January 2021
January 2021 NEWSLETTER
CHRISTMAS GIVING 2020 ANGEL STYLE
When our community leaders walked into our Angel Visitation Center, it was a site to behold! Even though we were unable to do our annual Christmas Party to distribute the gifts, it was a beautiful two days for the agencies we partnered with. Thanks to the generous hearts of our amazing Christmas Angels, this year was the best ever for the hundreds children we served. Each agency had their specific date and time to pick up gifts and carry them away. There were trucks, vans, cars and suvs ready and excited to pick up all the bags of gifts for every child. At the conclusion of our final day, the Angels knew once again their mission was accomplished and there would be a lot of joy and smiles Christmas Morning. We will be sharing some of the feedback we received both in this January Newsletter and our February Newsletter because we know how important it is to pass on to our readers and donors the amazing difference they are making in these children’s lives. There are no words to express our appreciation and gratitude to all those that participated in our 2020 Christmas Program, especially while dealing with COVID the entire year!
God has blessed the Angels beyond belief and we are so grateful! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Al & Susan Bennati
Alexandra Bryant
Alina Linthicum
Allen & Sarah Keesler
Allen, Johanna
Amanda Meland
Angels Against Abuse, Inc
Bailey’s Medical Equipment
Becky Hudson
Career Path Training/Roadmaster Driving School
Clearwater Barre
Corey Heilman
Curativa Bay Corporation
David Herman, Trustee White Family Foundation
Diana & Kerry Helinger
Douglas Bauer
Ella Reams
Evan Rosich
Flora and Mike Corrigan
Heather Yung
Helen & Rudy Consoni
J Larsen & Associates CPA
James & Kriste Helinger
Jason & Amanda Meland
John & Sandy Kearney
Karen Faller
Ken & Maureen Heretick
Kim & Richard Bauer
Kristen Davis
Mark & Jessica Young
Nicole & Tony Spinelli
Nicole Day
Paula & Charles Park
Rebecca Anderson
Susan Proctor
Ten Pins Bowling Alley
The Broadrick Family Foundation
The Speer Foundation
The White Family Foundation
TIGNA Grant
Veterans of Foreign War Post 2473
Weston Newman
FRIENDS OF THE CHILDREN
The Friends of the Children want to thank you and the Angels, Roadmaster and all who help make all 55 of our youth Christmas a great one it put smiles on their faces as well as tears in the caregivers eyes. The Youth all said that it was the best Christmas ever the younger youth were very happy to receive the tablets as well for Christmas. Angels we are so grateful for your love and support that you give us here at Friends of the Children Tampa Bay,
Love all of the Friends and Staff.
THESE PICTURES ARE STOCK PICTURES VS ACTUAL PHOTOS DUE TO THE CONFIDENTIAL NATURE OF CHILDREN IN THE CHILD WELFARE SYSTEM.
Something to Smile About.
The holiday gifts were a huge success. The families were very thankful. The children were able to get everything from their lists and more. The children were so happy to have gotten so many great gifts. The families were also very thankful to get some of the household necessities that they needed to continue to get by. Because of Angels Against Abuse, these families had a wonderful Christmas. The parents were so thankful since there was so much stress over the holidays due to their financial hardships. These generous donations gave both these families a Christmas that they otherwise wouldn’t have had.
Thank you so much for your generosity for these families over the holidays. Without all the Christmas Angels, these families would not have had Christmas!
WE LOVE THE ANGELS
WE LOVE THE ANGELS!
A MESSAGE FROM THE ANGELS
The Angels are so proud to have provided Christmas to approximately 400 children this year to our community partners from Directions for Living, Friends of the Children, Healthy Start PAT+ and the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office CPI Division. This is only thanks to the generosity of amazing individuals, businesses and organizations who wanted to make sure that children who have little to smile about have a Christmas to Remember. Even with COVID, the Angels made it happen Angel Style. I would like to personally thank everyone who participated in our 2020 Christmas for their generous hearts.
Sandy Kearney, Founder
Angels Against Abuse
Thank You From The Bottom Of Our Hearts
Live your life so that your children can tell their children that you not only stood for something wonderful – you acted on it
That is what each of you did!
Directions for Living
Dear Angels Against Abuse – thank you, thank you, thank you! Your support of the children Directions for Living (DFL) serves this Christmas was truly amazing. Not only did the Angels fill complete wish lists for 31 children in need from our Children’s Services, gifting them exactly what they asked Santa for, but – as always – the Angels stepped up for last-minute needs as well. A total of 83 children and their families experiencing housing instability were placed in hotel/motels at the last minute, through the support of DFL’s Homeless Services, to have a safe place to spend Christmas off the streets. As you could imagine, these parents were not able to provide gifts for their children in these circumstances…and that’s where the Angels stepped in! Within just moments of our last minute request, Angels were able to provide a bag for each child and allowed us to empty out Santa’s Corner with hundreds of gifts for these kids.
The children LOVED their gifts. They were completely surprised and genuinely relieved that Santa had found them, even in the hotel! Through your generosity, these children were able to experience some much-needed magic during such a stressful, confusing time. Between our children in hotels and our original 30+ wish lists, DFL kiddos received incredibly special gifts this year, including scooters, Hot Wheels Race Tracks, Barbies, Dinosaurs (that light up and move!), new clothes, and LOL Surprise Dolls – just to name a few!
Not only was your generosity responsible for so many Christmas smiles for the little ones, it was also an unimaginable gift to the parents as well. One parent said “Without these gifts, I truly believed this Christmas was going to be the worst one we’ve ever had. Instead, it turned into the most memorable, happy day for our entire family.” We hope you know the transformative impact of your kindness. Angels Against Abuse was a bright light that brought joy to so many of our children and families who struggled through this holiday season after a particularly tough year. On behalf of the clients, staff, and Board of Directors at DFL, thank you so much.
