A Fantastic Day!

Today we learned some wonderful news! As you know, we've been working for the past two months to raise $10,000 for Humble Heart. If we were to raise this money, an anonymous donor would match it by 50% or $5,000. The Gifts From the World Auction was held, holiday cards are being sold, gift cards have been purcahsed, and donations have been pouring in. So far, Angel Covers has raised approximately $5,000!!

However, even more amazing news came today. Jane, with Angel Covers UK, has been working on a grant for Humble Hearts. Beds, textbooks, desks, and an underground water tank were are on the greatly needed list of items for the school. Today, we are thrilled to announce that the grant was awarded for $10,000!!! Now, when the kids return to school in January, they will have so many more of the basic necessities we take for granted.

The school is also in desperate need for additional income generating projects that will sustain the lunch program. A chicken project will soon start and we are hoping to have cows for milk and land to grow corn and beans. With the grant just awarded, funds already raised, and the matching donation, all of these are within reach.

Thank you to Jane and all her hard work on this grant, and to all of you who have contributed to this wonderful goal! You change lives each and every day.

Thrilled and grateful,

Kari

High School Kids in Need.

Humble Hearts School, in Nairobi, Kenya, for deaf and disadvantaged children, has truly become a beacon of hope for many families in its community. Persevering through the destruction of its original site, the entire school now thrives on the campus of Angel Cottage, on the east side of the city. Originally, Angel Cottage was built to be a home for deaf children in Nairobi that attended Humble Hearts. Some of the children are orphans, some simply needed a safe place to live where they were understood and could easily attend school. It has now become home to nearly all of the students, from nursery through high school. As the arduous task of commuting daily became an obstacle to continuing their education, the students now share triple bunks and floor space for their pallets, just in order to receive the blessing of regular nourishment and instruction.

Our growing concern is for the high school students who come from such excruciating poverty that the pressure to drop out and give up on their dreams is enormous. Limited jobs of any kind make it difficult for families to provide even one meal a day, let alone the expenses for their high school age children’s schooling. These teenagers feel great pressure to drop out and either fend for themselves or assist in the support of their families. Even given those tragic choices, the realities they face away from school don’t simply steal their dreams, they haunt their safety and future.

The cases of youth being used by drug lords to carry out their filthy tasks, for measly pay, are increasing daily. This danger increases when children stay home from school (to save money) without jobs. They become lured into drug peddling for the income, yet become users themselves and ultimately ruin their lives, in or out of prison.

The environment at Humble Hearts is generously, graciously conducive to their learning and thriving. Especially now that many students board (perhaps a providential blessing in disguise) there is no opportunity for considering or even knowing of the illicit and dangerous drug business activities. Mandated by the Kenyan government, Christian Religious Education encourages the development of strong moral character while their educational home nourishes them physically, academically and emotionally. After four final years of high school studies, students are stronger, brighter and far better equipped to meet the challenges of their future, whether they continue to university or become leaders of change in their communities and their country.

Please consider supporting these students, who need all of the attention, care, and sustenance we can gather. Go to http://angelcovers.org/humblehearts.html to learn how to participate. Check out http://www.causes.com/causes/16135 or http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Angel-Covers/182221079501 or write to sponsorship@angelcovers.org to put actions to your compassionate reactions and concerns. A simple sponsorship of twenty dollars, each month, is all that is required to begin to encourage and empower them with the boldness to dream of a better future.

Ida McManis

Humble Hearts Sponsorship Coordinator

Returning home

It was really unfortunate that I wasn't able to blog from Kenya our last 2 days there. So many wonderful things happened. After the school was demolished in December, a lot of looting took place. Textbooks expecially were taken and sold on the black market. Previous to the demolishion, Humble Hearts had enough textbooks for every 2 students to share one set. While that certainly doesn't measure up to US standards, that is a wonderful ratio for Kenya. The children and teachers were thrilled. Sadly, after the demolishion, the ratios change to every 3-6 students sharing one set of text books. Because of a generous donation, we were able to replace enough textbooks that again every 2 students are sharing one set.

