Newsletter - Angels` Arms

Transcription

Newsletter - Angels` Arms
Winter 2016
Volume 15 - #1
Providing homes • Embracing children • Fostering families
What Will 2016 Bring?
g is indispensable.”
“Plans are useless. Plannin- Pre
sident Dwight D. Eisenhower
s’ Arms we establish goals each
We can plan all we want. At Angel
reach them.
year. We strategize how we will
l happen? Of course not.
Do we know for certain what wil
t there are thousands of children
What we do know for sure is tha
whom do not have a family or a
of
ny
ma
te,
sta
r
ou
in
e
car
ter
in fos
n
We plan for more homes. We pla
real home. That is why we plan.
,
en. We plan ways to support and
ldr
chi
r”
“ou
p
hel
to
ys
wa
re
mo
for
ated and very-hard-to-ÿnd foster
in turn, retain our sel˜ess , dedic
parents living in our homes.
we received the donation of a
During the last quarter of 2015,
ant. The home belonged to a
lovely 4-bedroom home in Floriss
and raised their family of 3 boys
family who built it many years ago
away, the children decided they
there. After the parents passed
ily home to Angels’ Arms.
would donate their beautiful fam
a remarkably wonderful surprise!
Was this planned? No. And what
as Anne Frank believed, when
This is how it all works. And just
ubt
tely know without a shred of do
given the opportunity, I absolu
that people are good at heart.
ssion.
Thank you for your role in this mi
The Hoffmans pictured here
with Bess
Wilfong and attorney, board
member
Tom Smallwood.
ncer
Foster mom Ramona Spe
en
Bedroom ready for childr
House #12 that is set to open in March
Angels’ Arms - Changing Lives for Over 15 Years… Together
Little Angels Give Back
Angels’ Arms is dedicated to providing
and supporting loving homes for foster
children by keeping brothers and sisters
together within a nurturing family until
a forever home is found.
The Angels’ Arms Messenger
is published by Angels’ Arms as an informational
service to our supporters and donors. Angels’
Arms protects the identity of foster children.
~ Credits ~
Editors:
Maria Chandler, Mary Meyer
Amber Odom, Jasmina Schue
Bess Wilfong
Design & Layout
Bill Herberholt, Graphic Masters
www.graphic-masters.com
~~~~
~ Honorary Board Members ~
Julie Buck
Ramon Gallardo
Craig Hingle
Kathryn Jamboretz
Dan Leach
Tom McBride
Dan McLaughlin
Laura Dierberg Padousis
David Peacock
Zip Rzeppa
Senator Eric Schmitt
David Zickel
~ Board of Directors ~
Executive Committee
Thanks to our generous˜community, Angels’ Arms foster families are blessed with many
wonderful things from clothing, birthday parties, bikes, school supplies and so much
more.˜Debbie Clark, an Angels’ Arms foster parent from one of our Ballwin homes,
wanted to show her children and other Angels’ Arms
children what it means to give back. She came up with
the idea of having our “Little Angels” perform acts of
kindness each month in the
communities in which they live.
First on the list, baking goodies
for the local ÿre department. All
three Ballwin homes met up to
bake assorted cookies for Metro Station No. 2.
The ÿreÿghters welcomed the families with a tour of their
ÿrehouse, ÿretruck, and ambulance. The day ended with the kids
presenting their thank you cards and cookies to the ÿreÿghters.
Next, was a game night at the Orchid Terrace Retirement
Community. The children played Uno, Chutes and
Ladders, Monopoly and more with the residents. The
residents cannot wait for the kiddos to return.
For Halloween, the children dressed in their costumes
and held a parade at the
Gardenview Care Center
in O’Fallon. Seven parents and 20 children visited with
each of the residents, bringing smiles to their faces. The
year wouldn’t be complete without a few Christmas
carols, and the residents at Orchid Terrace Retirement
Community got just that. Complete with a pianist, the
children sang Christmas favorites. They also brought
along cookies to share with their new friends.
We can’t wait to see what the Little Angels will be up to next.
Grants
We are grateful to the Trio Foundation for their ongoing support with a $10,000 grant.
Cardinals Care blessed Angels’ Arms with a $2,000 grant.
Special thanks to the Regional Business Council for their $2,500 grant to Angels’ Arms.
Romondous Stover
President
CKE Restaurants, Inc.
Brandon Loeschner
Vice President
RubinBrown
Chris Madison
Treasurer
Purk & Associates
Mary Meyer
Secretary
Retired, Lindbergh School District
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Special Donations
Thank you to the Commerce Bancshares Fund for their $2,500 in support of our foster
families.
A heartfelt thanks to the Ravarino Family Foundation for their $1,000 gift.
The Shanahan Family Foundation blessed Angels’ Arms with a $1,000 gift.
We are honored to receive a $500 donation from the Gravois Kiwanis Club.
Thank you to the Crestwood/Sunset Hills Kiwanis Club for generously supporting
the mission of Angels’ Arms with a $500 donation.
