For Her 55th Birthday, Cyndi Risco Is Raising Money for Children's Education in Rwanda
- 20 hours ago
- 2 min read
A milestone birthday becomes an invitation to change a child's future
This year, Cyndi Risco turns 55, and instead of asking for gifts, she's inviting the people in her life to give toward something that will outlast any present: helping children in Rwanda go to school.
Cyndi isn't giving to a place she's only read about. In June 2025, she traveled to Rwanda with a team from Cornerstone Church Wildomar and Mosaic International. There, she spent time at Glorious Academy, a preschool in Musanze, where she walked through the classrooms, met the children, and saw the work happening firsthand. For her, this isn't a school on the other side of the world. It's a community she has visited and children she has held.
What she found at Glorious Academy
What moved Cyndi most wasn't the building. It was the love.
"The teachers and staff pour into these beautiful children every single day," she wrote, "providing not only an education but also hope, encouragement, nourishment, and the opportunity to dream of a brighter future." She describes their joy, their resilience, and their eagerness to learn as something she'll never forget.
That experience is where her birthday wish began.
How a birthday becomes a full year of school
At Glorious Academy, a gift of $435 sponsors one child for an entire school year, covering school fees, a uniform, daily meals, and other essentials.
In honor of Cyndi's 55th birthday, a gift of $55 provides more than a month of that support, bringing another child closer to a full year of learning.
When those gifts come together, the impact adds up quickly:
$435 sponsors one child for a school year
$870 sponsors two
$1,305 sponsors three
$3,025 sends six children to Glorious Academy for a full year
That last number is Cyndi's goal: 55 friends giving $55 each, $3,025 in all, enough to fully fund six children for an entire school year.
An invitation from Cyndi
For Cyndi, this campaign is a way to bring her friends and family into a story she's already part of.
"If you have ever wondered if donated funds really make an impact," she writes, "I am here to tell you this one does. I have seen, held, hugged and laughed with the children that will directly benefit from your generosity."
As she celebrates what God has done throughout her 55 years, she hopes this milestone can also be a celebration of what God will do through all of us together.
"There is no greater birthday gift I could receive," she says, "than knowing that together we've helped change the trajectory of a child's life."
Celebrate Cyndi's 55th birthday and help send a child to school in Rwanda.
Give $55 in honor of her 55 years — or whatever amount you feel led to give — at her campaign page:
Learn more about our Mosaic Ambassador program here.