Quarters for Kids: A Legacy of Compassion
It is with both joy and some sadness that we announce that Suze-drine Belizaire has graduated out of the Compassion International child sponsorship program.
For over 15 years she has been one of three children sponsored by Sonshine Productions. It is bittersweet saying goodbye to a young lady who came to us when she was just 6 years old and leaves us now as a fully grown college student. Through our partnership with Compassion International, we were able to provide Suze with material assistance, education, healthcare, and a Christian community.
We just recently received our final letter from Suze:
We wanted to be more than a theatre troupe.
Sonshine first began sponsoring children through Compassion International in the early 1980s. We started by sponsoring two children, and thus began our “Quarters for Kids” initiative. We decorated a tin coffee can and assigned a cast member to collect small change at the end of rehearsals to help pay for the sponsorship.
It was in 1994 when—while hearing a Compassion International plea from the stage of the Alive Festival—my wife suggested that we could expand to three children. We responded and even got a “shout out” from the stage when they realized this was our third sponsorship. Of course, as children have “aged out” of the program, we have simply taken on more children to replace them. My best guess is that we have sponsored about 15 different children over the years, from all over the world.
Suze lives in Haiti.
As a child, she enjoyed playing jacks, singing, and playing with dolls. She immediately stood out in the classroom. Her letters were full of her concern for getting good grades in school (which she always did). Periodic letters from her project told us that she was happy, healthy, and excelling. She was always interested in how our cast members were doing, and she loved hearing about how we celebrated holidays like Christmas and Easter in the states.
About a week ago I opened a file drawer at church and noticed the “Quarters for Kids” can. When I opened it, I was touched to see not only many quarters, but some small bills as well. We know that teens often don’t have a ton of extra spending money, so it’s a compelling act of generosity to see them give what they have. I hope this program has given our cast members a sense of perspective and some empathy toward those who are less fortunate. After doing a little math, my best guess is that Sonshine has helped raise over $44,000 for our sponsored children over the past 38 years.
So, I have some wonderful news...
In addition to Imanuel Sitepu from Indonesia and Daylan Morais da Silva from Brazil, we are now the sponsors of Isemaylove Elicien from Haiti! She goes by “Love” (isn’t that a wonderful name?) and is 5 years old. We are so blessed to now have her in our lives. I just sent our first letter to her today and we can’t wait to get to know her better! I know you will join us in praying for her future.
To the many of our alumni who have supported our “Quarters for Kids” initiative over the years, I just want to say, “Thank you!”
I am reminded of this beautiful passage from Matthew 25:
Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and we gave you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?” The King will reply, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”
May God give us hearts full of love and empathy, evermore kind, generous, and understanding.
Click HERE to learn more about Compassion International.
-Written by Mark Fox, President and Artistic Director of Sonshine Productions Corp.