A Judge's Own Prison Memoir
By Sol Wachtler
Random House; 369 pages; $24
For the voyeur--especially the prissy, law-abiding voyeur such as me--few literary genres satisfy as much as the prison memoir. Some of this interest must undoubtedly be attributed to sweaty Chained Heat-style sex fantasies. But mostly the fascination stems from a kind of arm's-length sadism. What happens to someone stretched to the psychological limit? What happens when you go to hell?
As a consequence, I was really looking forward to Sol Wachtler's memoirs. If anyone could describe the sickening plunge from respectability to degradation (and if anyone could learn something from the experience), surely it would be Wachtler, who fell as far and fast as anyone can. In November 1992, he was New York state's chief judge and a rising star in the Republican party, famed for his monstrous ego, his political ambition, and his jousts with Gov. Mario Cuomo. Then he was arrested for stalking his former mistress, Joy Silverman, and charged with extortion, interstate racketeering, and blackmail, among other crimes. Wachtler had written her harassing letters in the guise of a fictional alter ego, and mailed a condom to her young daughter. The judge claimed mental incapacitation: Jilted by Silverman, he'd succumbed to a manic depression that was exacerbated by an addiction to prescription amphetamines. Wachtler pled guilty to sending threats through the mail. In September 1993--less than a year after he'd presided over New York's Court of Appeals--the 63-year-old first-time offender began serving an 11-month term in federal prison. Now he has published the story of his time inside, After the Madness: A Judge's Own Prison Memoir. It is quite an accomplishment: Wachtler has managed to write an uninteresting book about prison life.
T he best modern prison memoirs--The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Jack Henry Abbott's In the Belly of the Beast, Eldridge Cleaver's Soul on Ice, and Nien Cheng's Life and Death in Shanghai--are stories about an agony that yields redemption. Each book tells roughly the same tale: A corrupt society imprisons the narrator for a minor offense (marijuana possession in Cleaver's case, juvenile delinquency in Abbott's, capitalist roadism in Cheng's). The narrators defy the prison authorities. The authorities visit every horror upon the narrators--sexual assault, beatings, isolation, psychological torture--at which point the narrators harden. They find a code to live by--Islam for Malcolm, black power for Cleaver, a freaky Nietzscheanism for Abbott. They become awesome, terrifying,. What happens when you go to hell? You become stronger than the devil himself.
After the Madness, however, has little such passion; in that, it is true to its title. It's a memoir that carries almost no emotional punch. Wachtler is neither hero nor villain; he's not even a compelling character. His description of prison life overflows with cliché. The food is inedible, the noise is unbearable, the stench is unimaginable, the "bend and spread 'em" searches are unendurable. He supplies the requisite glut of cockroaches and the necessary quota of vicious guards. Wachtler spends pages and pages excusing his behavior--he was depressed, he was addicted, he never intended to harm anyone, etc.--but even here his tone is oddly flat. (To his credit, Wachtler does not ignore the rich ironies of his situation. After the Madness is sprinkled with his awkward encounters. On one occasion he meets a fellow con whose appeal he denied. On another, Wachtler, wearing his stained, tattered prison uniform, is paid a visit by Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun.)
P erhaps the blame for After the Madness belongs to the legal profession. It may be a problem of judicial restraint. Great prison writing is mimetic. It reads like going to prison feels--suffocating and alien and frightening. Consider this passage from In the Belly of the Beast, a farrago of paranoia and violence:
The first prisoner--a middle-aged convict--who tried to fuck me, I drew my knife on. I forced him to his knees, and with my knife at his throat, made him perform fellatio on my flaccid penis in front of three of his partners.
This is the way it is done. If you are a man, you must either kill or turn the tables on anyone who propositions you with threats of force.
Compare this vivid lunacy to a passage from After the Madness:
One would assume that now that my depression, manic behavior, and causal toxicity (caused by the drugs I was taking) have been evaluated and confirmed by the government's own medical experts here at Butner [prison], there would be some understanding by the public--not forgiveness, but some understanding. That will not happen. There will always be those who will refuse to accept the fact that a person can function in what appears to be a normal fashion in his or her job, and still suffer from a mental disorder.
After the Madness reads like going to court feels.