Six years after our arrival, our contact with most of the sponsors was the lone card at Christmas time. Mr. Seneker (at left) and his family were the exception. His family took us into their homes and, they went beyond the relationship between sponsor and sponsored relationship. They truly cared for our well being long after we were settle and on our own. We were invited to all their family weddings, but what I loved most was going to their house for a dinner and pool parties.

It wasn't significant at the time, but all of our sponsors were extremely wealthy. Most were high level executives or owners of their own companies (Pultie Master Builders). Mr. Senekar was the treasurer of Ford Motor Company.

Coming home this Thanksgiving, I had the chance to read Mr. Diggs new book, entitled "30 Lessons of Life..." In it, he included a story about sponsoring our family and how proud he was of our family. Like a father proud of his children, he felt partly responsible for helping us settle in America. Extolling mine and my sisters' achievement in school, the lesson he used for our family was that you'll never know how great the rewards can be when you put forth even the smallest efforts to help someone in need....