OPEN HOUSE
What a day! The weather was unbelievable, the wind and rain were so strong and streets were flooded, which made the visibility and driving very difficult for anyone wishing to attend. Bev of “Let’s Go Shopping” attempted to drive to Angels’ Closet, but the freeway was flooded and visibility was so bad she was forced to turn around and return home. We missed all you who couldn’t make it and sincerely thank you for your donations and support in helping us help the kids.

To everyone who braved the weather and came to the Open House — thank you! Lisa and John Betonte and Betty and Barry Williams came from Orange County, two very special families who have been very supportive of Angels’ Closet Charities.

Thank you, Camille Andreas and Girl Scout Troop 895 for preparing the wonderful sandwiches and desserts for our guests. The chocolate fountain is always everyone’s favorite! Everything was outstanding!

It was a happy and sad day as we had to say goodbye to our Girl Scouts. They are all graduating from high school this year and will be going in different directions to pursue the next chapter of their lives. To thank them for all their help and support this past two years we presented each of the girls with an Angel Pendant. We wish them all the success in the world!

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After Tara Conley passed away April 2, 2011, her family requested donations to Angel’s Closet Charities in lieu of flowers. Thanks to their generosity, we were able to provide the basic necessities such as shoes, socks and underwear to high school students in need – all in Tara’s memory. She continues to make a difference in her fellow student’s lives everyday.

As Tara’s family explained to us, she was a very caring and giving young lady. She shared with her friends and family, being a part of the “Y” Circus, and loved sharing her time at Loma Linda Children’s Hospital.

Angels’ Closet Charities made a commitment to Tara’s family to keep Tara’s memory alive by using funds donated in her name towards helping high school students in need. We wish to thank Tara’s family for their loving kindness, generosity and support of Angels’ Closet Charities.

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FORMAL FRENZY FRIDAY
On Friday, February 24, the Community Service Ambassadors at the University of California Riverside organized a “Formal Friday Frenzy” event benefiting Angels’ Closet. Our event consisted of canvassing and promoting the great work that Angels’ Closet does, which is gather formal attire for high school students going to prom. Since the University of Riverside is a university that is very involved in community service, they knew felt they had to get involved.

On the day of the event, they organized a collection of dresses, blazers, shoes, ties and other related items. They also had a full prom theme in our office — not only did they have a collection of prom dresses, they had a prom memories board, a variety of decorations, plus an array of prom-themed films.

They were able to gather 65 dresses for their Formal Friday Frenzy event thanks to the participation of a variety of individuals and organizations on campus. They were also able to establish a competition where individual donors had the opportunity to win a pizza party for their organization’s next meeting, or a $50 gift card to the UCR bookstore. They were so excited to be able to collaborate with Angels’ Closet that they would be delighted to work with them in the future.

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REDLANDS COUNCIL PTA HONOR
Thursday, February 19 was an amazing morning as Angels’ Closet Charities was honored by the Redlands Council PTA. We were in the company of some wonderful people who have served the youth of this community with love and support for many years. Below is an excerpt from the Redlands Daily Facts report by Suze Knobler:

The Redlands Council PTA held its annual Honorary Service Awards Brunch this morning. The awards were presented to Bill Craw, co-owner of The Gourmet Pizza Shoppe, Ken and Robin Stein from The YMCA of the East Valley and Pat Williams, founder of Angels’ Closet.

Redlands Council PTA President Susan Broderick said the Honorary Service Awards Program allows the Redlands PTA to recognize and honor very special people and organizations for outstanding efforts on behalf of children.

>Pat Williams (owner) and Nadine Gump of Angel's Closet, recipients... (Suze Knobler/Correspondent)

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SOROPTIMISTS REDLANDS
‎Soroptimist Redlands was honored to have Pat Williams, founder of Angels' Closet Charities, and Sara Thompson present a program for members in January. Angels' Closet Charities provides less fortunate high school students with everyday school clothing, formal attire for school social events, and business attire for job seeking opportunities. Thank you Pat and Sara for such a moving program!!

Thank you for inviting us to present our program about Angels’ Closet Charities. We were extremely honored to have been invited to share Angels’ Closet Charities with your members. Thank you for all your support!

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GOODWILL FUNDRAISER
Goodwill fundraiser was a great success thanks to all of you! Thank you everyone who donated items for this fundraiser! We really must thank some very special people for transporting the items collected from REV to RHS – THIS WAS A BIG JOB:

· Amelia and Synthia (National Charity League)
· Brains and Brawn (Cynthia,Josh and Bryan)
· Cheryl Perssinger and Family
· Cheryl Sukenik and Famiy
· E&E Construction
· Haven Management LLC
· Pride Maintenance

We wish to thank Mr. Patalano of REV for allowing us to collect and store items in his classroom – we could not have done this fundraiser had he not made this space available to us.

Also, thank you Cheryl and Larry Adams for helping us with additional storage for items collected.

Thank you everyone who volunteered your time to help load the items on the truck – this was a tall task and all of did a great job! Thank you Girl Scout Troop 895, Nadine Gump of Haven Management, The National Charity League mothers and daughters, Janine LaVoie, Darion, and our wonderful Board Members Camille Andreas, Sara Thompson and Tom Williams.

We are in great need of a storage space to prepare for our next year’s Goodwill Fundraiser. Does anyone have a storage unit or location where we can store items from now until next February? I know this is a big request, but we hope to make next year’s the biggest Goodwill Fundraiser we have ever had. Please call Pat Williams at 909-794-7967 if you are able to donate space to Angels’ Closet Charities.

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PROM
Prom season is nearing and appointments are being scheduled for young women and young men to select their attire for this exciting evening. We do need men’s suits and tuxedos – if you have a suit or tuxedo that you no longer need, we would appreciate your donation to Angels’ Closet. This is an evening to remember for young people and we hope we can make it very special for them!

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GRADUATION
If any of you would like to sponsor a student by purchasing a cap and gown, yearbook, prom ticket or all-night grad party ticket, please contact me as we have received several requests. You may send your donation to Angels’ Closet Charities, P.O. Box 648, Mentone, CA 92359. Please make your checks or money orders payable to Angels’ Closet Charities. You may donate through Paypal.