Summer is Here!

One week ago my kids had their last day of school. It's so exciting listening to them play together and develop new games. Many other kids around the county are also out of school, while others will be soon. We are thrill to announce that many of you thought of children around the world while planning gifts for teachers. Because of your donations through our gift card program, a child in China will be going to school for a year and two children in Kenya will be able to attend school for a year as well.

For those of you who are struggling with what to get dad for Father's Day, or are still waiting for school to end, please keep our gift cards in mind. Our foster care program in Huaibei is in great need of sponsors. Wouldn't it be so special to give dad a gift of a loving family, just like he gave you? Harrison and Anton are thriving in their foster home and any one-time or monthly donation will help them continue to be loved and cared for by their new family.

The kids at Humble Hearts were all recently blessed with fruit (bananas specifically) during an unusual "fruit day" at the school. Donations of fruit to the kids through gift cards make for very happy children at Humble Hearts. The fruit is Kenya is much sweeter than in the US and for kids who generally have rice and beans to eat, it's a wonderful treat.

So while you're considering teacher's gifts or the perfect Father's Day present, please remember children around the world who don't have the privilege of a loving family or attending school on a regular basis. Your donations have made a huge difference in the lives of children in Kenya and China in the last two weeks, and I know the lives of even more children can be changed for the good.

Kari

Great people doing great things.

In the last 2 weeks, it's become clear to me yet again how much people want to help children around the world. Yesterday I learned that Rose Whetzel has asked her friends and family on Facebook to donate to Angel Covers in honor of her upcoming birthday. Rose has been unemployed since last year but following Angel Covers and our work. Rather than thinking there is nothing she can do without donating herself, Rose is hoping to raise $170 to our new foster care program in China. If Rose's birthday wish is fulfilled, she will have provided care to the 2 boys in this program for more than a month. All because she asked for this for her birthday.

The First United Church of Arvada in the Denver area sponsors a child, Cynthia, at Humble Hearts. They send her letters and valentines, while teaching the congregation about Cynthia and the struggles she endures just to attend school. This past Sunday, the church held a bake sale in order to raise money for a blackboard or desk to be used at Humble Hearts' new location. They didn't have dreams of raising hundreds of dollars, but want to be able to buy one desk or maybe even a desk and a blackboard for a total cost of approximately $50. Instead, this small church raised nearly $200! Several new desks and blackboards will soon help teachers and students at Humble Hearts all because individuals in this church were willing to bake and buy sweets.

As you may remember, our Orphanage Support Coordinator, Holly Huffman recently ran a half marathon to raise money for our Mama's Wish program. We were thrilled when she was able to raise enough to send 3 girls to high school for a year....not to mention she ran 13.1 miles! Others have expressed and interest in running for Angel Covers. What about you?

Inspired yet? There are so many ways to help children in our programs without spending a dime. Supporters are continuing to use the Amazon.com link on our website and our donations from Amazon in 2010 have already passed our total for 2009. Do you play bunco each month? Maybe rather than prizes for your group, you'd like to donate to a charity each month. The host could pick the charity and tell everyone about it. Maybe your book club or wine club goes out of dinner. How about making dinner one month and asking everyone to donate what they would have spent instead? Now that Mother's Day is officially past, Father's Day is fast approaching. Consider our gift card for dad and help so many needy children while giving him a meaningful gift. Many people donated in honor of their moms and now children will have what they need.

The 2009 Annual Report and Federal 990 form are on our website. Please be sure to read through these to see all the ways kids were helped in 2009 and how we were able to do it with less than 4% in administrative costs. http://www.angelcovers.org/reports.html

Please consider how you can help. We are happy to help you with ideas, including ways to volunteer. More and more people around the world are participating. How about you?

Grateful beyond words,

Kari

Team Angel Covers Wins Gold Medal!

