Resources & FAQs

Yes.  Visitors are welcome on a case-by-case basis.  Our definition of a visitor is anyone who requests to go on a tour and spend less than one day at CSC.  This is different than a volunteer and requires no application process.  We ask for at least one week notice, with three to four week notice being ideal.  You are asked to contact the Cebu business office by phone in order to arrange your visit.  This can be done by e-mailing the stateside office at cscusa@cscshelter.org.  CSC reserves the right to restrict visitation for any reason.

CSC has had many amazing volunteers over the years.  We are grateful for all they have contributed.  We haven’t forgotten that it was because of a short-term mission trip that Marlys Healy sensed a passion to found our ministry.

It is also true that we receive more requests for volunteering than we can accommodate.  In general, anyone who volunteers has some connection to the ministry—with preference given to the deepest connections (a former resident for instance).  We are unlikely to take on a volunteer who does not have some link to CSC because of family, church or another avenue.  We recognize this is a disappointment for those interested in a Christian volunteer experience with children, but we hope you will respect our desire in light of the many volunteer requests we receive.  For those who do have a connection to CSC, more information can be found in the volunteer handbook located in the downloadable resources section.

We geniunely appreciate your heart for our kids and our ministry in wanting to send something over.  It is a person with a kind heart who wants to give something special and needed for the kids.

Items can be shipped directly to Cebu:

CSC occasionally hires short-term missionaries from countries outside of the Philippines for licensed nurse or teacher positions (this may be true for occupational therapist roles at some point as well).  These positions are posted when they become available.  However, you may contact our stateside office to indicate your desire to be contacted regarding one of these specific positions in the future.  By and large, positions in Cebu are filled by residents of the Philippines.  Unless a job is posted for these general and varied positions we request that you refrain from contacting us to indicate your interest in employment.

No.  In fact, the only role we play in adoption is in the Philippines on behalf of the children we serve.  By design, we are not a resource to prospective adoptive families.  The central authority for adoption is the Inter-Country Adoption Board of the Philippines.  We work with them on behalf of the children in Cebu, and adoption agencies around the world work with them on behalf of families.

We have worked with many adoption agencies over the years in the U.S. and in other parts of the world.  We would hesitate to recommend any one agency so as to avoid any conflict of interest--there are a variety that are licensed for Philippine adoption.  However, you might consider starting with an organization called Loving Shepherd Ministries.  They provide information about various types of adoption, the different countries from which adoption is open and where you might find funding.  They have also compiled comparable information on many adoption agencies in the US.

Some other good adoption resources are the Inter-Country Adoption Board of the Philippines, the U.S. State Department, the Joint Council on International Children's Services and the Christian Alliance for Orphans.

It is rare that prospective parents know the specific children they will adopt prior to the standard matching process.  This can be the case occasionally if they have become aware of a child with a disability or an “older” child (one rule of thumb might be 6-7 years old or above) that is harder to place.  This is highly uncommon in the case of toddlers and infants, and any request to adopt a specific child through CSC will be referred to an agency, and then to the Inter-Country Adoption Board of the Philippines from there.

Yes! You will receive a tax-deductible receipt for every contribution you make to CSC. CSC is a tax exempt, nonprofit organization under IRS code 501(c)(3).

Yes! CSC loves these cost effective ways of giving. CSC uses a secure third party site for receiving credit card donations. If you would like to establish an automatic deposit, please send your information to the CSC office with your request to sign up for funds transfer. A brochure and sign-up form will be sent to you.

CSC strives to keep our fundraising and administrative costs down.  We are successful in that, particularly for a smaller organization.  In 2009, we had combined fundraising and administrative costs of only 17.4%  In other words, we were able to send more than 82% of all money raised to Cebu for direct care of the children.

CSC is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, a watchdog organization for Christian nonprofits, and adheres to their guidelines for financial management, board administration and fundraising.  We are also members of the Charities Review Council and have a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator (their highest rating).  CSC has an audit done each year by an outside accounting firm, and copies are available in the "Downloadable Resources" section.