In November of 2019, we announced the launch of our new Ambassadors for Kids at TRS program. Since our last update in March, our team of ambassadors has grown to twelve, and we are thrilled to see the way God is working through them to provide sponsors for our children. Today, we are excited to introduce you to our two newest ambassadors that said, “Here I am, send me.”
Meet Val Voll
Val and her husband, Todd, live in Phoenix, Arizona. They have one son, Ty, and a fur baby named Nellie. Val works in sales for Medix, a medical recruiting company. Several years ago, Val connected Medix to The Raining Season, and they became a partner with a specific passion for supporting and mentoring our kids in the Roots program.
Val is especially passionate about supporting and furthering the evolution of The Roots Project. Val, along with Medix, believes that children are the key to our future. She wants to build upon the idea that corporations and professionals can positively impact the lives of The Roots kids and help guide them down the path to becoming a confident and successful adults.
Val was introduced to The Raining Season through her identical twin sister, Melissa Spillman. She supported TRS through monthly sponsorship and special passion projects for many years, before finally traveling for the first time in July of 2017. Val and her husband Todd traveled with team leaders Melissa Spillman and Sheri Barnett, along with several of her Medix coworkers.
A longtime sponsor at The Raining Season, Val and her family currently sponsor Kaday, Lawrence, and Alimamy. Val shared this about becoming an Ambassador for Kids at TRS, “I felt in my heart that I was losing my connection to the organization and to the wonderful kids that I sponsor. Acting as an ambassador has pushed me to become directly involved in fundraising and also spreading awareness about TRS and the children who need our love and support. I am especially passionate about The Roots kids, and I am intent on supporting the evolution of that program. I am grateful to hold an Ambassador position as I desire to strengthen my connection with TRS and to use my voice to grow our network of support for the organization. TRS has enriched my life greatly, and I hope to spread the love and joy that these kids have given me.”
Meet Casey Schendt
Casey is a full-time student living in Omaha, Nebraska. She is in her third year of Pharmacy School and will graduate with a PharmD doctorate in 2022. Casey enjoys spending time outdoors at the lake or with her family, and she loves traveling, especially to Sierra Leone! While Casey is not a member of our partner Trinity Lutheran in Papillion, Nebraska, it did serve as her connection to The Raining Season. Casey shared that in 2017 she created a Facebook post about a desire God had placed on her heart to go on a mission trip. A former neighbor reached out to Casey and told her about how her church partners with TRS and a team was traveling in a few months.
Based on that connection, Casey traveled for the first time in 2017 and has been involved ever since! Casey traveled a second time in 2018. Casey began sponsoring immediately after signing up for her first trip. She has sponsored the same little girl since she was a baby. Casey shared what a joy it has been to watch her grow up over the years and spending so much time with her when she traveled. Casey shared why sponsorship and being an ambassador is important to her, “My experience with TRS was nothing less than amazing. I traveled once and knew it was an organization I wanted to be involved with for the rest of my life. When you hear their mission and see what they’re doing in-country, it’s nearly impossible to not want to get involved with them and the sweet kiddos. I was 19 when I first traveled, so I wanted to be able to reach a younger generation of people my age and share my experience so they could feel empowered just like I did.”
THANK YOU to our incredible ambassadors. We are thankful for your willingness and excitement to serve The Raining Season. Because of your dedication to the Ambassadors for Kids at TRS program and the new sponsors that are willing to commit to supporting our kids each month, we will be able to continue providing an outstanding staff to love, disciple, and care for our kids.
Sponsorship is an essential part of The Raining Season. Without sponsors that are willing to commit to supporting our kids each month, our kids would not have an outstanding staff to love, disciple, and care for them. Without sponsors, our kids would not have access to medication, food, and clean water. Without sponsors, our kids would not have access to quality education. As an organization, our goal is to be fully funded through sponsorship. Fully funded includes meeting the needs that fall within the five pillars of our organization’s philosophy; safety, education, medical, spiritual, and nutrition.
Are you interested in becoming an Ambassador for Kids at TRS? If you want to partner with us in this program, please reach out directly to our Executive Director, Lori Pyle, at lori.pyle@therainingseason.org
Many blessings,
The Raining Season