Providing homes • Embracing children • Fostering families
Angels’ Arms - Changing Lives for Over 15 Years… Together
Life Launch Liftoff
Did you know that January is National Mentor
Appreciation Month, and the perfect opportunity to
begin our journey with Life Launch’s mentor program?
Each of our youth, ages 14-21, has the potential to
achieve anything they put their minds to, be it graduating
college to pursue careers in media or engineering or
giving to others through a career in nursing. But to get
there, they must overcome the obstacles life has thrown
their way. Their stories re˜ec t the trauma of child abuse
and neglect, loss of siblings and parents, people moving quickly in and out of their lives
and all before ÿnding a home in Angels’ Arms. Many fear what the future holds because
their past and present are often painful to confront but they are not without hope.
Hope of a reliable adult who can walk beside them and won’t give up on them. Hope of a
relationship with someone who will hear what they have to say and encourage their voice.
Hope of a connection to new opportunities. Hope of a friend to challenge them to dream
and strive to achieve that dream.
Their call has been heard, with over 20 mentor applicants stepping up for our youth! From
attorneys and teachers to retirees and graduate students, each person brings with them
valuable life experiences, passion impacting the community, and the excitement of being
the ÿrst to make this endeavor with the youth.
Do you have what it takes to be a mentor? Check out us out at angelsarms.org/life-launch
to learn more! Contact Amanda O’Neal at amanda@angelsarms.org with any questions
about how you can make a di˛ erence in the life of a youth.
Welcome Our Newest Board Members
Bob Miromonti
Robert (Bob) Miromonti is the Vice President of Ethics &
Compliance at Centene Corporation. Bob served on the alumni
board for Saint Louis University’s College of Public Health and
Social Justice. He and his wife Melissa live in Wildwood and
have three children. Bob enjoys coaching his children’s soccer
and basketball teams and supports our local arts community.
Stephanie Hill
Stephanie is an attorney in the St. Louis County Counselor’s O˝c e.
She was a member of the Junior Board from its founding through
2015, serving as Junior Board Secretary from 2009 through 2015.
Stephanie also volunteers as the Personnel Advisor for the Tau Mu
Chapter of Chi Omega Fraternity at Washington University.
Amy Sullivan
Amy Sullivan is the Director of Operations for Korein Tillery, a
complex-litigation ÿrm located in St. Louis. Amy has over 20 years
of experience in business management, including work with nonproÿts. As a former Guardian ad Litem, Amy has learned a great
deal about the foster care system and is dedicated to making a
di˛ erence in the lives of children in need. Amy also volunteers her
time with a number of other organizations, including the United
Way of Greater St. Louis, all with the intent of giving every child a
chance to live a happy, healthy and productive life.
Providing homes • Embracing children • Fostering families
~ Board of Directors ~
Gaines Dittrich
Dittrich and Associates, LLC
Rob Dolrenry
Grey Eagle Distributors
Adam Goldstein
Buckingham Asset Management
Mary Grasse
SBS Creatix
Michelle Haley
Citizens’ National Bank, St. Louis
Tom Hartnagel
Cisco Systems
Cyndi Heutel
Lindbergh Schools Foundation
Jeff Hewitt
Cardtronics
Stephanie Hill
St. Louis County Counselor’s Office
Robert Miromonti
Centene Corporation
Donna Mitchell
USA Mortgage
Steve Peate
River City Casino
Lisa Pepper
Scottrade
Tom Reed
Electric Power Systems
Jim Ruebsam
Daniel & Henry
John Siefert
Renaissance Financial
Tom Smallwood
Stinson Leonard Street
Victoria Spielberg
ADP TotalSource Division
Dr. John Stein
West County Family Care
Lindsey Stokes
Monsanto
Amy Sullivan
Korein Tillery
Chris Swenson
Polsinelli, PC
Eric Verhulst
Merrill Lynch
Colleen Wasinger
Wasinger Law Group L.C.
Ron Wienstroer
Moneta Group
Tim Yeaglin
Lewis Rice & Fingersh, L.C.
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Angels’ Arms - Changing Lives for Over 15 Years… Together
Holiday H ap p en in g s
We apologize if anyone has been left out. Thank you for your support!
For some of our kiddos, it was their first time celebrating Christmas. A very special thank
you to all who contributed to making this holiday a memorable one.
The St. Charles Jaycees once again spread holiday cheer to two O’Fallon
families with a shopping spree at Target.
We appreciate the St. Louis County Assessor’s Office
(Photo left) for blessing two families with their Christmas
wishes.
Our Florissant family was overwhelmed Christmas
morning with gifts from Community Associations
Institute. (Photo right)
Thank you to the Haller and Jones families (Photo
above) for bringing smiles to one O’Fallon family.
Sta° and cust omers of Syberg’s Chesterfield once again
showed their support this holiday season, with clothing
and toys for several family members.
Morgan Stanley (Photo above left) joined in on the
holiday fun by helping fulÿll the wishes of one family.