Another very generous donation of more than $500 was given while we were in Kenya. This donation in part was used to purchase food for the children of Humble Hearts. Enough flour, beans and rice were purchased to last almost 2 weeks. It's such a wonderful relief to know the staff doesn't have to worry about these items after we left. Both of these donations will be matched by 50% and many more wonderful things will soon be done at the school.

We were fortunate to be able to meet with Muscort, the director of the Dagoretti Youth Centre, during our trip. He is such a kind and gentle man with a huge heart for the children of his school. With very little outside support, the Dagoretti school struggles every day to pay teachers and provide supplies for the students. We were thrilled to be able to give him backpacks, pencils, pens, and money to pay the teachers a little something this month.

My daughter had a birthday party last night and received dozens of silly bands. It's amazing to me how popular these have become so quickly. Millions of dollars are being spent and stores are selling out of them as soon as shipments arrive. As I watched her excitiment in opening these, I couldn't help but think that if each of us simply donated the cost of a package of silly bands to the Humble Hearts school, the same joy would be brought to these children as was brought to my daughter and the amount needed to receive the full matching donation would quickly be raised.

Will you consider donating to Humble Hearts? Even a small amount, such as $5, will completely change a child's life.

We've begun posting pictures on Facebook of this great trip. Please look through them and see the amazing difference your support is making for these children. They may live half-way around the world, but the laugh the same, cry the same, and learn the same as our children. Your support of them is helping them every day to grow and flurish as our own children do.

Grateful beyond words,

Kari

Saturday, a day of rest?

Saturday in Kenya really is considered a day of rest….well, technically. But as you drive around town and see as many cars as normal on the roads and all the people walking to and from jobs, you wonder when they really do rest. We were fortunate to take the day off from working and spend time at the local market. The market is always and interesting place and each year I find something new. While purchasing wonderful items of our auction and website, I couldn’t help but think about all of our great supporters who will likely see these things online and help the children with their generosity. It’s always amazing to me that a scarf or a gourd bowl can make such a difference in children’s lives.

We were honored today to finally get the chance to meet two young men Angel Covers has been supporting for some time. Charles is 21 years of age, and while I’ve had the joy of knowing him through others in Kenya and via email, we’ve never had the chance to meet until today. Angel Covers supported Charles through secondary school and is now supporting him in his dream to become a mechanical engineer. Charles attends the University of Nairobi and will begin his second of 5 years of study in October. His grades are high and his attitude is nothing but positive. He has big dreams of finishing college and getting his MBA as well. Charles is receiving a full scholarship for his tuition due to his hard work and dedication. Angel Covers is currently helping with costs of books, room and board, and living expenses. We are in desperate need of a sponsor for Charles, so if you’re interested, please contact me right away at kari@angelcovers.org

Julius is 29 years old and finished high school in 1998. Since then he’s been dreaming about being able to attend medical school and open a clinic in his home village of 15,000 people. Currently this clinic has no medical care available and villagers must walk more than 2 hours to the closest doctor. Julius has finished his 3 years of studies and is now almost completed a full year of internship. He loves working with children and is considering spending a week at Humble Hearts in October to help treat children there. Julius has 3 wonderful sponsors who have completely changed his life and the lives of those in his village. His eyes were teary when he talked about his sponsors, gave me individual gifts for them, and tried to thank us for everything given to him. He is a gentle man with a huge heart who feels he will never be able to repay his sponsors for all their support.

We were thrilled with Charles and Julius wanted to spend time with us at the Bomas of Kenya, seeing the show and the examples of traditional Kenyan villages. The dances are always beautiful and spending extra time with them was an unexpected bonus. After an exhausting day, it’s always nice to be back in our rooms relaxing, but even better to be able to see first-hand what a difference our work is making in people’s lives. Days don’t get much better than that.

