Every year, Compassions International Club sponsors a child in poverty somewhere in the world. This is their third year as a club, and this year they are helping a 5 year old boy from Burkina Faso named Herman.

Corina Ghita, Salem junior, said, “You know that you’re doing something good and helping another child. Even if he’s not directly here, you know you’re having an impact on him and his family as well.”

They find a child to sponsor by using the Compassion website and picking the kid they think needs it most. Throughout the year the club holds bottle drives, and during meetings they think of ways to fund raise. They also participate in activities at the Park, like Relay for Life, to raise money.

“My friends and I decided to help out the club more, and we wanted the club to grow bigger and have more people be a part of this goal of helping one child at a time come out of poverty, and it’s just fun being with your friends and knowing your time is valuable to someone else,” said Andrew Kim, Canton senior.

The money that they raise goes toward providing the child and their family with clean water, food, connection to internet and toward helping the child all the way through adulthood.

“What I found was a group of people, who genuinely cared for the lives of others, selflessly devoting their own time and energy to helping those less fortunate,” said Nish Patel, Canton junior. “My favorite part of this club is the idea: this amazing yet simple concept of making the world better, one child at a time. Although it seems inefficient and insignificant, our minuscule effort to raise money for a child in need means the world to him or her. This is the part that really got to me. We can quantify how much we raised in terms of dollars, but the impact it has on that child is immeasurable. I found myself in love with this idea, coming back for every meeting and every fundraiser. I feel like the club has helped me grow both as an individual and as a positive figure in society.”