For the 3^rd year in a row, The Finish Line and their wonderful staff at South County Mall opened their doors to Angels’ Arms foster families for a private shopping experience on Sunday, January 17.

When kids enter our nonprofit, many of them have little to no clothing of their own. Heather Jones, President of the Angels’ arms Junior Board and a dedicated volunteer, believes that the shoes this event provides “not only represent something that is

truly theirs, but it also shows them that people out there care about them and their well-being.”

Because of our promise to keep siblings together in a safe, stable family environment, many parents that foster through Angels’ Arms have up to six children in their home at once, thus resulting in sticking to a tight budget.

Each household only receives an average of $15 per child per month from the state, so an expense such as new, brand name shoes is a luxury that many foster families cannot afford.

One of our foster moms, Katie Brown said, “It’s not very often someone says to a foster kiddo,’ Pick out whatever shoes you want, brand new, any brand, any color, it’s all up to you!’… The excitement lasts much longer than just the shopping experience.  There’s always a level of happiness and joy about wearing their new shoes to school.”

Angels’ Arms firmly believes in allowing foster children to be children, and it was through the generosity of our community and donations collected on Giving Tuesday, that allowed us to provided all 65 of our kids with a brand new pair of shoes.

THANK YOU for making the 2016 New Kicks for Foster Kids such a resounding success!

DID YOU KNOW….January is National Mentor Appreciation Month, and the perfect month to begin our journey with Life Launch’s mentor program!

Each of our youth, ages 14-21 have 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 reflect the trauma of child abuse and neglect, loss of siblings and parents, people moving quickly in and out of their lives and ALL before finding 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 first to make this endeavor with the youth!

Do you have what it takes to be a mentor? Check out us out at angelsarm.org/life-launch to learn more! Contact Amanda O’Neal at amanda@angelsarms.org with any questions about how you can make a difference in the life of a youth!

Our dear friends at Forest Hills Country Club, along with mothers and daughters from the National Charity League: Gateway Chapter, hosted a magical Christmas party for our Angels’ Arms foster families, staff and board. This is the first time all of us have gathered together for the holidays, and we can assure you that we’ve never before experienced a celebration on this level.

The foster families, board members and staff enjoyed a delicious dinner, complete with various food stations including a salad bar, numerous buffet options, a carving station and decadent desserts.

The children enjoyed decorating their very own gingerbread houses and had a special visit by Santa himself.

We are full of gratitude for this incredibly generous act of kindness on the part of everyone at Forest Hills Country Club. The event created lasting memories for many foster children, making them feel important, wanted and special this holiday season. 

We will never forget this night! 

 

How do we thank all of the dedicated and caring Cisco employees who came to our newest Angels’ Arms home to decorate the bedrooms, baths and basement area.

Everyone did a fantastic job of getting right to work and performing the tedious tasks of assembling IKEA furniture. The rooms are warm, fun and inviting and are just about ready to accommodate some beautiful foster children.

And if that wasn’t enough, they provided several much-needed items such as diapers, wipes, paper products, food, cleaning supplies, sheets, curtains, blankets, and much more. RaMona (the new foster mom who will be caring for kids in this house) is overjoyed and overcome with emotion by their generosity. She can’t wait to move in and start her new role as foster mom of 6.

We are truly grateful for all the money Cisco was able to secure for this project. They 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.

Thank you, Cisco, for making a real difference in the lives of innocent children. You have done so much for this mission.

For more photos, click HERE

We are so excited to share the news!

Angels’ Arms is one of four finalists in the St. Louis Blues “Power Play Goals for Kids” contest, sponsored by Ameren Missouri. Your daily VOTE between December 1 and February 6 could help us win $200 for every power play goal scored by the St. Blues this season. 

Please VOTE for Angels’ Arms every day at www.amerenmissouri.com/blues and SHARE!  

Click HERE to watch a promo video featuring Angels’ Arms Founder/ Executive Director, Bess Wilfong.

*Voting is easy and done using your email address. You can vote ONCE per day, per email address.

 

UPDATE: 12/2/2015

WOW! THANK YOU to everyone who donated on ?#?GivingTuesday?! You blew our $3, 500 goal out of the water and helped us raise $7,180 which will ensure that ALL 58 kiddos in our homes receive a new pair of tennis shoes and the extra funds raised will help us continue to assist our foster families ongoing needs into 2016. Thank you for believing in the work that we do. With your support, we’re able to show the foster children in our homes that they are wanted, loved and worthy! 