OK, so all of the medals were gold, but even so, I’m proud to say that I crossed the finish line at the Frederick Half Marathon on Sunday morning! For all of you who support Angel Covers, I’ll offer a brief ‘race report’:

My husband, Dave, and I headed to Frederick, Maryland on Saturday night for an evening of pasta and an early bedtime at our hotel. This was the first night he and I had spent away without kids since the night we arrived in China when we travelled to adopt Marley in December 2008. Amazing what we have to do to get a night away—fly halfway around the world, or run a half marathon!

My Sunday morning wake-up call came at 4:30, although I’d been awake an hour by then, suffering from pre-race jitters. This was my third half marathon, and I have also run one full marathon, but my nerves had served as an internal alarm clock for me. We headed to the fairgrounds at 5:15, long before the sun even thought of peeking its head out. As the first official participant for Team Angel Covers, it was an honor to sport my Team AC t-shirt in the wee hours before the 6:30am start.

By “go” time, I was feeling at ease and ready to handle the task ahead.

The race course was beautiful and the crowd support was awesome. The weather could’ve been a bit more cooperative—the temps at starting time were already over 70 degrees and reached a high of around 85 pretty quickly. But it was slightly overcast, and friendly folks in the neighborhoods hosed us down with sprinklers as we ran. My husband was my sole in-person supporter at the race, but I know that many of you were thinking of me and sending positive thoughts my way as I chugged along the race course. I finished in 2:19:57, which is almost 7 minutes faster than my previous best.

I have a cool medal, some great pictures, and bragging rights for my accomplishment (as well as a few new blisters and two aching knees!). What I am most proud of though, and what clearly has the longest-lasting impact, is the fact that with the support of friends and family, I raised enough funds to put three Mama’s Wish students through another year of high school. You can read about the program here: http://www.angelcovers.org/mamawish.html

I’m already looking at some races for the fall season and would love to talk with anyone who is interested in joining Team Angel Covers for an event in the future. We welcome runners, walkers, cyclists, triathletes—anyone with a goal in mind and a passion for the children around the world who Angel Covers works to support. Contact me at holly@angelcovers.org for more information.

Holly Huffman
Orphanage Support Coordinator
Angel Covers

Mother's Day is fast approaching!

With Mother's Day just around the corner, I wanted to remind everyone of great gift ideas for mom that will also help children around the world. For all you last minute shoppers, please check out our gift cards. Recently a gift card specifically for foster care was added. For those if us who value the love and comfort we received growing up in a family, our foster care gift card will show mom how grateful we are. Any gift cards ordered can be mailed within 24 hours of ordering. What could be more appropriate than providing the same love of a family that our moms gave us?

If you're still planning on internet shopping for your gifts this year, please remember to go to our links to Amazon.com or Igive.com when placing your orders. Both of these links will provide Angel Covers with a percentage of your purchase without costing you any additional fees.

Aprons, blankets, and note cards can still arrive on time for mom. Just place your order by sending an email to order@angelcovers.org and we'll be sure your order goes in the mail right away.

Mother's Day is a great day to show mom how much you care about her and children around the world. Gifts from Angel Covers will also show her how much appreciate all she did for you, by providing the same love and attention to children around the world.

Always thankful,

Kari

Introducing Harrison and Anton!

I am so excited to announce that Angel Covers has started foster care in Huaibei, Anhui Province! Harrison and Anton are the first babies to be placed in foster care through this new program. Both of these adorable little guys received cleft lip and palate repairs through Love Without Boundaries. After thriving under the attentive care of the auntie’s at LWB’s Anhui Cleft Healing Home, these boys have been placed together with a wonderful foster family. We are so pleased to have found this family, as the foster mother has experience as a caregiver at the Huaibei SWI, and the couple has a daughter who they adopted who also had a cleft lip.

We are very fortunate to have the help of Love Without Boundaries in setting up this program and we have agreed to a partnership in which any child in need of surgery will have first priority for foster care. LWB will ensure the surgery or other medical care is provided and Angel Covers will work to have the child placed in a foster family when released from the hospital. We will then follow-up with the SWI to be sure the child is registered for adoption with the CCAA.

