A flight attendant from Oceanside, Calif., has found a way to be an advocate for children awaiting sponsorship around the world from right here in the United States.

February 2008

By James Addis, World Vision Advocacy & Communications

Flight attendant Vicki Casper often longed to be a missionary, but with three children and a demanding job, it seemed impossible she would ever fulfill her dream.

Then, she read about the chance to become a Child Ambassador in World Vision Magazine. Immediately, she knew it was exactly what she wanted to do — demonstrate God's love and compassion for children in need through actions of her own.

'The perfect fit'

Vicki, of Oceanside, Calif., has sponsored children with World Vision for more than 25 years. Becoming a Child Ambassador means she can introduce others to Child Sponsorship so they can enjoy the same privilege of helping a child in need.

"It was the perfect fit," she says. "I could connect with the world and help hurting people in the world. I could be a missionary working here in the United States for these people."

Vicki carries picture folders of children awaiting sponsors everywhere she goes, as well as letters from her own sponsored children to illustrate the impact of sponsorship on children's lives.

Spreading the word

When she gets to work, she talks to fellow flight attendants, pilots, and anybody else who will listen about the joys of sponsorship.

"Maybe I am a little pushy," says Vicki, "but I will just go up to somebody and will say, 'Do you mind me asking if you are interested in sponsoring a needy child in a poor country?'

"Most people don't say 'no' and will listen even if they are not going to. It may not be the right time for them then, but they may do it later."

Vicki even sets up a sponsorship stall outside her local Trader Joe's grocery store, and she and her children invite shoppers to also consider sponsoring.

'They all deserve a chance'

She says she sometimes encounters the odd skeptic who claims the money does not reach children — but she is always well armed with statistics from World Vision's Annual Review to counter them. The 2007 review notes 86 percent of World Vision's income is expended in the field; only 14 percent is spent on administration.

Vicki says it also helps that she is an avid watcher of international news shows. She says she often can spark interest in the plight of children in the developing world by relating it to something people may have seen on television.

Vicki became a Child Ambassador in July 2005, and so far, her efforts have seen about 260 children sponsored. She has no plans to stop.

"There are so many children waiting to be sponsored, and they all deserve a chance," she says. "How can somebody look at these children and not want to help them?"