Angel Covers: November 2005

Time just seems to continue to fly by. We have had a beautiful fall this year, which isn't normal for us. Normally we tend to just move from the heat of summer straight to the winter cold and snows. As I look around at the beautiful fall colors and watch the leaves falling gently from the trees, it helps me realize how easy it is to get bogged down in the needs and problems we see every day. But, along with all of the problems there are many beautiful things in this world and sometimes we must focus on them as well. The support we receive from everyone is overwhelming, as is the difference that is being made each and every day in the lives of children around the world. In this newsletter, I want to focus on some kids with completely amazing hearts. They are not the children in need that we support, but are kids that have taken an interest in helping others in the world around them.

Before I start talking about these wonderful kids, I want to remind you about the Gifts From the World auction, which will end on Sunday, November 13th. There are so many wonderful items in the auction this year. I wish I could just keep them all. If you haven't taken time to visit the auction and see what is available this year take a look. There is everything from simple necklaces and bracelets to an African Safari, and the items come from all over the world. It's great fun, and a great way to support our education programs!

Angel Kids....

The first two kids I want to tell you about are two of my own children. I was so pleased when they told me they wanted to help Angel Covers and the kids we serve, but when they told me that wanted to have a garage sale I wasn't really thrilled. I agreed to it, but told them they had to do the work. They had to find the items, sort them, price them and sell them. I can't tell you how proud I am of these two for the effort they put into this huge task. They solicited donations from everyone they could think of. They made flyers and they passed them out to the neighborhood, They also made enough copies to send one home to every family at their school. The amount of donations was overwhelming. They were troopers and really stuck with it working late on several evenings to get everything priced and ready to go. They even lined up a couple of friends to help them during their two day sale. It was amazing to watch them bargain with people. In the end they raised $875! Each of them got to decide how half of the money was to be used. Justin, our 10 year old, decided that he wanted children to be added to the food program at Galilee Primary School in Kenya. He had heard about one boy who was sharing his lunch with others and wanted them all to have there own lunch. Now they do. Jacob, our 7 year old, wanted to buy desks for the new high school we were building at the time. Desks are something we still need before the school year starts in January, but the 18 he donated got us off to a great start!

Lemon-aid...

How many times have you seen a child selling lemonade? It's always a great way to make a couple of dollars when you want something. Gabrielle is four years old. While her parents were having a yard sale, Gabrielle had a lemonade stand. She raised $30 and sent it to Angel Covers. Gabrielle was born in China, and wanted to buy vitamins for the babies in China who don't have adequate nutrition. Thanks Gabrielle! You did a great job, and have helped a lot of babies in China be a little healthier. Soon you will be getting a lemon-aid t-shirt as promised in a previous news letter!

Happy Birthday!!!

Every once in a while we get an e-mail from a mom telling us that their child wants to do something different for their birthday party. Makaiah recently turned 11. For her birthday she asked her friend to donate to our organization instead of buying her presents. Makaiah and her friends sent us $110. What a present for us! Thank you Makaiah, and we hope you had a great birthday party!

Eagle Scout...

Travis has two little sisters who were born in China. This year Travis decided that he wanted to collect blankets to be sent to China for his Eagle Scout project. He organized a blanket drive and also raised money to cover the cost of shipping and to purchase fleece. His goal was to have 50 blankets donated and to have an activity to make 50 blankets. Travis exceeded his goal. He sent us over 100 blankets and had money left over from the donations. He purchased 16 bouncers through Project Tigger with this money. He and 17 other 14 and 15 year old boys made blankets! Thanks Travis for caring so much about the babies still in orphanages in China, and for organizing everything. You have earned far more than your Eagle Scout. You have earned the respect of many people around the world! I had the honor of delivering 30 of these blankets to children in China and the joy on their faces was overwhelming.

Other kids...

The young people who are involved and working to make a difference doesn't end with these kids. There is a girl scout troop that collected donations of toys and clothes several times and sent them to us. They are also sponsoring a student in Kenya. There are other kids who have also taken on a sponsorship. Many students contact us as they are working on a project for school. They put together presentations for classes and some want to do fundraisers. Autumn and her friends are working with a teacher to put together a musical at their school. The profits from their performance will be split between the school and Angel Covers. Their hard work comes from a desire to help orphans in China. We can't wait to see this production! It is just exciting to see so many young people caring about the world around them. These young people continue to be an inspiration to us!

What's New...

We are excited to be a part of the Alternative Gifts International catalog this year. Our chicken project is featured in this catalog and is getting national exposure. They not only have an online catalog, but also host Gift Markets around the country. It is a great place to find gifts from many different organizations working to make a difference in a variety of ways around the world.

I am also excited to tell you about a new way to make a difference while you do your online shopping, or even just while you are surfing the web. We have partnered with GivingMall.org to help you make more of a difference when you are on the web. GivingMall.org is a non-profit. This will allow them to pass on more of the funds generated from your online shopping than other for profit shopping websites. Even more exciting about GivingMall.org is that they have also teamed up with Google to allow your searches to generate money that will help the children! Performing your Google search from the search box on their site means that Angel Covers can share in a portion of the advertising fees companies pay to Google. Every search from their website followed by a click on a sponsored link can generate a few pennies or even dollars. The small amounts generated through these online shopping programs can really add up quickly. Every three months Angel Covers receives checks from the programs we have partnered with. It costs you nothing extra, but transforms your shopping into shopping that makes a difference. Now you can search to make a difference as well. Please keep this in mind as we head into the holiday season and you start searching for ideas online and shopping online.

Holiday deadlines...

Holiday orders are already coming in fast! We are thrilled to be so busy providing great products for people around the world and helping kids at the same time. But, in order to guarantee orders are received in time for the holiday's, we must have your order no later than November 27th. Gift card orders must be recieved no later than December 4. Thank you for your understanding.

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It takes so little to make a difference for others. Shopping and web searching can help children if we start at the right place. Gifts for others in the form of gift cards will honor them on a special occasion. No one has to change the world on their own. Each of us making small differences adds up. Angel Covers was started by a couple of moms who wanted to help a few kids. This foundation and the people who support it are a testament to what can be done to help the precious children of the world if we just come together. Together we really do make a difference in the lives of children. While the success of all humanity doesn't depend on us, the success and lives of many children do. It is really up to us how many children we will decide to reach.

Have a great month!

Kari
Director, Angel Covers