Thanks to Junior Board member Vanessa Valentino and
family, (Photo above center) several family members
woke up with smiling faces.
Our friends at the St. Louis
County Collector of Revenue’s
Office granted the wishes of
one Ballwin family.
Once again, the Lou Fusz WardRed Soccer Team (Photo right)
helped some families stay warm
with handmade ˜eec e blankets.
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Our families were stocked with cereal thanks to Dr. Bill
Mastorakos and his wonderful staff and patients.
(Photo above right)
Many thanks to Junior Board member Liza Werner,
(Photo above center) for assisting a family with their
Christmas wishes.
The families of The Church of
St. Michael and St. George
(Photo right) brought much
joy and happiness to one
Ballwin family, as well as
providing ˜eec es for many
of our children.
Every single one of our children received a beautiful
personalized stocking thanks to Marian Bieniek
Guiness of STL Sew. (Photo below)
Providing homes • Embracing children • Fostering families
Angels’ Arms - Changing Lives for Over 15 Years… Together
Holiday H ap p en in g s
We apologize if anyone has been left out. Thank you for your support!
Hope Montessori-Creve Coeur showed their support this
holiday season, with gifts for several family members.
New siblings in O’Fallon were thrilled to have their wishes fulÿlled
by BETA. (Photo left)
Our friends at Two Men and a Truck (Photo right) spread holiday
cheer to our Ferguson family.
Ana Fernandez and her
prayer group (Photo above)
fulÿlled the wishes a new
little girl in Florissant.
Our friends at SFW Partners
(Photo right) granted the
wishes of one family by providing many gifts and gift
cards for a fun family outing.
Many thanks to the Niedringhaus family who fulÿlled
the wishes of many children.
Forest Hills Treats Angels’ Arms
Andy Crowe and the staff at Forest
Hills Country Club treated all 12 of
our families, sta° , board of directors
and supporters, to a wonderful holiday
party complete with Santa and his elf.
With help from sta° and
fans, St. Louis Cardinals
Care (Photo left) brightened
Christmas morning for
several family members.
Members from the Journey
in West County (Photo
right) made Christmas
special with their surplus of
gifts for one family.
Chesterfield Community
Church (Photo left) blessed
a new sibling group in
Florissant by granting all of
their wishes.
The National Charity League
(Photo right) provided cookie
making kits to each family.
They also spread holiday
cheer during the holiday
party with gingerbread house kits for each child.
The wonderful employees at
Insperity (Photo above) made
the holidays a little brighter for
one family with their donation
of presents.
Everyone enjoyed dinner, a
dessert bar, and pictures with
Santa. What a wonderful way
to celebrate the season.
Providing homes • Embracing children • Fostering families
The employees at Ameristar
(Photo right) blessed our
families by fulÿlling many
holiday wishes.
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Angels’ Arms - Changing Lives for Over 15 Years… Together
Our Team is Growing
Angels’ Arms welcomes Amanda
O’Neal to the team, serving as the
Teen Preparedness Director of Life
Launch, a new program dedicated
to preparing older foster youth living
in Angels’ Arms homes. Life Launch
involves working one-on-one with
youth and incorporates life skills,
career exploration, job shadowing,
mentoring, and college visits as well as collaboration with
other agencies focusing on the aging out population.
Amanda was employed through the MO DSS Children’s
Division for 8 years, serving as case manager, resource
licensing worker, and resource licensing supervisor. Much
of her work included support of older youth and their foster
families. She will help develop Life Launch to meet the needs
of youth in foster care as they prepare to enter life as young
adults and will soon have her MSW.
We are overjoyed to welcome
Selena Eve Schue to the
world! Proud parents Jasmina
and Steve are doing great and
couldn’t be happier.
Angels’ Arms Scores in the
Blues Power Play Goals for Kids Contest!
Angels’ Arms was selected as one of four local charities to
participate in the St. Louis Blues Power Play Goals for Kids
contest during the 2015/2016 hockey season. Sponsored by
Ameren Missouri, the contest generated a $200 donation
for each power play goal scored by the Blues. THANK YOU
to everyone who voted daily.
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All Good Things Must Come to an End
And so it is with our inaugural house parents Becky & Jesse
Hughes. After fostering almost 200 children over the years
and deciding to dedicate their retirement years to caring for
innocent and frightened children in our State’s care, the Hughes
have decided to slow down a bit.
The Hughes recently moved to a home of their own in the South
County area and will transition out of being an Angels’ Arms
foster family. Make no mistake: they will continue to foster, but
they will have a lighter load in a more manageable home.
Becky and Jesse set the tone for the many other foster parents
to follow as house parents in an Angels’ Arms home. For their
years of service, we thank them and applaud their sel˜ess
e° orts to make sure children in our system know they are loved
and wanted.
Cisco Strikes Again!
Several Cisco employees rallied together to spread some
Christmas cheer to our newest home in Florissant, providing
furniture and furnishings, assembling and decorating, and
collecting items for the new family.
It all started with Cisco pledging $8,000 to this project.
