This is a continuation of my interview with Kari Fillmore, co-founder of Angel Covers. Part one of the interview can be found here.



I have purchased gift cards through Angel Covers for family members and school teachers. I have also received gift cards from others as a gift at Christmas time. My mother once bought fruit for one day for the kids in Kenya at Humble Hearts School, and gave the gift in my name. It was very touching and far more meaningful than some trinket that I didn't need.

Gift cards are a wonderful idea for a person who already has everything they need. Can you explain how they work through Angel Covers?

Gift cards are a wonderful way for individuals to support Angel Covers' programs, while still providing a gift to a loved one. Donations are made in honor of someone and then the recipient gets a personalized card telling them who made a donation in his/her name and what the donation is used for. The card can either be mailed to the donor so they can sign it themselves, or can be mailed to the person receiving the card. There is also a way to donate for either general needs or for a specific program that might not have a link on the gift card page. By donating through the Create-a-card link, found on this page donors can choose a program that might not be listed.

How can someone donate through Amazon or IGive.com without having to spend additional money?

Amazon and IGive.com are ways for people to shop for things they need anyway while providing Angel Covers with a donation at no extra cost. By clicking on the links at the Angel Covers website, anyone can shop for presents or other needs. Then Amazon and IGive will donate a percentage of the purchase price to Angel Covers. Angel Covers receives checks for both on a quarterly basis. It's a great way to get shopping done and at the same time support Angel Covers.

How does someone become a sponsor of a child through Angel Covers and if one sponsors a child through one of your programs, what does a sponsor receive in return?



Angel Covers has several sponsorship programs and each have been tailored to the child's needs. Our programs in the Tibetan Autonomous Region, are $10 a month and completely cover the child's tuition, room and board. Because the children do not speak English, they do not write letters to sponsors. However, Angel Covers volunteers travel to these schools at least twice a year and provide updates via email to the sponsors of each individual child. Sponsors then have the opportunity to contribute to school improvements or items that need to be purchased for the children if desired. However, mailing letters and packages to individual children isn't possible because of the remote locations of these schools. Pictures of the school and kids are also provided.



The Humble Hearts sponsorship program is very different. This program is $20 a month for sponsorship, which provides for the child's tuition, school supplies, and a new uniform every year. These children are learning English and therefore write their sponsors three times a year. Sponsors are also able to write or send packages to their specific child, receive a minimum of one updated picture each year, and have the opportunity to join a Yahoo group where emails are posted from the director of the school and updates are given about new projects at the school. Sponsors also have the opportunity to help with improvements at the school if desired.



The Maasai sponsorship program is a combination of both of these. The sponsorship fee is $15 a month and covers a child's tuition and school supplies. The kids also write to their sponsors 3 times a year and the sponsors may also write their children. However, because these children live in such remote areas and attend different schools, there is little opportunity to support projects where the children live or receive more than one picture a year.

Do you foresee opening any more programs in foreign countries as funds become available? If so, what programs do you foresee becoming involved in?


We plan to start other sponsorship programs in the future, especially in the Tibetan Autonomous Region. Because we want to care for all children as completely as possible, we are waiting to start these programs until all of the children at our current schools are sponsored. However, Angel Covers has received information about numerous schools in this area that need help and will do our best to work for those schools as well.

Additionally, we plan to start a Mama's Wish program for children (primarily girls) to have the opportunity to attend high school and college. Look for more information about this program in July and August 2007.

Angel Covers also has other schools in Kenya we would love to help. These schools have both orphans and destitute children who are the neediest of the needy. These children need help in all of the areas for education, shelter, nutrition, and medical care. Although we have started helping some with nutritional needs, there is a lot of work to do.

We are working on getting more baby bouncers into countries such as Ukraine, Georgia, etc. It's getting harder and harder to work in Russia, but we really don't want to stop working in Eastern European countries, so we are exploring lots of possibilities. It's such a blessing to have so many contacts develop in countries we hadn't ever thought of. Sadly there is huge need everywhere.

What is your organization's current largest need?

The biggest projects right now we are working on are in Kenya.We have a desperate need for a new Angel Cottage where children live who either have no home or who cannot live at home with their parents.


The original Angel Cottage was meant to hold 25 children, but right now has 36 and a long waiting list. We have started construction on a new Angel Cottage, which will hold approximately 80 children and has a construction budget of $50,000. $20,000 has been raised so far, but construction costs are rising, so we need to raise funds quickly.



We also have a big need for a new secondary school at Humble Hearts, our school for the deaf in Kenya. Currently the secondary students use the same building as the primary students and they are very cramped in their classrooms. We are working in conjunction with Angel Covers, UK to find grants and other funding to build the new school. We have been blessed to be able to already own the needed land.

Additionally, at least 100 yaks are needed at schools throughout the Tibetan Autonomous Region. We are working hard to raise enough funds to buy as many yaks as possible each summer, when the yaks only cost half
the normal cost of $125 each.



These yaks provide much needed milk, cheese, hair for clothing, and dung for heat to the children. These schools are located at approximately 15,000 ft altitude and the yaks thrive at this climate.


How can our children - who may not have much money - become involved in helping other children via Angel Covers?

Angel Covers has been blessed to have many children help raise funds or provide donations throughout the years. Children of all ages have held garage sales, had lemonade stands, help blanket or vitamin drives, and many other events.

Several Boy Scouts working on their Eagle projects for their Eagle badge have donated hundreds of items such as school supplies, vitamins, developmental toys, socks, and backpacks for children around the world. Other children have talked to youth group leaders and organized for a group to sponsor a child. If only 20 children, for example, donate $1 a month, a child somewhere has a renewed hope about their life. Other children have asked that friends not bring them presents for birthday parties, but have instead asked for either monetary donations or items children around the world can use. We are able to send brochures to anyone wanting to hold a fund raiser or simply spread the word about the needs of children around the world.

Please contact us online at info@angelcovers.org or if you would prefer to contact us via phone or mail, we can be reached at:

Angel Covers
P.O. Box 6891
Broomfield, CO 80021
(303) 947-5215