Kari

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

December already?!

As I got to my office today, I was shocked that the calendar said December 7 already. Didn't my kids just return to school for the year a couple of weeks ago? Since I apparently missed a couple of months somewhere I have so much to tell you.

The annual Gifts From The World auction was a great success. More than $1,900 was raised for the children of Angel Cottage! When adding that to the total we have raised from the sale of holiday cards http://www.angelcovers.org/holidaycards.html and the America's Giving Challenge, more than the $10,000 needed for the matching donation has been raised since October 1. What fabulous donors we have!! The first $5,000 has been sent to Angel Cottage and beds, tables, benches, materials for the fence, food, fuel for the stoves, and many other needed items were purchased for the children. Before school resumes in January, the remaining $10,000 will be sent and even more items will be purchased for these great kids. What an amazing Christmas present you have given them!!!

Speaking of presents... :-) As the holiday's approach, please remember to shop Amazon.com through the Angel Covers' website. By following this link, you will not only get your shopping done, but will also give Angel Covers 4% of your purchase without it costing you anything. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/subst/home/home.html

Searching for the perfect gift? Go to http://www.goodsearch.com/toolbar/ to complete your search. By using Good Search, Angel Covers will receive $.01 for each search you complete. I know $.01 doesn't sound like much, but just today we received a check for $36.54 because of people around the world designating Angel Covers when using Good Search. I've been using this service for months and I really believe it's just as good as Google and other other big search engines. Plus, through the toolbar, you can shop using Good Shop and Angel Covers will receive even more!

Our gift cards remain a great item for teachers or those who have everything. Our gift cards http://www.angelcovers.org/giftcards.html and greeting cards http://www.angelcovers.org/greetingcards.html make great gifts and make a huge difference in the lives of children all over the world. Plus, there is still time to get custom made blankets, and many other items delivered to you by the holidays. Check out our website for lots of great ideas.

We still have two girls in our Mama's Wish program who need sponsors. For $130 a year or $11 a month, you can send one of these bright young ladies to high school. This would make a great present for someone or a wonderful way to end the year making a life changing gift to a child. Please contact Karen if you are interested in helping. karen@angelcovers.org

Your support throughout the year has changed the lives of children in China, Kenya, and Ukraine. Children are attending school, are receiving plenty of food each day, have new toys to play with, and are hitting developmental milestones they wouldn't have otherwise because of your generous gifts. Please help us end the year by continuing to show these children that each of them have a special place in our hearts.

So very grateful,

Kari

Water is so precious!

Everyone will agree that water is vital to our health and survival. Everyday I’m so thankful I can simply turn on the faucet and watch it flow. I am constantly thinking of ways to use less to help protect the planet, but never do I truly worry about not having water when I need it. The children living at Angel Cottage aren’t so lucky. For the past several years, there has been a terrible drought in Kenya. Because it’s summer in Kenya now, the hot weather is making water harder and harder to come by. Because there is no water tank at Angel Cottage, the staff is forced to buy water from the city each week and store it in any container available. Unfortunately, so few containers are available for water storage that the children are running out after only 2 days, causing the staff to purchase water at a much higher price from neighbors or local businesses.



The solution? To purchase a large water tank for Angel Cottage, just like the one that already exists at Humble Hearts. This tank can be purchased for $2,150 and will be large enough to provide all 37 children water for at least a week. And, after the new Angel Cottage is completed, the tank can be moved to the new home and used there. Although the new Angel Cottage will have access to running water, frequently during drought this water is shut off and the tank will provide a great back up system for the children and their caregivers. Additionally, this water tank will be a source of income because excess water in the tank can be sold to neighbors in need. Please consider donating to this critical need! www.angelcovers/donation.html

An Angel Cottage Update

Since posting 2 weeks ago about the desperate need for more Angel Cottage funding, donations have been coming in steadily. In such hard economic times, the outpouring of support for this project is wonderful to see. Approximately $1,100 has been received and numerous names have been added to the list for bricks. Beatrice tells me she will be able to start making bricks at the end of this month. I can't wait to see names on the walls!