The greatest need for this program right now is sponsors. The cost to have one child in foster care for a month is $70. The reward is priceless. For many years I was a child protection case worker who worked with children in foster care. Through my work I saw directly how a loving foster family can make an enormous difference in the life of a child. Many families who have children adopted from China have benefited from foster care as well. Babies placed in foster homes receive the undivided attention of their caregivers that aunties in the SWI's don't always have time to give.

We are currently looking for families to sponsor Harrison and Anton who have already been placed in a foster home, as well as other children who will come into the program in the future. We would love to have someone sponsor a child for the full amount, but realize that's not always realistic. If you'd like to support this program but can't help with $70 a month, please commit to whatever amount you can. Every sponsor will receive information about their child monthly, including new pictures.

If you are able to help, please go to http://www.angelcov ers.org/donation .html and put "foster care" in the notes section. You will be contacted by Holly Huffman, our Orphanage Support Coordinator, with information about your sponsored child.

Thank you for all your support!

Kari Fillmore
303-947-5215
www.angelcovers. org
Caring for orphans and destitute children around the world.

Help Arrives at Batang School

Jian Cuo arrived in Yushu with the first truck filled with food, water, and supplies. We were so grateful to learn that all of the students in the Batang School are safe! Sadly, the school and dorms are too dangerous to enter, so the students have been sent away to live with extended family members or villagers who live nearby. There are 25 students who have nowhere to go, so some of the teachers have remained at the school to stay with them until a safe living arrangement can be made. Jian Cuo delivered tents and supplies to the school and met with the headmaster about the school’s plans for the future.

Although the buildings in the school compound are still standing and don’t look badly damaged, the structural integrity is not sound. This is most evident when looking at rooftops and at the cracks in the walls, particularly in the dorms where the children and teachers sleep. Unfortunately, it is assumed that the children will not be able to return to school this year. The school’s future is uncertain at this point and will depend on donations from supporters as well as financial aid from the local, provincial, and national government. The headmaster’s top priority and immediate goal is to find safe housing for the remaining 25 orphans.

We are saddened to learn that the school will have to close, at least for now, but we are incredibly grateful that there was no loss of life or injuries at our little yak school in Yushu. Please keep the headmaster of this school in your thoughts, as he is in charge of ten primary schools in Yushu and it will be an enormous undertaking to get the damaged schools reopened.

We hope to send another truck filled with supplies to Jiegu, the county seat of Yushu County and hardest hit by the earthquake. More photos from the relief efforts there will be posted tomorrow. Every penny helps. If you can, please click on this link to show your support of these children and others impacted by the recent earthquake.

Angela Taylor
Education Director
www.angelcovers.org

Mama's Wish Families Provide Food for Earthquake Victims

What do you give when you have almost nothing? Turns out, cheese. When our Mama’s Wish director in China went shopping in Xining for disaster relief supplies to deliver to the Batang School in quake-ravaged Yushu, there were two items he wasn’t able to purchase. One was tents, the other was cheese. He found tarps and rope, blankets and bedding, masks and gloves, coats and shoes, and lots of flashlights.

But not enough cheese. So he sent word to the TongRen School about the need for cheese and within hours word spread through the nearby villages that Teacher Jian Cuo needed cheese to deliver to Yushu. Many families of the Mama’s Wish students walked to the school and delivered cheese and tsamba (a traditional Tibetan staple food made with roasted barley flour and ghee) from their own cupboards at home. Others living nearby donated cheese and tsamba as well. Villagers may have a little less food for dinner tonight, but they are sleeping better knowing that they have been able to contribute.

Please join with us as we work together as a global community to bring comfort to victims of the earthquake. To show your support, click on our donation page and mark your donation for the China Earthquake.

Angela Taylor
Education Director

https://www.angelcovers.org/donate_now.html

*Update: Jian Cuo found and purchased 160 tents somewhere on the 800 km journey between Xining and Yushu!