Angel Interfaith Network is so much more than the four souls who labor in the basement of a South Pasadena church on behalf of patients and families from the L.A. County + USC Medical Center network.
Who else is part of AIN? I love to tell groups like PEO or the South Pasadena Rotary Club or my Executive Service Corps class that they should never underestimate the raw POWER of caring women from churches and temples who put their sewing, knitting and crocheting skills to work on behalf of our patients. Dedicated social workers and chaplains put in long hours on behalf of patients to see that critical needs are met. Our AIN board members have been giving an extra measure of time, care and thought to the future as we undergo a strategic planning process. Donors are responding to a variety of new opportunities for supporting the ongoing work of our organization such as those described in the story below and are encouraging friends to join them. The baby baskets, home care supplies, diapers and furnishings make their way from South Pasadena to needy homes throughout L.A. County with help from caring individuals.
This month we extend our deep gratitude to each and every one of you, whether or not you can join us here on February 23rd. Angel Interfaith Network is all of you!
Rev. Donald L. Smith, Executive Director
"Sowing Seeds of Love" Luncheon
There would be no “network” in Angel Interfaith Network without the host of faithful volunteers who help us to serve the emergency needs of patients of the L.A. County + USC Medical Center and its network in many and varied ways. This year AIN seeks to show its appreciation at a luncheon with the theme “ Sowing Seeds of Love ” on SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23rd, 11:30 – 2:00 p.m. at Calvary Presbyterian Church, 1050 Fremont Avenue , South Pasadena .
This will be the seventeenth annual volunteer appreciation luncheon for our network. Each year the ranks of individual and group honorees have expanded to include volunteers, young and old, from throughout the greater Los Angeles area. For group honorees this year, we look to the San Fernando and Santa Clarita Valleys. Faithful and generous donors of baby supplies and toys from St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Valencia are being honored this year after years of being a dependable source of supplies for AIN.
 In addition, some new friends from Tierra del Sol in Sunland will be recognized for the valuable contribution they have been making each week in tracking our inventory and keeping the storage shelves in good order. Tierra del Sol serves developmentally disabled adults, finding volunteer opportunities and work experience for them with organizations in the San Fernando Valley and adjacent areas. Tierra del Sol believes “adults learn best when they are actively engaged in activities that are personally meaningful.” The enthusiasm and dedication these new friends have brought to AIN has benefited our organization and the patients we serve tremendously for over a year now.
The surprises will be the individuals honored this year. Those envelopes are still sealed! We hope that many friends of Angel Interfaith Network will join us for an afternoon of food, music and fun. RSVP to the AIN office by February 15th. Call 626-799-2858 or e-mail us at office@angelinterfaith.net to let us know you will be coming.
Between Storms
 “The storm has passed,” thought Ann Mills, our Care Coordinator. Thick storm clouds retreated toward the mountain as she parked in front of the bright green South LA house. She had been there one week before trying to deliver a brand new crib for a 14 month-old little girl who had been in and out of the hospital most of her life. Her aunt had agreed to receive the crib, because the baby was once again in the hospital and her mother was with her. But when Ann arrived, the dog was guarding the yard and no one answered the phone. Something must have happened.
A few days later Ann called again and the aunt confirmed they would be at home. But she was not prepared for the situation she encountered. When Ann arrived at the house a man came out to help her unload the heavy crib parts and take them into the house. Once in the house, she saw that aunt was indeed there, welcoming her in a subdued voice. Ann asked if she were feeling well, and the aunt said she was but did not elaborate. After the man helped to put the crib together the aunt gave Ann the news that the little girl had passed away at 5 that morning. They still needed the crib, however, because the mother was expecting another baby in March. The man was the father.
They talked and looked at pictures of the baby, and Ann assured the family that AIN would help in whatever way we could once they began to sort out what would be needed. She was told that the mother wanted to greet her but was not feeling well enough to get out of bed. As Ann waited she noticed that a crèche still stood on a table in the corner of the room. The shepherds and wise men had been moved to accommodate a life-size doll wrapped in a receiving blanket—probably the project of one of the other children living there. It was a symbol of the two young lives, one ending and one just about to begin, both wrapped in the love of that family. How important it would be for them in the coming days that they knew their children were held in God's loving arms. Then in the mother's small bedroom they talked and wept and prayed together.
As Ann was leaving, the drops began to fall on her windshield, and she realized she was between two fronts of the storm.
AIN Giving Feels Good!
As 2007 drew to a close, two of our most devoted angels independently arrived at the same idea. Barbara Smith and Malcolm Blue each decided they had no need to retain responsibility for upkeep of their old vehicles. They each wanted to sell them with the proceeds going to Angel Interfaith Network . We are so grateful for their generous year-end inspiration! Although each worked through different car-donation organizations, AIN has now established a regular relationship with Charitable Auto Resources (CARS). If a similar generous impulse should happen to strike you, let us suggest that you find the car key symbol at the bottom of the AIN website front page and click on it for more information.
Along with the car key symbol at the bottom of the page, you'll notice an assortment of symbols for other convenient giving options now available to supporters of Angel Interfaith Network. In December, we told you about GoodSearch, a Yahoo-supported search engine that will now yield returns to AIN every time you use it to search for a site on the internet. The Ralph's Club Community Contributions program is our oldest “painless giving” option. Clicking on the Ralph's symbol at the bottom of the page will take you to the easy steps of registering your Ralph's Club card to credit between 1 and 4% of your grocery purchases to Angel Interfaith Network, using our NPO number 84251.
An especially honored place is reserved for our “Sustaining Angel” option. Angels like Nancy Hogan-Baur have arranged for regular monthly contributions to AIN using the convenient Paypal button on our AIN website. Regular contributions like those from Nancy assure AIN of a more predictable, regular income stream, allowing us to plan for a future that will continue to assure pastoral care and emergency support services to patients of the L.A. County USC Medical Center network. Others have set up regular payroll deductions or bank withdrawals for the benefit of AIN. The frequency and amounts are up to you. It is the dependability of regular income that makes “Sustaining Angel” contributions so valuable. Help AIN to be eligible for a reward from Paypal by being among the first 1,000 nonprofits to earn $500 through Paypal by 3/31/08. Consider a Paypal donation using the convenient Paypal button on our website today. We'll arrange a “Hallelujah Chorus” to thank you!
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