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2015 is #GivingTuesday

Your contribution on #GivingTuesday will ensure that ALL 58 foster children living in our 11 Angels’ Arms homes receive a new pair of tennis shoes for the 3rd Annual NEW KICKS FOR FOSTER KIDS fundraising campaign! 

#GivingTuesday is a global day dedicated to giving back. On Tuesday, December 1, 2015, charities, families, businesses, community centers, and students around the world will come together for one common purpose: to celebrate generosity and to give.

Are you a frequent AMAZON shopper? If so, you can help Angels’ Arms by shopping online!

Simply visit smile.amazon.com, log-in to your amazon account and choose ANGELS’ ARMS when prompted to select a charity to support.  By doing so, 0.5% of your total purchase will go back to Angels’ Arms. It’s that easy and there is NO cost to you!

So don’t forget….next time you shop on Amazon, use smile.amazon.com

Click HERE to learn more about Amazon Smile.

 

With our largest fundraiser less than a month away, we’re scrambling to finalize our silent auction baskets and could use some help.

Do you frequent Home Goods, Hobby Lobby, TJ Maxx or Target? We need items to complete our baking and home decor baskets. Anything from kitchen utensils, pots/pans, serving platters/dishes, dish towels, etc. would be a great addition. Also, any home decor items such as frames, candles, throw blankets/pillow and lamps would work. Check the clearance aisles for these things and if you are able to get them for us, contact Maria Chandler at 314-842-8400 to coordinate drop off/pick up times.

Are you animal lover and frequent local pet stores/boutiques? Help us build awesome doggy/kitty baskets with items such as leashes, bowls, food, tags, crates, accessories, grooming certificates, etc.

Not a shopper but you are a season ticket holder of Cardinals, Blues, Rams, Mizzou, Billikens tickets? We could use tickets to complete some of our sports baskets. If you are willing to donate a pair of your tickets for the 2015/2016 seasons, we would LOVE that! Contact Amber Odom at 314-842-8400 for details. All donations are tax deductible.

Thanks in advance for your help!

On October 11th, the National Charity League brought the Halloween spirit out in each of our foster children through their Halloween Costume Collection Pick-Up day at Forest Hills Country Club. This collection of costumes was organized by Kelle Crowe and the NCL Class of 2018 and gathered at various churches and dance studios, as well as other area schools.

For close to three hours, Angels’ Arms foster parents and their children were able to “shop” and pick out the exact costume they wanted to be this year for Halloween. 

While this was an exciting and fun day for the children, the parents were just as thankful as the kids. Collecting Halloween costumes allowed our foster parents to save time and money. With some Angels’ Arms foster families having 5+ children under the age of 10…that’s a lot of time and money saved!

Now, all Angels’ Arms foster children can enjoy Halloween tricks and treats this year thanks to the NCL. Happy Halloween!

Enjoy 5 scrumptious varieties of gourmet breads baked fresh for your family by a wonderfully talented Larysa Enk. Any one of the 5 varieties below would make for a perfect treat to go along with you morning tea or coffee. Also, consider ordering as gifts for your family, friends and co-workers.

Click HERE to order!

*Each loaf is approximately 20oz. Breads contain no preservatives or flavor imitation. Due to fresh fruit used if not consumed within 24h, it should be refrigerated. 

ONLY $10 per loaf, 100% of the proceeds will benefit Angels’ Arms.
Online orders available Oct 19. through Nov 19.

Banana Bread 
Classic banana bread gets a tropical makeover with toasted shredded coconut and sliced almonds.

Cranberry Orange Bread with Walnuts
The combination of fresh tart cranberries sweetened with oranges, another holiday fruit, is one of the classic flavor pairings in baking.

Dried Plum Bread with Walnuts
Dried plums soaked with vanilla extract then added to the dough, give this fall bread sweetness and texture. Bread best enjoyed with a dollop of butter or jam.

Pumpkin Apple Bread
Two fall favorites work their magic in this spicy bread with a streusel topping. No nuts. Can be wrapped in plastic and foil and refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 1 month

Pumpkin Bread with Dates (no nuts).
Classic pumpkin bread gets a makeover with buttery rich fruit grown in Southern California, dates.

*Orders placed on Monday-Wednesday will be available to pick up on Thursdays
*Orders placed on Thursday-Sunday will be available to pick up on Mondays.
Pick up from Angels’ Arms office between 9am-5pm:
12128A Tesson Ferry Road, St. Louis, MO 63128

Questions: Contact Amber Odom at 314-842-8400