Many of you have not only made a donation,but have also passed the word along to family and friends about this great need. One example is of a couple who decided to look through their checkbook and make a donation equal to their largest Christmas present, and challenged their friends to do the same. Because of this great idea, hundreds of dollars was raised for Angel Cottage.

Just this week, Beatrice send me another story highlighting this great need. I'm going to post the story of Peter below. Feel free to pass this story on to anyone you know. We need less than $26,000 to complete this project. I know this seems like a lot of money, but just a month ago more than $40,000 was needed. Every single dollar makes a huge difference in the lives of these children. I'm so grateful to each and every one of you who has supporting Angel Cottage and the children who live there. They have a bright future because of your support.

"Peter walked in at Humble Hearts (HH) just at about 4pm when everyone was preparing to go home. He was in the company of a lady aged about 58 who introduced herself as a social worker. She then narrated on how she had met the lone Didi on the streets of Nairobi three and half years ago and took him to a government rehabilitation center where she works. Many of this government run centers are in pathetic situation and corruption is the order of the day.

The Center works hand in hand with police who bring them children that are lost or runaways some of the children end up being united to their parents but also most of them don't. The high rates of street children has lead to the home being over crowded all the hearing children in the center of 250 are taken to a school near the center except for Didi who could not cope in the hearing school due to his disability.

For the three and half years Didi has always been left in the center helping with the delaying chaos, longing for a day when he too will be able to go to school like other children.

Peter Didi became his nickname since those who found him and live with him don't know any sign language and neither does his.

The social worker was told about HH by a friend and she promised herself that she was not going to take NO for an answer, she said all the children living in the center came out to escort Didi to his new school and would be very sad if he was turned away.

No words could convince the two that AC was already full, they were willing for Didi to sleep in the class but attend school as the center could not afford his daily fares to school and back to the center.

Didi who we suspect could be about 15 years is now leaving at AC we have found him a mattress, blanket and sheets and he is now sleeping on the floor.

Didi looks very happy to be among other deaf children and really wants to learn sign language."

Momentum

Throughout 2008 you heard us talking over and over about the need to build Angel Cottage. This is a huge project that feels like it's been around forever. Dozens of deaf children are waiting for this new home so they can not only attend school, but learn a language, be valued, and see a life completely different than they one they currently living.

2008 was hard for all of us. Overall Angel Covers donations and sales were down by 34%....about the same amount we have all lost in our 401K's and other accounts. People are struggling to pay for food, gas, and other necessities. Fund-raising for Angel Cottage stalled and the construction almost completely stopped.

But then December 2008 came around and so many people donated saying they believe the true meaning of the holiday season was to give to those who have even less than they do. More than $12, 500 came in for Angel Cottage in December. Dozens of individuals and businesses purchased their holiday cards through us and our greeting cards were given as numerous gifts. Because of these purchases, another $2,250 was raised for Angel Cottage.

As I have been opening more and more donations for this extraordinary project, the word that keeps going through my head is momentum. We have been given a huge gift in the past couple of weeks. Currently less than 1/3 of the total cost of Angel Cottage is needed. Dozens of names have been added to the list of bricks to be made. To those of you who have supported this project, you have my sincere thanks and appreciation.

Please helps us keep up this great momentum. Spread the world to everyone you know. Every single dollar makes a huge difference in this project. Gas prices are down, the holidays are over....please consider making a donation to this project. Help us get Angel Cottage built! If all of the funds were raised today, Angel Cottage could be completed in 2 months. Wouldn't it be amazing to think of 55 deaf children moving into this beautiful new home before school starts in May???!!!!