HEALTHY START PAT+
Our families were incredibly blessed with gifts from Angels. The families were touched and overwhelmed by the generosity. We were worried we would not be able to provide Christmas to any of our families. Instead us and our families were provided with the resilience from Sandy and our friends at Angels. There would not have been Christmas for Parents as Teachers families without Angels Against Abuse.
140,000 TUMMIES FILLED IN 2020
Thank You Gina for all you do in our community to take care of the hunger needs of children and families. YOU are amazing and the Angels are so happy to partner with you!
MOUSE NIBBLES PROGRAM
The Kind Mouse has been busier than ever during this difficult time packing and delivering to hungry children and families by filling there little bellies. No child should go to bed hungry and thanks to the Kind Mouse, little bellies get filled every day! Thank you Gina for paving the way!
SHARE SOME NEWS!
We would love to share some good news to our Angels, Friends and Families that receive this newsletter. During these times of uncertainty, fear and frustrations, good news gives us Hope and something to brighten our days. We know there is some amazing work being done by so many individuals and agencies in our community so please share your stories so we can pass them on to others. Please email Sandy Kearney at [email protected] and we will make sure your stories are shared in our next newsletter.
To all the first responders, the community leaders, the generous individuals and our Angels who are making a difference in the lives of children and families. Over the past several months you have worked tireless hours to help the children and families in our community who are in need of so much be safe and cared for. To all of our friends and family members who are struggling through this difficult time, our prayers and thoughts are with you!
NEVER lose sight of HOPE, hold on to your FAITH, and know that WE are all in this TOGETHER! God never puts more on our plate than we can handle and there will be brighter days ahead of us. WE all need to pull together as ONE and find PEACE and HARMONY in our days ahead!
NO MEETINGS SCHEDULED UNTIL FEBRUARY 9TH?
Unfortunately COVID Is Still In Charge Of Our Days,
however PCC is reopening on a very limited number of people
and many guidelines to follow, but we are grateful for what we can get!
If you are interested in attending, it will be based on when you RSVP
It’s Still Important We Stay In Touch To Let You Know Our News!
Hopefully Our Monthly News Will Give You An Update of
Angels Making A Difference…
We have a lot to do to get ready for the holidays so please start working on your wish list.
prepare for this huge undertaking.
JUST HANG IN THERE!
Are you coming to our Angel Meeting?
LOCATION
Pasadena Community Church, Life Enrichment Center
DATE AND TIME
2/9/21 8:30am – 2/9/21 9:30am
Welcome back meeting from COVID-19
WE ARE STILL OPTIMISTIC…
SINCE OUR April 19th 2020 Annual Blue Ribbon Gala was been cancelled for this year, and rescheduled for April 10th 2021, we still are making a difference in the lives of so many children in our community who need our assistance. We have been working hand in hand with our community partners helping to get these children ready for school as well as assisting with the many needs of our homeless families trying to keep their children safe and our of the child welfare system. As you can imagine, since we were unable to host our annual Blue Ribbon event, our ability to raise funds has been challenging. Every dollar we do receive is immediately put directly on a child’s need. If there are any individuals or businesses that would like to help us help our kids, please DONATE. Since the BRG is our only annual event that raises awareness in our community as to what we do for the children who are victims of abuse and neglect, but how we raise the funds to sustain the many programs we provide. Right now we could use your help big or small to help our kids! Every dollar makes a difference. We are stronger than ever to have survived such a challenging time but imagine how difficult it has been for these vulnerable children who have already suffered so much. We could use a lending hand if you can help!
You can make a donation directly on our Facebook page or our website
For those of you that have already donated, Thank You from the bottom of our hearts!
JOIN US APRIL 10TH 2021 FOR A SPECIAL CELEBRATION – OUR BLUE RIBBON GALA
Angels Against Abuse Gives HOPE,
Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow….
THANK YOU ANGELS FOR WRITING YOUR REVIEWS!
IT IS THAT TIME OF YEAR TO GET THOSE REVIEWS IN. THIS IS SO IMPORTANT SO PLEASE TAKE A FEW MINUTES AND WRITE A REVIEW TO LET EVERYONE KNOW HOW WE ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE. YOUR WORDS SPEAK VOLUMES IN THE COMMUNITY!
PLEASE CLICK ON THE BUTTONS FOR EACH OF THE UPCOMING EVENTS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE EVENTS GOING ON IN OUR COMMUNITY AND ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT ARE PART OF ANGELS AGAINST ABUSE, INC. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE EMAIL ME AND [email protected]
PLEASE SHOW YOUR SUPPORT!
We are looking for volunteers for all of our upcoming events. Please contact Sandy Kearney by clicking on the above link and let us know which of our upcoming events you are available to help volunteer. Please remember that all of these events benefit the Angels and your support will make a difference. Thank you for your support!
PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR UPCOMING EVENTS
IF ALL GOES WELL
PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR UPCOMING EVENTS
IF ALL GOES WELL
2021
February 9th 2021 – 8:30 AM -9:30 AM
Pasadena Community Church
221 70th Street South
St Petersburg, FL
April 10th 2021 – 6:00 PM -11:00 PM
Annual Blue Ribbon Gala
The St Pete Yacht Club
11 Central Avenue
St. Petersburg, FL
When it comes to helping others, there are no little things…the accumulation of a lot of little things isn’t little…it takes each of us to make a difference for all of us…none of us can do everything at one, but all of us can do something at once…one person can make a difference, and every person must try…