Summer has been a busy season for us at Angel Interfaith Network. Mother's Day yielded a fresh supply of baby items, and supplies and furnishings are going out from AIN to locations near and far. Below you'll see a glimpse of our newly refurbished storeroom with everything securely in its place, ready to travel.
We invite you to click on the links to our website and learn more about the "Sustaining Angels" program, the 33 households now supporting AIN through Ralph's grocery purchases, and the variety of creative ways volunteers are helping us to soar. It's time NOW to mark your calendars for the Fall Fundraising Luncheon at Oneonta Congregational Church on SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20th. The board, staff and volunteers join me in thanking you for all you do to extend caring to the patients of L.A. County + USC Medical Center through AIN.
Rev. Donald L. Smith, Executive Director
Kid-Power Propels AIN Services
 It's no secret that the women of churches and temples contribute mightily to the goods Angel Interfaith Network provides to patients of LAC + USC Medical Center . What has been especially encouraging in recent months has been the strong contribution made by some youthful angels learning about service in the community.
Students of Sharon Bergh's service learning class at Franklin High School ( Los Angeles ) contributed a total of 37 handmade blankets before their summer vacation break. Franklin student Larry Jackson wrote us to say “I made 3 blankets for the babies born at the county hospital. It was fun to make the blankets for the babies. P.S. Everyone in Mrs. Bergh's class likes to make blankets for them.” They join students closer to us in South Pasadena from South Pasadena Yarn Network (SPYNET) who contribute knit items to us regularly through Kristen Dube.
Boy Scout motto “Be prepared” inspired the offer of aspiring Eagle Scout Matt Starling to secure our AIN storage room with shelves bolted to the walls. Now we're ready for the next earthquake! Fellow scouts from Troop 139 meeting at South Pasadena United Methodist Church and some South Pasadena High wrestling teammates spent Memorial Day weekend and beyond on the project and did some repair to our Alhambra “Eagle Storage Shed” as well. Matt is pictured here with Rev. Rex McDaniel of Calvary Presbyterian stabilizing a storage shelf.
Recommended Reading for Young Teens
"Gracie's Girl" by Ellen Wittlinger, Aladdin paperbacks (Simon & Schuster) (c) 2000 |
Not to be outdone, the Girl Scouts and Brownies have also made impressive recent contributions. The annual Father-Daughter dance for Troop #653 in El Segundo collected nearly $4,000 worth of baby supplies as their price of admission to the event. Brownies from Troop # 505 in Valley Village teamed up with women from Faith Presbyterian Church to host a Mother's Day Luncheon and Baby Shower at the church with items donated to AIN. Taylor Campbell from Girl Scout Troop #480 made a visit to LAC + USC Medical Center with others from her troop, learning about needs of patients in preparation for a Bronze Star Award project. Finally, Margaret Von Bibra just delivered 22 quilts she created for newborns in the hospital as her Gold Star award project.
Youthful energy and creativity like this will sustain AIN services to patients of LAC + USC Medical Center for years to come. Kids, you are the “wind beneath our wings!”
The Right Prescription: Attention, Time, Care
 Sometimes a family's greatest need is attention and time. Last week Ann made a visit to a young woman caring for her grandmother at home in the Rampart District of L.A. There she met four primary school-aged great-grandchildren -- two boys and two girls -- who greeted her with shy curiosity.
At that moment their Mom was concerned about where she could buy adult diapers that tape together. Her neighborhood stores sell only the pull-up kind--hard for her very frail grandmother to put on. Without a car, she was at a loss. We were able to bring over a small emergency supply, have a good visit, and then research her area to find a source of diapers for her in the future. The woman knew she could count on AIN because we came on behalf of the faith community. In addition, we had already identified an affordable source for an expensive physician-prescribed nutritional supplement for the grandmother and arranged for the pharmacy to deliver to their apartment.
As we respond to the needs of each family—whether it is with supplies or helpful information--the most important support we provide is affirmation of their own efforts to cope with the challenges before them, and the knowledge that they are not alone in their struggle.
A New Breed of Angel
Recognized authorities in the field have taught AIN a lot about “angels.” Young Olive (age 9) tells us with a great deal of certainty, “Everybody’s got it all wrong. Angels don’t wear halos anymore. I forget why, but scientists are working on it.” Thanks, Olive! We were wondering about that. Mitchell (age 7) offered something of a job description for angels. “Angels work for God and watch over kids when God has to go do something else,” he informs us.
One thing we know around here is that angels are messengers of good will, and they make things happen. We can see some of it before our eyes in concrete ways – taxi transportation, food vouchers, cribs and mattresses for needy patients. A real dilemma we’ve struggled with is, “What are the characteristics of an ‘interfaith angel?’” Was there a difference between the angels that came to visit Abraham by the oaks of Mamre in Jewish tradition and the angel Gabriel who foretold the birth of Jesus to Mary? Did any of them have halos, Olive? This would be helpful to us as we think about AIN logos.
 But one new and favored breed of angel is emerging in AIN’s heavenly host – the “ SUSTAINING ANGEL.” The “sustaining angel” is a supporter who pledges a regular amount, large or small, to Angel Interfaith Network at an interval of his or her choosing. Most helpful are “sustaining angels” who choose to offer their support on a monthly basis. As we seek to build AIN’s capacity for service to the patients of L.A. County + USC Medical Center, we have a target of $5,000 in regular monthly support from “sustaining angels.” Jim Piazzola, Vice President of the AIN board of directors and Director of the L.A. County + USC Medical Center Department of Clinical Social Work, became a “sustaining angel” by arranging for regular monthly payments from his bank, just as he does with his other recurring bills. He knows that it helps AIN to have regular, predictable income as we plan our future. Another easy way of offering that support is to go to the AIN website and sign up for regular donations online through Paypal as some others have done. Click here to see how easy it is. We challenge all our readers to help us reach our monthly target of $5,000 in support from those most righteous and beautiful “sustaining angels.” While you’re at it, we’d also welcome any idea from you about the appearance of “interfaith angels” too. |