This enthusiastic group of employees then proceeded to
decorate the bedrooms, baths and basement area of this
home. The rooms are warm, fun and inviting and ready to
accommodate some beautiful foster children.
Cisco, we are truly grateful for all the money you were able
to secure for this project. You’ve made all of our lives a bit
easier by getting this home closer to being move-in ready
and to be a happy haven for many children over the next
several years.
Providing homes • Embracing children • Fostering families
Angels’ Arms - Changing Lives for Over 15 Years… Together
•••••• Fall & Winter Friends ••••••
We apologize if anyone has been left out. Thank you for your support!
Samantha Dreher (Photo left)
made some little girl’s dream
come true with her donation
of American Girl Dolls and
accessories and a Calico
Critters playset.
Our friends at the St. Louis
Rams donated 20 tickets for
our families to enjoy two preseason football games, complete
with a hot dog, soda, and chips.
Employees at Sanofi
Pharmaceuticals (Photo
left) showed their support by
collecting school supplies for our
returning students.
Concordia Lutheran Church
donated turkeys and all the
ÿxings to several of our
families.
The mothers and daughters
of the National Charity
League (Photo left) blessed
our families with their
collection of cereal, paper
products, diapers, and more.
Lily and Ellie from Girl
Scout Troop 2393 (Photo
left) collected cereal, paper
products, and toiletries while
working on their silver award.
Our friends, Lynn and Gary
Mueller, (Photo right)
presented Angels’ Arms’
Founder/Executive Director
Bess Wilfong with a check for
$12,300 from the 8th Annual
Dan Mueller Memorial Fund
Golf Tournament. What an
honor it is to be part of this
annual fundraiser, hosted in memory of Dan Mueller, who,
at 25 years old, tragically lost his life at the hands of a drunk
driver. The purpose of the DMMF is to celebrate Dan’s life
by “Sharing and Caring”. We love this family and are proud
to say that since 2007, they’ve contributed over $123,000 in
support of our Angels’ Arms foster families.
Providing homes • Embracing children • Fostering families
Thank you to our
friends at World Wide
Technology, Inc. (Photo
right) for ensuring that
ÿve Angels’ Arms foster
families have everything
they need to make
Thanksgiving dinner.
Many thanks to Christine Burghoff
for the groceries donated to the
Jackson family.
Annette Graham (Photo right) also
helped get our kiddos ready for
school with notebooks, pencils,
folders, backpacks, glue sticks,
scissors, pens, crayons.
Mike and Marcia Lucas collected
cereal, napkins, and laundry detergent for our families.
Our friends at Lutheran Hour Ministries donated 60 baskets
to display our auction items.
Thank you to our little friend,
Nathan Pollard, (Photo right)
who sold water during their
community garage sale.
Thank you to Rick Potts for
donating the deep freezer to the
Jackson family.
Thanks to David and Lisa Zickel one child is sleeping
and studying a little better with a new loft bed and desk
underneath.
The Jackson family received a new sofa and pillows, loveseat,
ottoman, and computer armoire
thanks to David Gruber.
The employees at MetLife (Photo right)
helped start students o° on the r ight
foot with their collection of school
supplies.
Members from Windsor Crossing
Community Church once again
helped prepare our students for
the new school year by providing 19 backpacks ÿlled with
notebooks, pencils, crayons, and more.
Thank you to Fred and Laura Weber who donated several nice
kitchen cabinets and some beautiful granite for our homes.
Thank you to our friends at the Scottrade Center who
donated tickets for our families to enjoy Kenny Chesney
and Ariana Grande in concert, as well as the Nitro Circus.
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Angels’ Arms - Changing Lives for Over 15 Years… Together
•••••• Fall & Winter Friends ••••••
We apologize if anyone has been left out. Thank you for your support!
Our friends at Varsity Tutors donated two tutoring packages for 15 hours of tutoring
each.
The Whitchurch family can now enjoy meals together, thanks to a donation of an eightperson dining table from Dawn Carver.
The Assumption Women’s ACTS team (Photo left) adopted Angels’ Arms for their
service project, collecting cereal, breakfast foods, and other non-perishable foods.
We are thankful to Jim Heidorn who donated a twin bed and mattress set to the
Whitchurch family.
Thank you to our friends at the Italian Open and Mike
DiRaimondo (Photo right) for supporting the mission of Angels’ Arms
with a $4,000 donation from their annual outing.
Thank you Bene-Kelly Insurance Agency (Photo left) for hosting an
October collection of hats, scarves and gloves for Angels’ Arms kids.
Erin Ott fulÿlled the need of a crib and baby clothing for the Brown
family.
Junior Board member Liza Werner donated $5 Starbucks gift cards to
six teens in South County for their ÿrst day of school.
Tillman Elementary School Matt Kemp’s 3rd
Grade Class (Photo left) took the time to make each
Angels’ Arms child a special Halloween candy bag.
Thank you to the Lindbergh High School FBLA
(Photo right) for collecting several boxes of
awesome cereal for Angels’ Arms. They °ew o˛ the
shelves once the families found out they were here.
