A few weeks after the death of former US president George H.W. Bush, it was revealed that the late US president secretly sponsored a child in the Philippines for a decade through a nonprofit organization.
Under the pseudonym George Walker, Bush exchanged letters with a Filipino child named Timothy and sent him money for his education, extracurricular activities, and some of his meals, reported CNN.
Bush was able to help Timothy through Compassion International which is a nonprofit organization that uses local churches to help children in poor communities around the world.
Compassion International shared with the said media outlet some of the letters that Bush and Timothy sent to each other, and Jim McGrath, a spokesperson for the Office of George H. W. Bush, confirmed their authenticity.
Based on the letters, Bush’s secret sponsorship began in the year 2002 when he sent his first letter to the Filipino child.
The letter reads:
“Dear Timothy,
I want to be your new pen pal.
I am an old man, 77 years old, but I love kids; and though we have not met I love you already.
I live in Texas – I will write you from time to time – Good Luck. G. Walker”
According to Wess Stafford, the former president of Compassion International, Bush got the idea of sponsoring a child in 2001 when he attended a Christmas concert in Washington which featured Christian musicians.
Stafford said that during intermission of the concert, the audience were introduced to Compassion International and they were asked if they would like to help a child.
Bush, who was sitting among the audience members surrounded by security, raised his hand and asked for a pamphlet.
His security team was initially hesitant about Bush’s decision. However, the former president was keen on helping the Filipino boy.
“His top security called me and said ‘this doesn’t surprise me coming from him, but if he’s going to sponsor this kid, we need to make sure the boy doesn’t know who his sponsor is.’ So, he signed all his letters to Timothy as ‘George Walker,'” CNN quoted Stafford as saying.
Bush’s security team was mostly concerned about the safety of Timothy since he could easily be a target if people find out that he has direct contact with the president of the USA.
Stafford then said that when the sponsorship began, he had to screen every letter Bush would send to Timothy so that the latter will not get any idea on who the real George Walker is.
However, Stafford said that Bush made his job a bit more difficult than it should since he used to give away not-so-discreet hints.
Stafford said that there was a time when Bush tried to send Timothy a picture of his dog, Sadie. There was another instance when Bush wrote in a letter to Timothy that he will be spending Christmas in the White House.
Aside from letters and funds, Bush would also send Timothy gifts, such as color pencils, sketch pads, and paint since the latter has an interest in art.
Stafford said that this was against their policies so he would wait for his staff to go to the Philippines and bring the gifts to the church Timothy was a part of, so he could collect his gifts.
Timothy was also grateful for all the help he received from Bush. One of his letters to the former president reads:
“Dear Mr. & Mrs. Walker,
How are you? I hope you’re in good condition.
I would like to thank you for not forgetting me. You’re so nice and good.
God is so good to us. He gives us the body & will to get to where we want to go.
Thank you so much for the book, I like it very much.”
All throughout the sponsorship program, Timothy never got an idea on who his sponsor was until he had graduated from the program at age 17.
“After a while, my executive assistant, Angie Lathrop, took over the sponsorship, and after Timothy graduated at 17, she flew to the Philippines to meet him. That’s when she told him who his sponsor really was,” Stafford said.
He added that Timothy could not believe that he was talking to the 41st president of the United States and described the revelation as “life-changing”.
Stafford also said that the revelation was their last contact with Timothy and that they have not heard anything from him ever since.
They tried to locate him but they were not able find him.
“We may not know where Timothy is, but we know he’s now living a successful life,” Stafford said.
Photo credits: Compassion International via CNN, Greg Mathieson
