For 35 years, LCW has been sharing love, giving help, bringing hope, and changing lives through sponsorship. It is incredible to reflect on the years and the lives that have been changed because people like you gave. We are so grateful for the past 35 years!

The sponsorship program began in 1987 with just a few children receiving rice assistance for $30 a month along with the other HELP programs. Word began to spread all over the world and people from the USA, Canada, Europe, and Asia began sponsoring children and giving to LCW.

By 1990, just 3 years since the inception of LCW, the sponsorship program had grown to 55 children. By 1995, the sponsored children more than doubled to 138, and by 1999, there were 238 sponsored children! This incredible growth continued thanks to the work of the founders, Drs. Doug & Bettie Elwood, Dean & Peggy Houk, and Luther Carroll along with faithful volunteers. Individuals and churches from all over the world answered the call for sponsorship.

In 2001, Glenna Waller and Lee Betts began the College program for sponsored children to be able to receive a college education, and by 2002, LCW was celebrating its 15th anniversary. By 2005 sponsorship numbers had reached 500 and the first college graduates were coming through the program. The Little Children of the Philippines communities were growing, and more people were given a chance for a better future with the help of generous sponsors and donors!

Throughout the 2010s, programs continued to grow steadily, and sponsorships reached 700 and the college program saw over 200 graduates. Now, at 35 years of service, LCW has over 850 sponsored children with sponsors from 37 US states and 13 countries on 5 continents! All-time, over 3,800 children have been sponsored. We can boast 350 college graduates, 97% of whom are working and the other 3% have chosen to become full-time parents.

LCW has always been committed to a holistic mission to reach needs of the whole person—physical, spiritual, and educational. We opted to change the name of this newsletter from SS Sponsorship, which originated from the founders playing off the naming of ships (sponsor–ship), to Hand in Hand to celebrate 35 years of sponsorship and to capture the helping hand relationship that sponsorship represents. Thank you for a wonderful 35 years, and here’s to 35 more years of changing lives! You have made a difference far beyond anything we could quantify in this newsletter. Thank you!