Sponsoring a child.

[Major Robert Dump]

Depends on what you mean. If you mean send money to a charity who then sends you updates about the kid, then I know lots of people who have done it with both legit and not-so-legit companies. The not-so-legit ones tend to send the same "updates" about the same group of kids to everyone, yet personalize them as if you are the only one assisting them. This tends to make them appear to be helping more kids than they really are.

If you mean real-life sponsor, as in Big-Brother Big sisters, I also know a lot of people who do that and they usually find it very rewarding. The people who have had a hard time with it were people who either they or the kid had to move away, which was depressing, or in a couple of cases the kid turned into a total hoodlum who was already in trouble. I know one guys whose "little brother" burglarized his house and maxed out his credit cards.

If you mean sponsor as in foster child, forget it, you are too young.