WWT + EMC = Great Results for Our Homes
A huge thank you to the employees at World Wide Technology
and EMC who had 3 separate groups of dedicated workers at 3
of our homes. One group tore up carpet, removed wallpaper
and much more at our newest home in Florissant. At our South
County home, we had a dedicated volunteer rake all of the leaves
up in the front yard. At the same time a fun, hardworking group
of volunteers came out to our home in the City and completely
transformed the house by painting, deep cleaning carpets,
scrubbing, sorting, creating
a fun chalkboard wall,
organizing and much
more.What a phenomenal
work group of volunteers
that spanned three
Angels’ Arms homes in 1
day! EMC also assembled
and donated special bikes
for some of our children.
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Providing homes • Embracing children • Fostering families
Angels’ Arms - Changing Lives for Over 15 Years… Together
~ Honorariums and Memorials ~
In Honor of…
Jeffrey Sexton
Melanie and David Noble
Joan Hill’s 80th Birthday
Mary Reilly
Amy Sullivan
Cynthia Emerick
Hudson Humes
Jessica Gray
Rita Raffaele
Rita McShea
Mary & Mike Meyer
Yvonne Wnuk
Debbie Nalley
James & Mellanie Sandfort
Jaiden Beckman’s 9th Birthday
Judy and William Wakelam
The Foster Parents
Jerry Lenox
Dr. John Stein
Mary Beth Harper
Elena Sherwood
Julie & Steve Sherwood
Phyllis Gurera
Mary Beste
Tom and Lynn Reina
Lou Stemmler
Brandon & Laurie Loeschner
Stephen & Rena Hill
Edith Grieco
Louisa Donovan
In Memory of…
Jerre Minner
John Long
Norine Koch
Je˜r ey Stack
Jean Weinstock
Lawrence and Patricia Barton
Glenda McClain
Grace T. Weber
David Patterson
Esther Lehmann
Laura and William Jones
Dorothy Orr
James Torti
Nancy Henley
Kevin Supple
Teree Davis
Nancy Oneill
Michael Huber
Cindy Reilmann
Pattonville C & I Department
Pattonville School District
Bettegene King
Robin Pilla
Jeanne Doll
Fran & Dennis Kamstra
Sylvia Zeedan
Anne Roth
Brian Dabney
Margaret England
Mary Ellen Spencer
Faye Luna
Brenda & David Skillman
Greg & Dawn Luna
Donalee Luna
Richard & Carol Baum
Esther Ochs
Debbie Nanney
Calvin Tolbert
Melody Henley
Fred Nipper
Dr. & Mrs. John Patrick Stein
Joseph Schweppe, Jr.
Dr. & Mrs. John Patrick Stein
We cannot express how saddened we were
to learn of the unexpected passing of our dear
friend Dan Reilly. Dan was a friend to everyone
and loved nothing more than to make people
happy. PHOTO What a joy it was to learn that a
Anheuser-Busch named a Clydesdale after Dan.
His name is none other than Reilly.
In Memory of Dan Reilly
Joel & Katie Anderson
John & Beth Haase
Lori & Kelly Pope
Tom Schnitz
Chris Haase
Ashley Toner
AJ Haase
Amy & Chris Spurgin
Joe & Lyn Castellano
Mandy & Robert Hosner
John & Debra Herber
Joan & William Marstall
Mary Ann Shepard
James & Jan Rocco
Rebecca Pisoni
Janet Klingler
Catherine Mikel
Mary Reilly
Providing homes • Embracing children • Fostering families
In Memory of The Clothing Fairy
At least three times per year, Angels’ Arms supporter
Sylvia Zedan donated brand new children’s clothing to
Angels’ Arms foster families. She saved her Kohl’s 30%
o˜ coupons and hit the sales and clearance racks. She
loved to shop for boys’ clothes and became a master
at snagging the best deals.
Sylvia had been shopping for our Angels’ Arms kids
since August of 2011. Every Easter, back-to-school
season and Christmas, Sylvia dropped o˜ bags and
bags of brand new boys clothes, complete with tags.
She would let the foster moms and kids pick out their
favorites outÿts. Sylvia passed away in November, but
she will forever be remembered as the Clothing Fairy
to our foster children.
Giving Tuesday Funds New Shoes for 63 Kids
The 3rd Annual Giving Tuesday on December 1st was a success
for Angels’ Arms, raising over $5,000 to treat all the children
in our homes to a private shoe shopping experience at Finish
Line. Many of the children had never had an opportunity
to pick out their very own pair of brand new kicks. Seeing
the joy on their faces that day was priceless. Thank you to
everyone who donated on GivingTuesday to make this
event possible.
Support Angels’ Arms with a
Charitable Gift Through Your IRA
If you are 70 1/2 or older, you can make tax-free donations
from your IRA to Angels’ Arms. Congress has passed
legislation that permanently extends the IRA charitable
rollover provision into the future.
