A spoke on the wheel

Anjali holding a book

Steve sponsors Anjali, 14, pictured above. Steve sums up the benefits of sponsorship: "I am playing a small part with sponsoring a child, and that brings a lot of joy to myself and my wife to make a difference in and enriching the life of someone else."

Steve has always had a passion for helping others. As a business consultant, he has helped thousands of people grow their businesses. And, as a Children International supporter, Steve has found great joy in providing life-changing support to children in poverty.

Steve's Children International journey began just a few years ago when he and his wife, Laura, began sponsoring then-12-year-old Anjali in India. Steve says he's always been inspired by children and doing what he can to help them.

"We all want the world to be a better place, and it's really up to the next generation of children to significantly impact the planet, learn from this generation and add their own unique talents and abilities to improve lives," Steve explains.

Before becoming a sponsor, Steve and Laura spent many hours researching the most impactful child development programs, and it was the support that Children International provides children in the key areas of health, education and employment that sealed the deal.

"We zeroed in on Children International and wanted to do what we can to be a spoke on the wheel of a flourishing organization," he says, "to ensure it can continue to do all its good work and making an impact on countless lives."

Even though Steve and Laura sponsor just one child, they make an effort to send as many extra gifts as they can so the family can buy food and other essential household items. They have even paid for private English lessons for Anjali and her two brothers.

Steve recalls a particular touching moment he experienced after sending extra money to the family. Instead of purchasing food, the family asked if they could give the money to their Children International community center to buy a shoe rack. "We were very touched," he says. "Here's this family with one sole provider who earns about $100 a month. And instead of keeping a gift of equal value, they pass it forward to help their community and the other kids."

It was this experience that inspired Steve to think bigger in terms of his philanthropic efforts. Like Anjali's family, Steve and Laura decided they, too, wanted to share the wealth with even more families. So, the couple chose to leave a legacy gift to Children International in their will.

Steve admits that creating a will can be daunting sometimes; people often don't want to think about it. But, he says, if you aren't prepared, "somebody else will make that decision for you. You might as well make it yourself. And it's worth thinking about leaving even a small amount of your wealth to a charity that is doing good work in causes you believe in.

"Including Children International was something we wanted to make a part of our legacy — to pass it forward, spread some light and joy and make sure we're putting that financial assistance into the hands of an organization that we feel really confident would use it for the best purposes."