The waiting list of deaf children currently been locked away at home, not allowed to attend school, unable to communicate with their family or peers, is long. Please send this to anyone you know and help us change their lives from one of complete isolation to one of laughter, love, and fun as soon as possible.

http://www.angelcovers.org/angelcottage.html

My Christmas Wish

I came home from work a few days before Christmas to discover the ginger bread houses the kids had worked on that day. The boys decided to make their own style of home instead of being confined to the directions on the box. This is the result of their labors. We have probably the most unique gingerbread house there is.

Their house reminded me so much of Angel Cottage in Nairobi. It is a home that is incomplete. It has no roof. It cannot be lived in yet. Angel Cottage has been on my mind a lot recently and the need for completion was hammered home by an e-mail from Beatrice. Trying to be such a wonderful steward of money that has been donated, she has been purchasing items needed for construction as money comes in and at the best prices available. She was able to get a wonderful deal on some bags of cement that will be needed for the slab that will be the roof. The bags of cement are being stored. Her e-mail brought to our attention that if we store these for too much longer they will become unusable, as moisture will inevitably cause them to harden. It is very difficult to find a dry place to store these with the rainy seasons, and climate in that area. The thought of going backwards on this project was really devastating. We just can't go backwards.

Angel Cottage to me is an example of all that Angel Covers works towards. Yes, it will be a home for orphans and deaf children, but it is more than that. Right now there are deaf children that are being turned away because there isn't enough room in the current Angel Cottage. That means they also aren't in school at Humble Hearts because it is too far and too dangerous for them to walk on a daily basis. What it really means is they aren't in school at all, because there aren't other deaf schools that children from the slums of Nairobi can attend due to the costs. Instead they remain at home. They don't know sign language. Their families don't know sign language. They have no way to communicate to the world around them. Their families incomes are so small, that they most likely don't eat on a regular basis. In many cases they may be abused, as the families don't know how to communicate with them and get frustrated with these children they consider an embarrassment. This is not the way children are meant to grow up.

Angel Cottage would change all of that. It would mean a place to live where they are understood. A chance to learn how to communicate with the world around them. A chance to receive an education. A chance to have three meals a day, and a chance to be cared for medically with things that could normally not be afforded. It is the holistic program for children that Angel Covers strives to help create. But it has been slow. The poor economy here has not helped. My Christmas wish is that Angel Cottage will be completed in the first six months of 2009.

My jaw fell open two days before Christmas when I received news of a donation for Angel Cottage. It was a wonderful donation from a very kind individual that will allow the slab for the roof to be completed. Not going backwards on the project, but forward! It took me from feeling somewhat defeated to being excited and energized about it again.

I need your help. Spread the word. Donate a couple of dollars if you can. Make it your New Years resolution to help see this project completed.

Christmas day was wonderful. I enjoyed time with Kari and the kids. We gave each other wonderful things, but those items just don't fill the voids in life that we know about. This is my, not so secret anymore, Christmas wish! What is yours?

Wednesday in Kenya

After buying more than $400 worth of textbooks and office supplies for Humble Hearts, we went to see the Angel Cottage construction site. Recently we were able to send funds for the purchase of a cow and construction of a shed. This shed is
being made of concrete in order to provide greater security and will not only house the cow, but will also house the chickens and have a room for the caretaker to live it. The construction of the shed is next to a new garden. Frequently Angel Covers is given funds that can be used for anything Humble Hearts needs. Being a forward thinker, Beatrice has leased land for a garden and has planted kale and spinach for the children of Humble Hearts. Although the plants are small now, it's clear that this garden will produce a lot of food for the children.

Angel Cottage construction is truly amazing. Much bigger than it seems on paper, Angel Cottage will be a wonderful home for at least 80 children. Walls are up and the next step is to put the 'slab' or roof on the top. Angel Cottage is being built in a manner that 3 additional stories can be built on top to house even more children. Beatrice has already started mapping out where all of the names will go on the bricks and it's going to be lovely. All of the names will be located next to the play area for the children so they always see each name as they are outside playing. Please tell all your family and friends about this great opportunity. each brick can be purchased for a minimum donation of $10 to Angel Covers and will completely change a life.