Also, did you know that you can make your charitable
dollars ($1,000 and up) stretch further by using Missouri
state tax credits for contributions to Angels’ Arms? You
can donate twice as much, at less out-of-pocket expense
to you!
For questions, contact Elaine Powers at 314-842-8400
or email Elaine@angelsarms.org.
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Angels’ Arms - Changing Lives for Over 15 Years… Together
Volunteer Opportunities
Are you interested in getting more involved with Angels’ Arms? Consider becoming an Angels’ Arms
Volunteer today! It’s simple, just go to angelsarms.org and fill out the Volunteer Application.
You will then be notiÿed of all the current volunteer opportunities available.
Feel free to call 314-842-8400 or email Maria at maria@angelsarms.org for more information.
Meal Drop-Off Program
In 2015, Angels’ Arms supporters
provided nearly 100 meals for our
foster families. These meals made life
a lot easier for our big families. Thank
you to all who provided a meal.
Home Maintenance Needs
Are you handy with a hammer? Paint
brush? We need you! With 12 homes
to maintain, we are always in need of
a helping hand.
Become a Birthday Pal
Did you know some foster children
have never experienced the joy of
having a birthday party to celebrate
their special day? You can make the
di° erence in their life by choosing to
be their Birthday Pal.
Volunteer
Spotlight
A special thank you to the National Charity League (NCL)- St. Louis Chapter for continuously going above and
beyond in their service to Angels’ Arms. The NCL has hosted fundraising events for Angels’ Arms, such as the Cupcake
Wars, and they collected an abundance of cereal, paper products and more for the Angels’ Arms families. This mother/
daughter service group also continuously adopts Angels’ Arms children as their Birthday Pals, has provided countless
meals for our families, held a Halloween costume drive, hosted a gingerbread making station at our Annual Christmas
party and held other collections throughout the year.
NCL President Anne Fernandez says that NCL truly loves working with Angels’ Arms. With our mission of promoting
a mother/daughter bond while serving our community we feel a special connection to your mission of keeping
foster children together to maintain family unity. We are hugely grateful to the entire Angels’ Arms organization for
a wonderful partnership.
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Providing homes • Embracing children • Fostering families
Angels’ Arms - Changing Lives for Over 15 Years… Together
Volunteer Work Days
Thank you to Steve
Randazzo and Pro Motion!
(Photo left) for coming out
to our Florissant home and
completely repainting the
back porch and front steps.
The family loved being able to
enjoy their porch this Fall.
A special thank you to
The Way Church (Photo
right) for coming out to
our home in Lake St. Louis
and transforming their
basement into the perfect
“Teen Space.” All of their
hard work made a huge
di° erence. The family loves
their new hangout.
Kaplan University Learning Center – St. Louis (2 Photos
above) came out to our Ferguson home and completely
re-painted the front porch and the steps leading to the
family’s basement. Not only did they donate their time,
but Kaplan also awarded Angels’ Arms with a check for
$1,000!
St. Thomas Holy Spirit Lutheran
Church (2 Photos above) members came out to our South
County home and painted a chalkboard walk, folded
T-shirts, cleaned the entire basement and even picked
vegetables from the garden.
Providing homes • Embracing children • Fostering families
A thank you shout-out to
the generous men and
women of the Florissant
Kiwanis Club (Photo right)
who came out to our
Florissant home and spent
the day staining the swing
set, staining the picnic
bench and re-mulching the
front ˜o wer bed.
A special thank you to our
friends at World Wide
Technology (2 Photos right)
who came out to our foster
home in the City and completely
revamped the landscaping. Not
only did they dig up the old
weeds and bushes, but
they put a mesh weed
guard down, laid brand
new mulch and planted
beautiful ˜o wers. After
many wheelbarrow trips
of dirt and weeds, these
volunteers brightened up
the landscaping.
A group of CBC boys (Photo
left) came out to our foster
home in South County to
paint newly built shelves,
assemble beds, and more.
Thank you for the helping
hands.
Some hardworking Drury University (Photo above)
students came out to the City home and repainted the
back deck and laid sod and pavers in the back yard.
11
Angels’ Arms - Changing Lives for Over 15 Years… Together
Birthday Pals
Many children coming into an Angels’ Arms home have
never had a birthday party. Our birthday pals helped our
kiddos celebrate their day in many special ways. From a
Minute to Win It themed birthday, to parties at home with all
the trimmings, to Chuck-e-Cheese, our kids have celebrated
in a big way.
Many thanks to Liza Werner, It’s Your Birthday, Lily
Hanlon, Susan Caldera, Cindy Barton, Lynn Hill, Krista
Signorelli, the Florissant Kiwanis Club, Lindsey Stokes,
The Way Church, and Colleen Stein.
If you’d like to become a Birthday Pal, email Maria at
maria@angelsarms.org.
