Meet Emilio

In late 2009, Emilio was only a few months old living in the Huaibei, SWI in China. He was in great pain and in need of surgery for intestinal atresia. Fortunately Emilio was able to have surgery and began putting on weight right away and in July we were able to place him in a loving foster home in Huaibei, Anhui. Emilio is simply thriving! Emilio is walking around his new home holding onto his foster mother’s hand and is able to stand on his own. He’ll be walking on his own soon for sure! He has favorite toys, and does a great job feeding himself table food. His foster mom is completely in love with him and describes Emilio as lovely, active, and even a little naughty. We think that sounds just about perfect for an eleven month old.

By the December 31, Angel Covers would like to raise $3,000 for kids just like Emilio. As I type this, there is another little boy just waiting for a foster home. He too has recovered from life-saving surgery, but funding is not available to provide him with a foster home just yet. As of today, $110 has been raised towards our goal of $3,000. We are thrilled to know that we are on our way to providing a home for even more deserving children like Emilio. Would you please send this email to all your friends and family? A donation of just $10 will quickly add up and make a life-changing difference for Emilio and so many others.

Always grateful for the support of so many,

Kari Fillmore

Bringing the joy of a family to orphans in China.

Angel Covers believes every child deserves a safe, loving home in which to learn and grown. The recent establishment of our foster care program not only provides children a loving home, but provides personal care most needed following surgery. In a partnership with Love Without Boundaries, children in the Huaibei, Anhui orphanage in China are given life-changing surgery and the first priority to a loving foster family once surgery is complete. Foster families provide individualized attention to these beautiful children following a very stressful time in their short lives. Personal care quickly meets the needs of these medically fragile children.

Prior to the child entering foster care, the new family is provided a crib, clothing, bottles, and other necessities for the baby. The family must also pass a health screening in order to ensure they are physically capable of caring for another child. Monthly, an Angel Covers’ monitor visits each family to ensure the home is safe, the children are meeting developmental millstones, and their medical condition is improving. Our dedicated monitor will return to the home more frequently if any questions or concerns arise. The monitor also ensures the children are made available for adoption, providing a forever family to kids such as Emillio who received surgery for a bowel obstruction, or Anton who was born with a cleft lip. Both of these children are now thriving in foster care.

Angel Covers has partnered with Facebook to raise $3,000 to fund the three children currently placed in loving foster homes. Costs such as monthly monitoring, health screenings, and start-up costs for beds, bottles and other necessities are on-going expenses necessary to ensure the safety and well-being of these great kids and others who will follow.

Can you please help us provide safe, loving homes for these very deserving children by going to our Facebook page and making a donation? No donation is too small. Every single dollar donated goes directly to the care of these medically fragile children. Please join us in showing Anton, Harrison, and Emillio how much you care.

Foster care

When you imagine a child who is recovering from surgery, what do you see? For many people, we envision a child in a clean, safe environment, with one, or maybe two parents who stay no more than an arm’s length away, ready to spring into action at the first sign of discomfort or want. In my “day job” as mom to three young children, I’ve lovingly attended to my kids through a total of five surgeries, the most recent being my seven year-old’s tonsillectomy and ear tube placement two weeks ago. Each time, I’ve stocked our kitchen with tasty post-surgery foods and drinks, made plans for our other children to keep them happily busy at a friend or relative’s house, and had several consultations with the doctors regarding pre- and post-surgery care. I’ve made sure prescriptions are ready to go and follow-up appointments are scheduled. Most importantly, I’ve been here, ready to give one-on-one attention to my child for as long as he/she needs it. It is not always easy—spending these past two weeks of 95+ degree weather helping my son heal has not exactly lived up to our dreams for summer vacation around here. But, there is no way I wouldn’t do all of this, give all of this, for my kids.

In my “night job” as Orphanage Support Coordinator for Angel Covers, I know that the reality for most orphaned children recovering from surgeries is nothing like what my children and yours may have experienced. These sweet little boys and girls are often taken to a hospital for surgery, and then returned to their orphanages to recover. The caregivers are devoted and do their best to care for all of the children they work with, but there isn’t

enough time in a day to give each child the kind of undivided attention that we all wish they could receive. There aren't freezers full of every popsicle flavor invented, stacks of rented videos and doting moms at the ready. No one is counting ounces of fluids taken in, obsessively feeling foreheads for fevers, or spoon-feeding ice chips one at a time in the middle of the night. The recovery process can be much longer, riskier, and lonelier.

But now, for some kids, the vision and reality are coming much closer together thanks to some wonderful foster families. Through a partnership between Angel Covers and Love Without Boundaries, there are three very special and adorable little guys who are thriving and growing under the watchful eyes of their foster families in Huaibei, Anhui Province. All three of these boys received surgeries through Love Without Boundaries, and after a period of recovery, are now enjoying the attention of their foster parents. We introduced you to Anton and Harrison in a recent post and are happy to report that they are settled into their foster home where they are developing well, gaining weight, and showing their individual personalities. Our newest foster child, Emillio, joined his foster family last week and is making a smooth transition into their home.

We would love to see our program grow so that all children receiving surgery will be able to benefit from the care of foster families, but for now, our goal is more modest. We are in need of sponsors to help support Anton, Harrison, and Emillio so that they can continue to reap the benefits of living in a family setting. Sponsorship for each child costs $70/month, and sponsorships can be shared among family members, friends, church or civic groups—anyone willing to help these sweet boys. In return for your support, you’ll receive a monthly update, including pictures, on your child.

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

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.