HSLDA Compassion (formerly the Home School Foundation) is a nationwide organization whose mission is to bless homeschool families during a time of crisis and to further the cause of home education. Compassion is the charitable arm of the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) and was founded in 1994 as a non-profit 501(c)(3). These two organizations are very closely tied in their mission to help and support the homeschool community. Compassion offers assistance to homeschooling families with specific needs… widows, single parents, special needs, military families, curriculum relief, disaster relief, and more.
As you think about ways that you and your family can reach out to others this year, please consider one or more of these requests that will directly support the mission of the HSF and benefit another homeschooling family in Indiana:
GIVE your TIME – “. . . a faithful ambassador brings healing.” Proverbs 13:17b (Amplified)
- Pray for the work of the Compassion and that the Lord will bring together homeschooling families in a significant way so that no substantial need or situation of crisis goes unaddressed.
- Consider serving as a Community Ambassador in your homeschool support group or community. Many families are not even aware of the resources that HSLDA Compassion has to offer. If you are part of a homeschool support group, please consider serving as the contact who will regularly coordinate prayer and identify needs within your group of families. Community Ambassadors assist with service projects to help families and will share substantial needs with their state ambassador for consideration from the Indiana state fund. They also direct families to the application process when appropriate to apply for help through one of several Compassion funding sources.
- Organize a fundraiser for a homeschooling family in need. With our support, Community Ambassadors in our state are encouraged to recruit event-specific Service Ambassadors who will work with them to organize at least one fundraising event a year to help replenish HSF funds earmarked to help families in Indiana who continue to homeschool during hard times. Be creative! There are many different ways to raise funds on behalf of the HSF that your homeschool support group families can rally around as an annual service project.
GIVE your TALENT – “. . . you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.” Isaiah 58:12b (NIV)
- Offer specific service or trade skills to a homeschooling family in need. When a crisis or disaster hits, homeschooling families often find it difficult to continue funding their homeschooling efforts because of sudden and uncontrollable expenses. Sometimes having extra hands come in and help with home repairs, painting, yard clean-up, plumbing needs, moving services, child care, or even professional services can be a huge help to the family. What talents or skills do you have that you are able to offer to a homeschooling family in need in your area? Just being willing and available is a huge blessing! As we are building a base of Community Ambassadors in Indiana, please contact me directly about your specific skills offerings so I can put you in touch with the right contact.
GIVE your RESOURCES – “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: To look after orphans and widows in their distress . . .” James 1:27a (NIV)
- Consider making a cash donation. Just as important as praying for opportunities and helping families through a time of crisis is funding the work of Compassion. HSLDA Compassion maintains several different funds including contributions that go to organizations that support home education in various ways. It is truly a “one-stop-shop” for putting your money to work in a variety of ways that have eternal consequences and express timely compassion to those within the homeschool community. Furthermore, if you donate to Compassion and write “Indiana” on the memo line of your check, those funds will be specifically earmarked to help an Indiana homeschooling family in need.
Or, you may process your donation online (www.homeschoolfoundation.org > Give Help >Give) selecting “Ambassador” for the fund and “Indiana” for the state at this link: On-line donation. All donations are fully tax deductible. Donations are fully tax deductible.
- Give an HSLDA membership scholarship to another family. Even though the best support system includes membership in a local support group, involvement in the state-wide work of IAHE (Indiana Association of Home Educators), and a national support organization like HSLDA (Home School Legal Defense Association), many times families cannot afford to do all three. For this reason, Compassion offers the Members Helping Members Fund so that families in need can apply for a partial or full scholarship towards the annual membership fee.
Thank you for making it a priority to homeschool your children and for considering ways that you can encourage others in your community to stay the course even during a difficult season in their life.
Please contact me for more information about any of these items or to express your interest in serving as a Community Ambassador for Compassion in your area. Together, we have the opportunity to connect with struggling homeschooling families who may not otherwise ever be helped.
Sincerely,
Kristina Perry
Indiana State Ambassador