Cheri Duchrow of Neenah enjoys volunteering locally but also has found a way to reach out internationally.
Since 2003, Duchrow, 53, has sponsored five children through Compassion International, a Christian child advocacy ministry.
"I started out by thinking that this would be a good thing to sponsor a child, that that would be right," Duchrow said.
"These kids are saving me and have changed me to view what is really important in life," she said. "As much as we think we are sponsoring them and helping them, they are helping me see the world."
Duchrow said the experience has changed her life.
"The truth of it is this is my calling and this is God's purpose for me, and I can see that," she added.
She has had a couple of opportunities to visit two of her kids.
"Getting to meet them, getting to know this organization and the message they have, this has made the world a smaller place," said Duchrow, an IT project leader at Miron Construction.
"Living in the United States we do get desensitized," she said. "The stuff I have seen there has just broken my heart. When we don't see it, I think we forget. These (children) are my extended family members."
In addition to a monthly donation, sponsors can write a letter to the child, which means more to them than anything else, Duchrow said.
"You offer encouragement to them, let them know someone loves them," she said.
Duchrow enjoys how Compassion brings hope to the children and the community.
"You see all this poverty and devastation all around you and in the middle of it is a building that is a Compassion project and you open those doors and you see all the hope," she said. "In the middle of this poverty is this hope, this faith and joy that is indescribable."
Duchrow has become an advocate for Compassion, spreading the message about the ministry as well as the importance of volunteering.
Fellow employee Jill Kordus has learned a lot from Duchrow. She had heard of child sponsorship programs but never knew anyone who did it and even doubted the legitimacy of the organizations.
"I was surprised to learn how organized Compassion International is," she said, noting that a donation ensures "children who want a better life are given the chance."
Duchrow has inspired many in the office with her stories and pictures of her kids, Kordus said.
"She has changed the lives of not just the five children she is sponsoring but many more as she shares her experience and knowledge with those around her and inspires many more to become a sponsor," she said. "I admire that Cheri can see the need to help our neighbors so far away that others may forget."
Read more: http://www.postcrescent.com/article/20101208/APC0902/12080428/Sponsor-advocates-for-children-around-world#ixzz1881QTkHe
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