When the Southeast Asia tsunami of 2004 hit Thailand, Natasha Donohoe of Pemberton, B.C., lost her sister, Belinda Welch, and her brother-in-law, Andrew.

The Welches, both pastors, were in Thailand scouting for orphanages in need of financial support when the disaster claimed their lives and 5,000 others. The couple left behind the four children they sponsored through World Vision. "They both loved children so much and had plans to work with them more," Donohoe remembers.

Donohoe and three other relatives decided to each sponsor one of the four children in memory of the Welches. Donohoe's sponsorship of a little girl from Niger prompted her to further investigate World Vision.

"I really felt this urge to get involved and do more than just sponsor a child," says Donohoe, who has a one-year-old son of her own. "I wanted to somehow carry on the work that Belinda and Andrew were doing."

A New Passion
Inspired by the couple's love for children, the 34-year-old receptionist became a member of World Vision's Life Change Network, a group of dedicated volunteers who raise awareness about child sponsorship and the needs of the poor.

"When I found out that I could be a representative of World Vision, I knew that was exactly what I wanted to do," she says.

Together with her friend Heidi Groot, a full-time homemaker who sponsors six children, Donohoe represents World Vision at just about any event that will allow them to set up a booth. Last year, the two women set a goal to find sponsors for 30 children and surpassed their target by 20.

"I know that Andrew and Belinda would have believed in me," Donohoe says.

Click here to learn more about World Vision's Life Change Network.

Click here to sponsor a child.