Paying for Angel Cottage has to be a top priority. 36 children are currently crammed in 2 rooms and Beatrice knows of at least another 20 who need a home. The day the new Angel Cottage opens, at least 56 children will move in. we will soon be sending out a newsletter telling you how you can help this exceptional cause.

Today we will organize all of the supplies we bought and go to the Dagoretti school, where we have started chicken and cow projects.

Please spread the word to everyone you know. Your efforts are changing lives!

Kari

First Day in Kenya

Justin and I arrived last night in Kenya after 24 hours of traveling. To say we are tired would be a huge understatement, but we are thrilled to be here. Every time I come I'm always shocked at how poor the school is. We were only at Humble Hearts for a few minute, but the need is just overwhelming. We will be shopping for new textbooks and food for a staff appreciation party tonight. I will post more as I can, but know that everyone you are doing to support this school is making a difference for these kids. They have so little and everything you do for them changes their lives completely.

Kari
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More Full Tummies

July has been a month for wonderful pictures of smiling children with full bellies. Not only did we received the great report from our nutrition program in Huaibei, Anhui but we also received more pictures from the Humble Hearts lunch program.

The children of Humble Hearts frequently don't know where their next meal is coming from. Because of the school's lunch program, these kids know they will at least have one meal each Monday through Friday. They are each also receiving a glass of Ensure once a week to help boost their nutritional level. The smiles on these children's faces are priceless.

As July comes to a close, I begin to worry about these kids again. There is no school in August each year. Without school, food is not guaranteed.

I am fortunate enough to be going to Kenya this year. I'll be at Humble Hearts on the first day of school and would love to be able to give all of these kids a piece of fruit to welcome them back. If you would like to contribute to this cause, please go to www.angelcovers.org/donation.html and write "fruit" in the message section of your donation. Raising the funds to purchase 250 pieces of fruit leads to the problem of how I will carry it all to the school....a problem I look forward to having!

Kari Fillmore

The Rainy Season

My sister-in-law, Lynn, and brother are living in Nairobi right now and Lynn has spent lots of time volunteering at Humble Hearts. I wanted to share a post she recently made on her personal blog. It gives a whole new understanding of the difficulties these children face each day. Kari

I can’t stop thinking about the rain. I’ve heard of rainy seasons, but this beats all for predictability (though a friend from New Orleans once told me that a 30% chance of rain there meant it would be raining 30% of the day. I leave it to the meteorologists among you to compare).

Every day since early last week it has p-o-u-r-e-d down rain. The clouds silently boil up in the late afternoon and, sometime between rush hour and supper, they demonstrate their power over us with more water than some places get in a year. Sometimes it goes on all night, sometimes just a fast thundershower.


It’s going to be like this for the next 2 months.


We’ve traded dust for mud. The cleaning up is a daily endeavor. At the Angel Cottage house where about 35 deaf kids from Humble Hearts live, daily rain means a daily flood. The bedroom structures were only meant to be temporary, and the city council didn’t allow them to include drainage around the buildings.

The kids come home every day and expect to help bail out the house. Shoes must still be washed, so it’s done in the muddy water on the ground.

coming home








There is no yard for these kids to go play in puddles and then leave behind for a dry, warm house. The water is outside their bedroom doors, filling up. The blessing is that so much rain water can be collected in barrels to help with other washing, like socks.


The good news is that a new Angel Cottage is being built, albeit slowly, as funds allow. If you can help, please visit angelcovers.org/africa.html and make a donation.
Thank you and take care,-L
(More pictures of Humble Hearts and Angel Cottage on flickr.)