Angels’ Arms Junior Board is an extremely passionate group
of young professionals whose main purpose since 2005 has
been to raise funds and awareness of Angels’ Arms. This
year the Angels’ Arms Junior Board surpassed the $500,000
mark of funds raised to directly beneÿt the 12 Angels’ Arms
families. The Junior Board also plans fun events for our foster
children to attend throughout the year.
A message from the
ent
Junior Board Presid
Heather Jones:
Sip &
“From the revamped
th
this spring, to the 11
Savor coming later
d
is fall, the Junior Boar
Annual Bar Bounce th
d
astic 2016! Stay tune
is excited for a fant
see
on, and we hope to
for details coming so
ts!
r most popular even
everyone at two of ou
a
inued support of such
Thanks for your cont
n.”
wonderful organizatio
Skating With Santa in Shaw Park
Family Fun Time
Imagine taking a family of eight to Dave & Buster’s, or Sky
Zone, or even out to eat. These activities can become costly
very quickly. Thanks to the wonderful Family Activities
Committee, each month the parents are able to take the
children to a fun outing, while enjoying time with each
other. Activities include Bowling and Bingo, Swing a Round
Fun Town, Dave & Buster’s, and more. The committee
carefully plans each activity, ensuring it will be fun for all
ages. We are so grateful for what they do!
Each year the Junior Board holds a special ice skating event
for all the families at Shaw Park Ice Rink, complete with Santa
Claus, doughnuts, hot chocolate, and treat bags.
Wish List
Can you help fulfill any of these
wishes for our families?
• St. Louis Zoo family membership, $85
• St. Louis Science Center family membership, $120
• Soccer for three children in O’Fallon, $65/child
• Collection of laundry detergent, cereal, twin and full
sheet sets in neutral colors
12
Providing homes • Embracing children • Fostering families
Angels’ Arms - Changing Lives for Over 15 Years… Together
2016 Angels’ Arms Junior Board
President, Heather Jones – Lipics Engagements
Vice President, Megan Gordon - Cigna Healthcare
Secretary, Nicolle Wright – YMCA Trout Lodge
Treasurer, Aaron Pollard - RubinBrown
10th Annual Bar Bounce
Serves Up a Great Time
Over 800 people came out to participate in the 10th Annual
Bar Bounce to beneÿt Angels’ Arms held in historic Soulard,
generating nearly $38,000. The bounce continues to be one
of the largest in the St. Louis area and each year draws in new
participants because of its fun atmosphere, featuring over
100 teams of 8-12 bouncers in all di° erent colored T-shirts!
Thank you to this year’s Chair Kevin Doll!
Two Happy Hours Benefit Families
The Junior Board took a twist on
the traditional happy hour and
hosted their annual Summer
Happy Hour at Tilles Park.
Instead of donating money,
every person that attended
donated food items and other
supplies for the Angels’ Arms
foster families.
JB’ers and friends enjoyed some delightful renditions of tunes
and raised $570 for Angels’ Arms foster families right here in
St. Louis and St. Charles. Thank you to everyone who came out
and made this such a successful night!
Providing homes • Embracing children • Fostering families
*Kristin Charlesworth - Family and Community Therapy Services
Kevin Doll - Mills Window and Door
*Mike Flavin - C.J. Thomas Company
Jennifer Gebhardt - Purk & Associates, P.C.
Tracy Gellman - Gateway to Hope
*Annie Hall - Purk & Associates, PC
Marlo Hamilton - ExamOne
Gabe Jones - Archdiocese of St. Louis
Stephanie Jones - Purk & Associates, P.C.
*Shamonie Latham - Anheuser Busch
James Milford - Scottrade
*Jordan Shelton - Wentzville School District
Flo Tichacek - The Climate Corporation
Vanessa Valentino - EverBank
* Denotes new members for 2016
Are You Interested in Serving on
Our Junior Board?
• Download the Junior Board Application at
www.angelsarms.org
• Interview with a current Junior Board Member
• Start making a di° erence in the lives of Angels’ Arms
children right here in St. Louis.
Questions? Please contact Maria Chandler at
maria@angelsarms.org.
13
Angels’ Arms - Changing Lives for Over 15 Years… Together
A Roaring Success!
Over 520 Angels’ Arms supporters came out to River City
Casino and Hotel to help “Put on the Ritz”. Thank you to
award-winning KSDK reporter and Show-Me St. Louis
TV Host Heidi Glaus, for
once again being the
emcee of this event. With
over 270 silent auction
items, an extravagant
dinner with handmade
chocolate houses for all, a spectacular
live auction, a jazz trio, and moving
presentation from 3 of the older youth
living in our homes, the night was truly
a roaring success.
A very special thank you to River City Casino for hosting
such an over-the-top venue and to Event Chair Tom
Hartnagel, the event planning committee and the
dozens of volunteers that made this year’s event the most
successful to date, raising over $280,000 for Angels’ Arms.
Guests were
transported back to
the the times of the
Special Thanks to Our Sponsors
Great Gatsby, complete with a bathtub
of booze, ra˜e f or a luxury trip to Vegas,
1920’s headpieces, live jazz music and
more. Guests were adorned in all sorts
of special periodic attire.
