Compassion International equips you in the fight against poverty

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., July 21, 2007 –Compassion International is devoting the next year to showing how “You Can” make a difference in the fight against poverty, and is anchoring much of the effort on a newly designed web presence.

Three billion people around the world live on less than two dollars a day, according to the United Nations. Although the statistics seem overwhelming, Compassion champions a unique approach to fighting poverty on behalf of children that shows that you can actually make a difference – one person at a time.

Compassion, a Christian organization that works with more than 800,000 children in 24 developing countries, launched its You Can campaign July 2.

"We realize that many people look at the issue of global poverty and become overwhelmed, but Compassion's message has always been that the most strategic and effective way to attack poverty is by releasing one child from its grip at a time”, said Tim Glenn, Compassion International’s U.S. Advocacy Director. “The You Can campaign is a reminder of that message. And it is our hope that these resources will empower people to get involved in the fight against child poverty."

Visitors as well as sponsors and donors can visit the newly developed interactive section of Compassion’s web site to learn more about poverty issues facing children. These web pages will include statistics maps, quizzes, videos and much more. Users are also able to download a wealth of free promotional material, including computer wallpaper, newsletter articles, brochures and posters, from the Child Advocacy section of Compassion’s Web site – http://www.compassion.com/youcan

Besides advertising in magazines and other publications, Compassion will give advocates and churches five 30-second public-service announcements focusing on different aspects of child poverty, such as hunger, HIV/AIDS and the lack of clean water. These videos also will be sent to festivals, churches and television stations and placed on viral websites such as MySpace and YouTube.

The videos spots will also be made available for web users on Compassion’s newly designed Child Advocacy section. This section, launched July 2, has an interactive appeal. It includes a section called “Share Your Heart” that allows the public to put in their own stories and pictures about what they’re doing to fight poverty. The campaign also includes a traveling display that is available for churches and other organizations around the country.

Compassion International is one of the world’s largest Christian child-development organizations, working with more than 65 denominations and more than 4,000 indigenous church partners in Africa, Asia, Central and South America and the Caribbean.

Since 1952, Compassion has touched the lives of more than 1.6 million children and has been recognized for its financial integrity with top ratings and recommendations by several of the nation’s leading not-for-profit “watchdog” organizations.

For information, contact Compassion online at http://www.compassion.com or by calling (800) 336-7676, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., MST.

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NOTE: To schedule an interview with Tim Glenn, please contact Steve Yount at (972) 267-1111 or Julie Koshy at (719) 487-6290.