Happy kids make me smile

This week we received some of the cutest pictures of kids in Kenya. As I'm sure you know, soon after Christmas the political climate in Kenya was very volatile. Thousands of people were killed and hundreds of thousands were driven from there homes. The government even delayed the opening of schools by a week and many children weren't able to come for school for three weeks. (Sorry the date on the pictures say 2005! We've fixed this now.)


In the last few days, since an agreement was reached between the governmental leaders, Angel Covers has received pictures which perfectly show that the tole the violence took on these children is over. Seeing the smiles on these faces is the perfect way to end a week. On a good day, these children have to worry about whether or not they are going to get dinner, if their school supplies will be stolen, or if their shoes will last just one more day. Even though these worries are still very real, the more frightening realities of the past few weeks are no long there.

Gifts have been given to children from their sponsors, and the class 8 kids (8th grade in the US) have taken their exams. We are thrilled to report that everyone passed the exam and will be admitted to secondary school!!!

Thanks for all your thoughts, prayers, and financial support for these great kids. A huge weight has been lifted off their shoulders.

Our Volunteers Make All The Difference

I realized today that this week has been full of getting items ready which will go to children because of volunteers. Blankets are being made so that a group traveling to Russia in May can provide all 60 children in one orphanage with a new, soft blanket. Two other volunteers are taking calcium tablets and Advil to an orphanage in Palestine. This orphanage recently lost all government funding and it unable to provide for the special needs children there without outside support.

A volunteer has recently been visiting Humble Hearts to weigh and measure all of the children, and is taking wonderful pictures of the kids, the school, and the progress on Angel Cottage. Other volunteers are working hard to order a nutritional supplement for the children of Humble Hearts, and are researching grants for many different program. Another finished making approximately 80 curtains for Angel Cottage.

We are in the process of appointing a Housing Director who will be in charge of just about everything you can think of that kids need to make an orphanage a home. Yes, it's a big job. We are looking for a financial coordinator for the Mama's Wish program, volunteers with website experience, and individuals with marketing experience.

As the week comes to an end, I'm being reminded yet again that the work we do is not only vital for the children, but that each and every volunteer is essential. There are few organizations in the world that are able to run solely because of volunteers. We are honored to be one of them.

Kari Fillmore

Warmth

Here are few things in the world more wonderful than being warm. We've all been too cold and it's just miserable. You shake and shiver, and try everything you can to get warmer. Fortunately childen in an oprhanage in Anhui now will be warm the rest of the winter and cool this summer. Thanks so much many generous donors, Angel Covers was able to purchase 2 heating/air conditioning units for the Huaibei, Anhui SWI. Unforunately, it was about 40 degrees in the baby rooms! Now these kids will be warm and cozy all winter.

In Kenya, it's always warm...at least that's how it seems to me. The temperature rarely drops below 60 degrees and it certainly doesn't snow. In the summer, the temperature can reach well over 100 degrees and the humidity is horrible. Although the kids at Humble Hearts don't need heaters, they do need a home. Many are without families to care for them, or have families who don't understand all they are capable of regardless of their deafness. Angel Cottage was orginally built for 25 of these children. Now it's home to 36 and is frighteningly full. A new Angel Cottage is currently being built, but unfortunately construction costs are only going up. So many people have helped the construction continue. If you would like to do the same, please go to http://www.angelcovers.org/donation.html and help this project continue. Everyone who donates at least $10 will have his/her name put on a brick at Angel Cottage. Considering donating in honor of a loved one too. Everyone will recieved a picture of their brick. Please help us cover the walls with names, so the children of Angel Cottage will understand how many people around the world care about them.

Giving children a warm, safe place to live is vital. Thank you for all you are doing to be a part of this mission.

Kari Fillmore

Good News from January

First I want to thank all of you who helped LWB win the Facebook Challenge! They are overjoyed and now 10 babies will get the heart surgery they need. How perfect is that?!

Speaking of heart babies....Angel Covers had agreed to help raise funds for baby Cong before LWB won this challenge. Now she is fully funded! To those of you who donated....THANK YOU! We will be getting those funds to LWB this week and I'll keep you updated on her surgery.

