Orphan World Relief | Non-Profits of Columbus, Ohio
One orphan is one orphan too many…
What We Do
At Orphan World Relief, we build strong partnerships with churches, businesses, other nonprofit organizations, and people just like you to help:
- Children in Crisis including those living as orphans and refugees Learn More
- Kids entering foster care for the first time through our My Comfy Kits program Learn More
- Older children in our program Foster to Adult that provides support for kids aging out of the foster care system Learn More
- Families as they deal the stress and trauma with foster care and adoption through Children First Family Services Learn More
Together we can make a difference
Our Story
Orphan World Relief was founded in 2008 after President, Doug Riggle, experienced first-hand the needs of homeless and orphaned children in Ukraine. Upon returning to the states, further research shed light on the global crisis and the millions of orphaned and at-risk children around the world.
What started as an organization designed to help well-run programs in other countries financially has since blossomed into an organization that understands the needs of children in the U.S and around the globe while helping educate people on the needs these kids are dealing with everyday. #hopechangeseverything
Orphan World Relief | Columbus, Ohio Charities
Our Programs
By inspiring and connecting passionate people like you, we’re making a impact by working to meet the real needs of kids around the world. We do this through a variety of programs locally and abroad. With your help, together we can make a difference.
CFFS
My Comfy Kits
Entering foster care is a scary experience for children regardless of their age. We provide backpacks filled with age-appropriate items to help ease the pain of transition.
Foster to Adult
Through no fault of their own, every year more than 20,000 young men and women turn 18 and age out of the foster care system. At Orphan World Relief we’re working to create a holistic program to help these young men and women have a better chance for success in life.
Children in Crisis
In addition to providing financial support, we work with international programs supporting orphans and refugees to help them with the basic needs of good food, a safe place to live and an education.
Foster Care Columbus, Ohio | Adoption Columbus, Ohio
Children First Family Services (CFFS)
CFFS provides foster and adoption support services by strengthening children’s connections to family and community resources.
Current Services…
- Post adoption support
Future services…
- Support groups
- Training
- Pregnancy counseling for expectant parents
- Home study services
- Match meetings
- Post-placement visits/reports
Meet the team from Children First Family Services
Elizabeth | MSW & LSW
As the Director of Clinical Services, Elizabeth provides oversight for the administrative and clinical aspects of CFFS. Elizabeth is an adoptive mother of two and has worked in child welfare since 1997. She enjoys working alongside all members of the adoption triad to set the stage for a lifetime of growth and healing.
Mary Jo | MA
As the Director of Foster Support Services, Mary Jo provides training and administrative oversight for foster care support services. Mary Jo is a licensed foster parent and mother of five children. She is a strong advocate for children and families impacted by foster care and adoption.
Christine | LSW
As the Director of Adoption Services, Christine provides oversight and supervision for services provided to adoptive families. She has three children, one step-child, and three step-grandchildren. Christine correlates training with longterm success of families that are formed through foster care and adoption.
How to Help Kids in Foster Care
My Comfy Kits
Help us provide backpacks for kids entering foster care.
There are approximately 415,000 children in the foster system across the United States on any given day. More than 12,500 of those children are in Ohio.
Entering foster care is a scary experience for children regardless of their age.
We provide foster and adoption support services by strengthening children’s connections to family and community resources.
Orphan World Relief sees this as an opportunity to provide comfort, dignity and love to these kids. With your support, we provide backpacks – My Comfy Kits – filled with age-appropriate items to help ease the pain of transition.
- In 2016 we supplied 133 kits to kids
- In 2017 we supplied 580 kits to kids
- In 2018 we supplied 803 kits to kids
- In 2019 we supplied 1080 kits to kids
- In 2020 we supplied 346 kits to kids
How Can You Get Involved
- Pray – for the children receiving these Comfy Kits that they may feel loved and cared for.
- Advocate – tell your friends, family and other organizations about the mission of My Comfy Kits and host a donation drive for needed items, or volunteer to help stuff Comfy Kits.
- Give – drop off needed items (see our list below) or make a financial donation.
If you have any questions or want to get involved, please contact Jonica Graves, the My Comfy Kits Program Director, at joni@orphanworldrelief.org.
My Comfy Kits Near You!
My Comfy Kits currently operates in three areas. For more information, contact the program volunteer nearest to you:
Fayette County, Ohio – Melinda Underwood
Franklin County, Ohio – Jonica Graves
(also Program Manager for the My Comfy Kits Program in the United States)
Stark County, Ohio – Amy Reveal
Aging Out of Foster Care
Foster to Adult
Through no fault of their own, every year more than 20,000 young men and women turn 18 and age out of the foster care system.
Their prospects for a good life are slim. Look at some of the statistics:
- Less than half were employed at age 23
- More than two-thirds of the young women have children.
- Nearly 60 percent of the males have been convicted of a crime.
- Almost a quarter were homeless at some point after leaving foster care.
Our Response
At Orphan World Relief we’re working to create a holistic program to help these young men and women have a better chance for success in life including:
- Career Support – with career counselors, help former foster kids learn how to apply for jobs, write resumes, keep a job and learn to grown into a career. We’re partnering with local businesses willing to take a chance on hiring them while also creating opportunities – our hope is to open a coffee shop staffed by young men and women from the foster care system.
- Life Skills – to help them succeed as adults, life skills, including: budgeting, banking, shopping, cooking…etc. are essential for a successful life as an adult.
- Family Mentoring – by partnering with families in local churches, we hope to find some special families to help teach these young men and women what a family is supposed to be – while not perfect – will help them stop the cycle that put them into the system.
To learn more about the program’s progress, contact Mary Jo, Director of Foster Support Services
Helping Children Around the Globe
Children in Crisis
The majority of our effort is dedicated to providing financial support to orphans and at-risk children around the globe. Our current reach allows us to help children from five different countries and three continents.
Casa Hogar Vida | Honduras
The Harbor | Russia
The Harbor helps orphaned teens build character and become contributing members of society. Its two-year program provides housing and trains orphans in the core areas of education, vocational training, and basic life skills while providing counseling and spiritual formation.
Asha Kiran Home | India
Northern India is a largely forgotten land. There are over 11 million abandoned babies; 90% of those abandoned are little girls. A young couple native to the area have taken in these children to care for as their own.
Montaña de Luz | Honduras
When it was initially founded, Montaña de Luz focused on hospice care for dying children. Today they provide a home to orphans infected with HIV/AIDS.
Jeremiah's Hope | Ukraine
Ukrainian orphans face many obstacles, including rejection, abandonment and abuse. Jeremiah’s Hope has a great mission – to share God’s hope and provide practical help with orphans and at-risk youth in Ukraine. It invests in each orphans spiritual, emotional and physical needs, while guiding them to become productive citizens in their home country.
Children's Nutrition Center | Honduras
At-risk children in Honduras receive much more than simple nutritional food. At the Children’s Nutrition Center, families are taught about the importance of food for their children’s health. Children in the community receive food and emergency services for the severely malnourished. And for that extra leg up in life, children have the opportunity to receive supplemental education in computer skills, English and life skills.
Relief Efforts | Greece
Off the coast of Turkey sits the Greek Island of Lesvos (Lesbos). It’s currently home to over 17,000 refugees, half of which are children, seeking asylum and hope.
We have an opportunity to meet the needs of these people where they are and share God’s love through Refugee Network, a partnership with Orphan World Relief.
Featured Partners
Orphan World Relief
Make their needs your inspiration to make a difference…