Every day, in communities around the world our sponsor site staff meet families. Some they know well, some are new faces. What unites them are the daunting challenges of poverty – perhaps it’s food insecurity, health crises, or unemployment. Each family and story is unique, and each challenge is formidable.
Our site staff meet each family with an open heart and mind. Through one-on-one meetings and home visits, they consider new children for Chalice sponsorship.
One of the best parts of their jobs is the moment they get to tell a new family that their child is going to be enrolled for sponsorship. For their parents and guardians, it’s a light at the end of a long tunnel – a light of hope and possibilities for their son or daughter. Children eagerly await their new ‘godparent’, a friend who promises to guide them through school.
Waiting is never easy, but most families can safely ‘get by’ until a kind soul becomes their child’s sponsor. But there are some children and families who cannot. When site staff meet these families, they can tell that they need more urgent support. Chalice has come to know these exceptional children as our “Can’t Wait Kids.”
Staff bring “Can’t Wait Kids” into the sponsor site family as soon as they are enrolled, not waiting until they’re sponsored. Embraced by their Chalice family circle, the children can begin or resume school, and their parents can start laying the foundation of a secure and resilient future. The enrolled child gets the same support as their sponsored friends, until they meet their permanent sponsor.
Every contribution to our “Can’t Wait Kids” program helps our staff provide immediate support to families in crisis. Unlike our usual one-to-one relationship, supporting this program helps any child and family who needs critical help between enrollment and sponsorship.
Your support means we can act quickly and make a real difference. Join us in making an impact today at chalice.ca/cant-wait-kids/.