Baby Hua's care was also fully funded in January. You may remember that he was the TINY baby born prematurely. He is doing better and better each day. The update I received yesterday is that he is eating on his own every 2 hours and weighs 3.6 lbs. up from 2.2 lbs. He will still be in the hospital for a while, but I was thrilled to hear about his improvements.

Angel Covers was also able to purchase 40 cribs for the Chuzhou orphanage. The director asked if they could have even more, so another 25 will be sent. If you'd like to help with this need, please go to http://www.angelcovers.org/donation.html. They really could use another 40, rather than 25. The director told us that the kids were so excited when the new cribs arrived they had a terrible time gong to sleep. :-) We have also ordered baby bouncers for them, which are expected to arrive next month.

Isn't this little girl adorable! That is from our nutrition program in Huaibei. Chuzhou has also asked for a nutrition program of baby formula and rice cereal. It came to our attention in January that the babies are being fed adult milk powder. If you or anyone you know would like to help start a nutrition program for these babies, please let me know! Right now we are looking for pledges to start this program, which will cost at least $1500 a month.

As you know, the violence in Kenya has been great throughout January. We were thrilled to hear that all of the 250 children attending Humble Hearts are safe. Although they have not all been able to return to school, they have called and we know they will return as soon as they can. We also know they will have lunch each day because of a grant received at the end of 2007. Food each day for us is considered normal....for them it's extraordinary.

We have also started a new problem to help raise funds for Angel Cottage. This is a home we are building for approximately 80 children. The current Angel cottage has 36 kids living in a home made for 25 originally. For just $10 you can put your first name on a brick. Those bricks will be huge throughout Angel Cottage and remind the kids of all of us around the world who love them. Please consider donating $10 for yourself and each person in your family! Let's give the kids a way to see each day how much they are loved by strangers around the world. http://www.angelcovers.org/donation.html

Our 2007 Annual Report is done and will be on the website by tomorrow. Everyone on out mailing list will also be getting an email with the link. Please check out all the amazing things you help accomplished in 2007.

There are still a few styles of shoes on sale, although they are going fast. The passenger pals and sweatshirts also on sale. Much of our income for our general funds comes from the sales of our products. Please keep this in mind with you need a gift. And, don't forget to shop Amazon.com or IGive.com through our website. You'll be making a huge difference in the lives of so many kids without any extra effort.

Thank you for all you do!!!

Unrest in Kenya

First let me apologize for not posting in so long. Where does time go anyway?

Many people have emailed me recently about the violence in Kenya. Humble Hearts is very special to many of us. We have watched the children grow and become even more beautiful children than they were when they first came to the school. They are excited about learning and now have hopes and dreams they never dared to have before.

Fortunately, the current violence in Kenya won't put an end to those dreams. The Kenyan Government determines the country's school schedule. The beginning of the school year is January of each year and the children attend school on a 3 months in school, one month out of school pattern. School was scheduled to start on Jan. 7 this year. However, because of the violence, the opening of schools was delayed until Jan. 14. As far as I know, the school opened today without any problems.

There were certainly children and school staff who went to the country-side with their families during the holidays. Many of them were unable to return to Nairobi when planned because of roadblocks and violence. We are hopeful that all of the children and teachers will be able to return to school soon, and will have updated information about who has made it back to school and who hasn't by the end of the week.

We are thrilled to be moving forward with the lunch program, which was expanded this year to feed each and every child lunch at the school. For many, this is the first time in their lives they have been able to know without a doubt that they would eat each day. It's not possible to express the relief these children will feel.

Although Kenya is in turmoil right now, the children of Humble Hearts will be coming to school this week with the security of food, people who care about them, a safe place to live for those at Angel Cottage, and a strong hope for the future. In a city full of chaos, that's a comfort these children are not always privileged to feel.

Kari Fillmore