The Bible pronounces a special blessing on those who take up the cause of orphans. But for one of Madison Avenue’s advertising executives, who is in the midst of a seven-month campaign on behalf of 28 orphans, “the blessing is on the way; for right now, it’s very exhausting.”

Although Christine Carr is a year shy of meeting the requirements for a doctorate in education from the University of Maryland, she already has gained major points in courage, charity and compassion through her work with children in Central America.