As a monthly sponsor, you can help to change a child’s life forever! If you have interest in helping us with any of the areas mentioned here, you can contact us or send your donation to our office address and enclose a note designating it for RLA or one of its areas of need. If you would like to help involve others in seeing this ministry prosper, please inquire about our resource group, The RLA Patrons, by contacting the RLA Donor Relations & Communications office, via phone: (915) 757-3387, or by email: rla@ywamepj.org.
menu
Get Involved
Child Sponshorship:
A particularly enjoyable aspect of the Rancho Los Amigos (RLA) child sponsorship program is the personal connection that develops between the sponsor and child. You receive at least quarterly correspondence from or about your sponsored child or children. Additionally, a different thank you letter goes out each month after we receive a donation, telling a story and providing a current glimpse of what is happening in or through the home.
Sponsorships of $30 ($1 per day), $60, or $100 per month - or more - help provide for the child’s personal living and educational expenses. Children normally have more than one sponsor to help provide for their needs, as the monthly cost for each child is approximately $450 USD. If fully funded the sponsorship program would cover all expenses. Currently, sponsorships cover less than 45% of all expenses, so we also raise funds for education and general operating expenses.
Sponsorship is more than giving financial support it is about impacting a child who will then have the opportunity to grow up and contribute to their community in a positive way!
Education:
Making education a priorityat Rancho Los Amigos is central to the future success of our children. Our goal is to provide them with a quality education.
The RLA Operations Director shared some thoughts on the value of education.
“In many situations, the lack of a good education explains the existence of poverty, addictions, and family separation in our societies. In addition, the lack of knowledge of the Word of God results in many children living in violent homes or abandonment situations. Unfortunately, these settings risk converting the children into victims of ignorance and often perpetuators of the same vicious cycle they learn from their parents.
When we receive children into Rancho Los Amigos, we want to influence them in a way that can break these patterns. Our mission is to ‘provide a secure, loving home environment where they will receive food and shelter, a bilingual character-based education that teaches them to be principled in decision–making, and to equip them in critical life skills that will assist them to be productive citizens who make a positive contribution to their community.’
Jesus said, ‘And you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.’ (John 8:32).
We declare this promise over our children, knowing that their future will be different from that of their parents. After arriving at Rancho, we see changes in our children as they begin to live by the rules and learn to obey and respect others. When they go to school for the first time, we can see their fear of the unknown, but then observe them discover their potential and become excellent students.
Thank you for being a part of this ministry and helping us educate children in the way of the Lord while preparing them for life.”
The funds raised for education pay for registration, tuition, books, uniforms, supplies, activities, transportation, specialized help and for associated needs that arise. The annual education budget is approximately $60,000 for our 32 children. We invite you to partner with us as we make a difference in the lives of each child at RLA through their education.
Patrons:
The definition of a patron is a person who supports or champions an activity, cause, or institution. A RLA Patron is a backer, benefactor, contributor, friend, sponsor, and supporter who will champion RLA and its programs.
The primary focus for RLA Patrons is to represent the overall ministry of Rancho Los Amigos, in particular the capital fundraising campaign for the New Children’s Home. We encourage each patron to represent RLA and its programs among those with whom they already have established relationships. Here is what a current Patron shared about their participation.
“Seeing the children and planning for their future reaffirms a decision my husband and I made several years ago to invest ourselves and our finances with focus. There are so many wonderful organizations meeting the needs of the most vulnerable in our society, but we have chosen to focus in on just a few. YWAM and Rancho Los Amigos are at the top of that list. So often I’ve felt overwhelmed with the sheer size of human need I see around us. Because I felt powerless to affect change with the little I could do, I did nothing. I have come to know that God isn’t asking me to save the world; that’s His job and I can’t do it. He simply asks me to join Him in what I see Him doing in my little corner of the Earth. That’s it.
Your participation [with RLA], no matter how small, is combined with many others, and together we have the power to create a different reality for the 33 children who are finding love and hope for the first time in their lives.”
You may also look for and refer your friends to the RLA Cause at www.causes.com/rla.
New Children’s Home Project:
For over 15 years, Youth With A Mission El Paso-Juárez has desired to build a new children’s home for the ministry of Rancho Los Amigos a ministry of YWAM. At different times, various design concepts for the home were considered, but none came to fruition. Our heart is to provide a safe environment for many more children in Juárez, Mexico, but the adobe structure of the current home has started to break down beyond the point of repair and does not allow for further expansion.
We feel that God has shown us that now is the time to pursue the design and construction of a new home. Our goal is to have a home that provides a safer, drier, and better atmosphere for the current children, and gives us opportunity to increase the number of children we receive into the home.
In September 2008, a design team of professional architects and engineers from Engineering Ministries International, a ministry in Colorado Springs, Colorado, came and began the design process. We are continuing to work with EMI and a local Mexican architectural firm to complete the design. The new structure will allow us to double in size.
Fundraising efforts are underway and if you would like more information please contact the RLA Donor Relations & Communications office, via phone: (915) 757-3387, or by email: rla@ywamepj.org.
Ongoing Needs:
There is a Needs List available if you would like to select useful items for the home. Please contact the RLA Donor Relations & Communications office, via phone: (915) 757-3387, or by email: rla@ywamepj.org. If you wish to contribute financially towards the purchase of any items on this list, you may send your donation with a note specifying the needs you would like to satisfy. If you want to know more specific needs or children’s clothing sizes, please contact the RLA Donor Relations & Communications office, via phone: (915) 757-3387, or by email: rla@ywamepj.org. Thank you for your concern for the children!
HOW TO GIVE
If you have interest in helping uswith any of the areas mentioned above, you can contact us or send your donation to our office address and enclose a note designating it for RLA or one of the specific areas of need. If you would like to help involve others in seeing this ministry prosper, please inquire about our resource group, The RLA Patrons, by contacting the RLA Donor Relations & Communications office, via phone: (915) 757-3387, or by email: rla@ywamepj.org.
We appreciate your commitment as we care for the children at RLA. With your help we are able to feed, shelter, teach, train, and disciple them into becoming productive citizens and world changers.