Unbound, formerly the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging, is a
nonprofit
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
sponsorship organization headquartered in
Kansas City, Kansas
Kansas City, abbreviated as "KCK", is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas, and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As of ...
. Unbound was founded by lay
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
workers acting on the Gospel call to serve the poor. Its sponsorship program provides basic necessities such as food, education, clothing and access to medical care to children and elderly in some of the world's poorest communities. Unbound sponsors support more than 280,000 children, youth and aging persons in 19 countries.
History
The Christian Foundation for Children and Aging was founded on November 20, 1981, by siblings Bob Hentzen, Bud Hentzen, Jim Hentzen, Nadine Pearce and their friend Jerry Tolle. The siblings wanted to start a nonprofit to honor their late parents. Bob and Jerry were both missionaries who had witnessed firsthand the effects of poverty in developing countries, so they formed a sponsorship organization based on
Catholic social teaching
Catholic social teaching, commonly abbreviated CST, is an area of Catholic doctrine concerning matters of human dignity and the common good in society. The ideas address oppression, the role of the state (polity), state, subsidiarity, social o ...
.
The first headquarters was in Hentzen's basement in
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...
.
More than 800,000 children, youth and aging persons and their families have been served through the sponsorship program. There are more than 280,000 sponsored children and aging persons. The committed partners with the organization have included groups with no Catholic affiliation.
On January 1, 2014, the name of the organization was changed. To explain the planned name change, Hentzen said in 2013, "We walk side-by-side with people who dream of freeing themselves from poverty, as they strive to achieve self-sufficiency and build strong communities. Our new name sums up our work." The current president and CEO, Scott Wasserman, said that rather than a bunch of initials, what "Bob wanted was a single word capturing the essence of Catholic social teaching and empowering the poor."
Hentzen died in October 2013 at the age of 77, and the ''
National Catholic Reporter
The ''National Catholic Reporter'' (''NCR'') is a progressive national newspaper in the United States that reports on issues related to the Catholic Church. Based in Kansas City, Missouri, ''NCR'' was founded by Robert Hoyt in 1964. Hoyt want ...
'' eulogized his work.
Programs
Sponsorship program
Unbound uses a sponsorship model of direct support. Its Hope for a Family sponsorship program aims to help families living in extreme poverty by connecting them with sponsors in the U.S. Sponsorship requires a $40 monthly commitment to help fund basic necessities and, in many instances, livelihood programs to help families become self-sustaining.
Sponsors have the opportunity to offer encouragement and support for their sponsored friends through the exchange of letters and photos. They also may choose to travel on Unbound awareness trips to meet their sponsored friends, learn about their lives and see how contributions are used.
Benefits and services provided through sponsorship are personalized according to the needs of the family and may include: food, school uniforms, school supplies, tuition or other school fees, clothing, housing repairs, medical and dental care, livelihood initiatives, literacy training for adults, Christmas and birthday celebrations and social outings and assistance for the elderly.
Scholarship program
The Unbound Scholarship Program provides educational scholarships to students pursuing secondary, post-secondary and vocational school. Scholarships are used for tuition, transportation, school supplies and books. Recipients are selected by projects based on economic need, commitment to completing their education, demonstrated leadership potential and interest in community service. Recipients perform service projects as a requirement of the program.
Scholarships are intended as supplemental assistance, and families contribute what they can toward the student's education.
Financials and ratings
More than 92% of Unbound's expenses go toward program support. In 2020, 3.4% of expenses were for administration and fundraising accounted for 4% of total expenses.
Charity Navigator
Charity Navigator is a charity assessment organization that evaluates hundreds of thousands of charitable organizations based in the United States, operating as a free 501(c)(3) organization. It provides insights into a nonprofit’s financial s ...
gives Unbound a 4-star rating based on program expenses, administrative expenses, fundraising expenses and operating efficiency.
The
American Institute of Philanthropy
CharityWatch, formerly known as the American Institute of Philanthropy (AIP), is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in Chicago, created in the United States by Daniel Borochoff in 1992, to provide information about charities' financial efficiency ...
gives Unbound an A+ rating in its Charity Rating Guide. It is the only child sponsorship organization to hold this rating from the institute.
Unbound meets all 20 standards established by the
Better Business Bureau
Better Business Bureau (BBB) is a private, 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization founded in 1912. BBB's self-described mission is to focus on advancing marketplace trust, consisting of 97 independently incorporated local BBB organizations in the Unit ...
Wise Giving Alliance.
BBB Wise Giving Report for Christian Foundation for Children and Aging
Issued March 2011. Expires March 2013.
Countries served
Unbound currently works with children and elders in 19 countries around the world.
References
External links
Unbound
Unbound Blog
{{Authority control
Charities based in Kansas
Children's charities based in the United States
Catholic social teaching
Catholic charities
Development charities based in the United States
Christianity in Kansas
Non-profit organizations based in Kansas City, Kansas
International charities
Christian organizations established in the 20th century
Christian charities based in the United States