She was a tiny thing with big brown eyes filled with sadness.

Included in the letter was a photo of another girl, nine years old, from the same part of the Philippines, who was in need of a sponsor. So one day, I received a letter informing me that Nida had turned eighteen and had graduated from the sponsorship program. Unfortunately, they can’t force a grown man to write letters. In addition to monthly sponsorships, CCF’s donations support literacy training, vocational training, health and immunization programs, water and sanitation development, early childhood development, and emergency relief. It’s about letting children with very little in their lives-through no fault of their own-know that someone out there cares.Ĭhristian Children’s Fund has been caring about these kids since its inception in 1938-now assisting more than 10 million children in thirty-three countries regardless of race, religion, or gender. It’s about establishing relationships with children in need. I didn’t realize at the time that the CCF sponsorship program is about so much more than writing monthly checks. I think I wrote to her a total of five times. Nida wrote to me almost every month for nine years. So I wrote that first small check fourteen years ago.

Well, my life may have revolved around wrestling and family, but I was not completely without a conscience, either. A few days later, a letter came in the mail that included a photo of a child, Nida, age nine, who was in need of sponsorship. I imagine it was one of those Sally Struthers appeals that I had seen literally hundreds of times, but I’m not sure. I really can’t remember why I called CCF. I first began my affiliation with CCF back in 1992, a time when I was too caught up with WCW wrestling and first-time fatherhood to really commit much time to thinking about others, no matter what their situation might be. Herma Grace is a child I have sponsored through Christian Children’s Fund for the past five years. So when Trish sat down at my table at the Philippines Air lounge, she seemed like the perfect person to ask a question I had asked myself many times before: “Does it seem weird that one of my biggest inspirations is a little girl in the Philippines whom I have never met or talked to?” I then told her about Herma Grace, who refers to me as “Dad” and who has become a beloved part of the extended Foley family. Trish Stratus, a longtime WWE Diva, is among my best friends in the wrestling business.

The Hardcore Diaries by Mick Foley