The holiday season has a way of bringing out the best in us, especially when it comes to giving. People from all walks of life get involved to spread holiday cheer, from food drives and angel trees to delivering gifts at children’s hospitals or animal shelters. These efforts usually kick into high gear after Thanksgiving, especially on Giving Tuesday — a “global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world.”
Through the Venverloh Family Foundation, Jon Venverloh strives to make an impact for those in need worldwide, not only on Giving Tuesday, but year-round. Two organizations in particular, Compassion International and International Justice Mission, hold a special place in the Venverloh family’s heart.
Compassion International
Compassion International was founded in 1952, in South Korea during the Korean War. What started as a mission to minister to American troops quickly turned into an aid mission for Korean children, many of whom were orphaned and living on the streets.
Through monetary donations, Compassion began a sponsorship program, allowing donors to provide food, clothing, shelter and medical aid on a regular basis.
As the program grew, so did its reach. Today, Compassion works with local churches in 25 countries around the world, to release children from poverty through its sponsorship program. To date, Compassion has 1.9 million sponsored children and has over 8,000 international church partners.
International Justice Mission
Since 1994, International Justice Mission has partnered with local authorities in 14 countries to combat slavery, violence against women and children, and police abuse of power. After locating victims, IJM supports local police in rescue operations and works with local law enforcement to investigate, arrest and charge the criminals.
Their continuing work to strengthen justice systems and ensure police, judges and other officials are equipped to enforce laws helped more than 8,600 victims escape from violence and oppression in 2020.
This year, Giving Tuesday falls on November 30, and we hope you’ll join the Venverloh Family Foundation in donating to organizations that do good work around the globe, lifting up those in need. If you’re interested in giving back to Compassion or IJM this holiday season, visit their websites to learn how you can get involved.
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