What is U.S. Programs?

U.S. Programs exists to build sustainable transformation in under-resourced communities throughout the United States. Our goal is to help children and youth who are the most impacted by poverty, and assist them in transforming their lives by developing new skills and connecting with appropriate services, resources, and opportunities that can equip and empower them for a brighter future.

Who does U.S. Programs serve?

Our vision is to give every child the chance to thrive and experience life in all its fullness. World Vision’s work in the United States is designed to tackle the causes of poverty by equipping and empowering distressed youth and their families to access the resources and knowledge they need to transform their lives. We accomplish this work through existing community partners schools, churches, and other community-based organizations providing them with the training and resources they need to serve those how struggle in their own communities. By partnering with local, core organizations, the impact of our work is long-term and sustainable.

What services does U.S. Programs offer?

Education and Youth Development programs provide academic tutoring, mentoring, life-skills training, spiritual support, training in advocacy, and other assistance to youth in impoverished communities. Through our Youth Empower Summit in Washington, D.C., dozens of young people from across the nation are equipped and empowered to speak out on behalf of the needs and concerns of their communities.

World Vision solicits corporate and manufacturer donations of new products and materials that help Americans in need, including school supplies, clothing, household goods, and building materials that can be used to create and renovate affordable housing and community resources. These goods are distributed through 10 World Vision sites nationwide to partner agencies such as schools, churches, and other community-based organizations.

Through our Training and Capacity Building programs, World Vision offers valuable guidance and coaching to the leaders of faith-based and community organizations that partner with us to bring relief and hope to families in need. This training helps these organizations find effective solutions for their communities’ challenges.

World Vision’s Domestic Disaster Response program prepares for and responds to disasters within the United States by mobilizing pre-positioned resources, providing training, and supporting our network of churches and strategic partners.

Where does U.S. Programs serve?

Through partnerships in 11 major urban and rural communities across the United States, including Appalachia (West Virginia), Chicago, New York, North Texas, Seattle and Tacoma, Southern California, Southwest Georgia, the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, and Washington, D.C.

What did U.S. Programs accomplish in 2008?

In fiscal year 2008 (October 2007 through September 2008),World Vision provided more than $61.5 million worth of goods through the World Vision Storehouse to benefit more than 2.2 million people, including over 24,200 teachers who put school supplies into the hands of more than 437,000 young learners.

How many people live in poverty in the United States?

Right here in the United States, 36.5 million people live in poverty more than the total population of Canada. Of these, 13 million are children, caught in circumstances that severely limit growth, choice, and opportunity. Often unassisted and unprotected, children in need fall prey to delinquency, exploitation, violent behavior, gangs, criminal activity, and sexual abuse. Cycles and patterns of poverty become more difficult to break with each generation.

How can I join in U.S. Programs’ work?

Volunteer to help package and/or distribute donated product at the warehouse or a community location near you. Help is needed to stock shelves, unpack donated items, and sort school supplies. This outreach experience can be tailored for individuals or groups. Churches, families, friends, and co-workers all are invited to make this a memorable activity that gives back to your community.

Tutor in reading, writing, math, and science—and at the same time mentor children who are struggling in school. KidREACH is a trained volunteer force of those who are passionate about helping children succeed. These local heroes donate their time to nurture and tutor precious children, or to help contribute to a tutoring site’s caring environment by fulfilling administrative functions, providing transportation, or preparing snacks and meals.

Donate your company’s excess inventory. Many of World Vision’s other programs that serve families in need operate using new, top-quality donated product. If you are a manufacturer or a corporation with excess inventory, you may be eligible to receive a tax deduction for product donated to World Vision.

Join us in seeking justice for the disenfranchised by advocating for change in communities in the United States and around the world. Visit our advocacy Web site at www.worldvision.org/seekjustice to learn how you can use the power of your voice and pen to communicate issues with leaders who can make a difference.

Partner with us by praying for:

• The children, families, and communities we serve
• World Vision’s partner churches, donors, and other nonprofit agencies working to empower communities in need of more hopeful futures
• Our staff and leadership as we work on the front lines of equipping children and families in need

Make a lasting impact in the lives of children in impoverished communities across the United States by partnering with us to fund our work:

• Walk with us as a Friend who understands the need by donating between
• $500 and $1,000 to World Vision’s work in the U.S.
• Be an Ambassador of Hope by giving between $1,000 and $2,500 to tackle the causes of poverty and injustice in the U.S.
• Be an Investor in communities in need in our own backyard by contributing $2,500 to $5,000 to support our work in vulnerable neighborhoods.
• Are you a Community Builder who can commit between $5,000 and $10,000 to bring relief into the lives of children who need help, supporting programs that bring justice into their environments?
• Or, are you a Visionary who can donate more than $10,000 to lay the groundwork for a brighter future for the child born into poverty every 40 seconds in the U.S?

For more information on these opportunities, contact:

World Vision – U.S. Programs

34834 Weyerhaeuser Way S.

P.O. Box 9716

Federal Way, WA 98063-9716

Telephone 1.888.994.9994

E-mail: usprograms@worldvision.org