I’m a little late with my monthly blog due to a number of excellent reasons, with procrastination at the top of the list.

In January, Children International’s Board of Directors visited our agencies in Barranquilla and Cartagena, Colombia. It’s always great to travel with our Board. They are so engaged with what we are doing…they ask about a million questions of the staff, the children, their parents and the volunteers. 

Over the years, trips like the one we just took have been absolutely essential for the Board members to understand what we do “on the ground” and why we do it. There is no substitute for seeing firsthand the conditions facing the children we sponsor. I remember the very first Board trip that took place in 1986. I was a member of the Board then and was not working at Children International. It changed my life.   

As the Board weighs decisions and provides its direction to the organization, having a clear understanding of field operations is invaluable. For that reason, I really appreciate the Board members taking the time away from their home and work to make what is really an investment in Children International’s work around the world.

On this recent trip a number of Board members were able to visit their sponsored children. I was able to visit mine as well, in both cities. That’s always a special time. Seeing the children and their parents always provides more incentive for me to send letters and photos to the children. 

And as is always the case after a visit to the field with the Board members, we returned with a long list of special cases and special projects the various members identified while in the field. This trip that included everything from food baskets to beds for sponsored children to a scholarship for a child hoping to become an accountant to a special chair for a child with cerebral palsy. 

One of the great things about these trips is for me to view the field activities through a different lens—in this case through the eyes of the committed members of the CI Board of Directors.

Shortly I'll be sharing with you a note I received from one of the Board members who traveled with me. I think you'll enjoy looking through his eyes.

Jim