The National Charity League received the Volunteer of
the Year award for their outstanding service and support of
our mission and Oakville Dental was awarded the Jeanne
Marie Doll Business Partner of the Year Award for their
continued dedication to helping the foster children living
in Angels’ Arms homes. And special thanks to Jim Heidorn
for all of these professional and fabulous photos.
Please be sure to mark your calendars for the
16th Annual Gala
Saturday, November 19, 2016 at
River City Casino and Hotel
Be on the lookout for hotel room discounts as well!
14
Moneta Group
Cisco
Purk & Associates
Citizens National Bank
Renaissance Financial
Daniel and Henry
RubinBrown
Daniel P. Leach Family Charities
Scottrade, Inc
Dittrich and Associates
Stinson Leonard Street
Emerson Electric
Sunset Ford
LDI Pharmaceuticals
Varsity Tutors
Lewis Rice Fingersh
Lucas Careers
William S. Kallaos Family Foundation
Merrill Lynch
World Wide Technology
Midwest Pain Center
Providing homes • Embracing children • Fostering families
Angels’ Arms - Changing Lives for Over 15 Years… Together
Event Recaps
St. Louis Cardinals’ Baseball Wives Give Back in a Big Way
We did it! Thank you St. Louis Cardinals FANS for helping us sell out before ÿrst
pitch. All 300 autographed baseballs were sold in record time, helping us raise
close to $15,000 for Angels’ Arms in mere hours. Our very own Javon threw out
the honorary ÿrst pitch, and a special shout out to all the amazing volunteers who
made this possible, along with our wonderful sponsors Merrill Lynch, ChurchVerhulst Group, Cardinals wives Jenny Wainwright and Mackenzie Carpenter and
our fantastic Cardinals representative, Laura Hanger. GO CARDS!
St. Louis Apartment Association Angel Dash 5K
12 Bars of Charity Breaking Records!
Thank you to the SLAA for hosting their annual Angel Dash
5K Run. A beautiful day and great turnout led to a lot of
awareness for Angels’ Arms and raised $500.
This year Angels’ Arms had over 200 supporters come out and
sport their pink sweatshirt to represent Team Angels’ Arms –
Team Pink at this year’s event. With both record-breaking
attendance and money raised, Angels’ Arms raised over
$2,000.
BreakRoom Concert
Series Continues
Our friends at ShowMe Cables continue to
host some killer concerts featuring up and
coming artists from all over the country--all
to beneÿt charities. Angels’ Arms is one of
the fortunate recipients of these funds, and
we couldn’t be happier. Not only to we get
to hear some fine tunes from incredibly
talented songwriters and performers, but we
get funds to sustain and grow our mission.
Thanks John Lynch and Pete Foley for
making this happen.
12th Annual Angels’ Arms Trivia Night
Rakes in Record Numbers
Thank you to the Kallaos and Kamburis families who hosted another night of
fantastic fun with their sold out Trivia Night at CBC. Every penny raised goes
to the monthly activities that these two families host for all 12 families. Both
the parents and children look forward to these activities every month. What
a blessing this is.
Q: How much money was raised at the 12th Annual Angels’ Arms Trivia Night?
A: Over $19,000 thanks to our amazing supporters!
Providing homes • Embracing children • Fostering families
15
Angels’ Arms
12128A Tesson Ferry Road
St. Louis, MO 63128
Non-Proÿt Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
St. Louis, MO
Permit No. 1247
Changing Lives for Over 15 Years…
Together
Visit us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Become a FAN of our Angels’ Arms Facebook Page and
receive the latest updates by following us on
Twitter and Instagram at
@angelsarmsSTL
www.angelsarms.org
Calendar of Events
≈ March 5 ≈
St. Pat’s Bash
Royale Orleans
≈ April 9 & 10 ≈
GO! St. Louis Family Fitness Weekend
Downtown St. Louis
≈ May 20 ≈
Sip & Savor
Hilton Frontenac
≈ September 9 ≈
Javier Mendoza Benefit for Angels’ Arms
The Focal Point
≈ October 8 ≈
Bar Bounce
Soulard
≈ November 19 ≈
Steppin’ Out for the Angels
River City Casino
Join Team Angels’ Arms for the
GO! St. Louis Family Fitness Weekend
Do you like to walk … jog … run while at the same time
raise money for local foster children here in St. Louis? Then
join Team Angels’ Arms 2016 GO! St. Louis team today. It’s
free to join, and you get a personalized fundraising page to
easily raise money for Angels’ Arms foster families.
What you get:
- FREE registration
- Team Angels’ Arms T-shirt
- Team Angels’ Arms running swag
- Discounts at Big River Running Company
- Personalized fundraising page on Crowdrise
- And more!!
Saturday, April 9th – 5K only
Sunday, April 10th – Half Marathon, Marathon Relay, and
Full Marathon
Visit angelsarms.org to sign up or email Maria at
maria@angelsarms.org
Providing homes • Embracing children • Fostering families