Angels Foster Care Special Selection
/Santa Maria Sun | July 31, 2014
by Angels SB
Read the full article here.
Press
Just a Little Push Blog
/May Days - Volume 22 | June 3, 2014
by Ali Azarvan
Read the article here.
Competing for Cash, Nonprofit Leaders Deliver Their Best ‘Fast Pitch’
/Noozhawk | May 28, 2014
by Gina Potthoff
Read the article here.
Angels Foster Care Always Needs Families
/Santa Barbara Independent | May 22, 2014
by Kelsey Brugger
Read the article here.
Spreading Awareness, Providing Care
/CASA | May 2, 2014
by Jeanette Casillas
Article from the May 2, 2014 CASA Magazine
email: info@angelsfostercare.org
Angels Al Fresco
/Montecito Journal | May 1, 2014
by Richard Mineards
A mélange of magnificent millinery was out in force when Angels Foster Care of Santa Barbara held its third annual Al Fresco Afternoon on the Riviera on the perfectly manicured lawns at the Biltmore.
The charity, which has placed 153 babies in homes in the last seven years, had 220 guests, helping raise more than $30,000 for the cause, founded by Meichelle Arntz.
Event Co-Chairs were Holly Murphy, Marsha Kotlyar, Michele White, and Sue Bickett.
Ali Azarvan and Tom Adams emceed the bash, while Keith and Margot Clarke, who have adopted two daughters as well has having four adult daughters, received Volunteer of the Year awards, and the J.S. Bower Foundation , the first to fund the charity, got the Foundation Award.
Mac's Fish and Chips Donating Pie Sales to Foster Program
/KEYT-TV | December 5, 2013
by John Palminteri
Read the article here.
Judy Foreman: Allora by Laura Serves Up a Haute Launch for Fashion Fans
/Noozhawk | September 16, 2013
by Judy Foreman
Read the article here.
Legal News: Angels Working In Santa Barbara
/Santa Barbara Lawyer | August 1, 2013
by Susan McCollum
Read the article on page 6, here.
Angels Al Fresco
/805 Living | July 1, 2013
by Mark Langton
Al Fresco Afternoon on the Riviera to support Angels Foster Care of Santa Barbara (angelssb.com) took place at the Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara in May, which is National Foster Care Month. Guests shopped at a boutique filled with jewelry, home goods, fashions, food and flowers. An outdoor luncheon featured European-inspired gourmet fare from Italy, France, Spain and Portugal. The entertainment included live music and a fashion show. Angels Foster Care of Santa Barbara provides care and placement services for infants and toddlers born in Santa Barbara County, In 2011, after only five years in operation, the organization placed its 100th child with a permanent family and to date has placed 129 babies in local homes.
On the Town: Angels Foster Care is Heaven for Foster Babies
/Santa Barbara News-Press | June 16, 2013
by Erin Graffy
Read the article here.
Al Fresco Afternoon On the Riviera
/CASA Santa Barbara | May 17, 2013
by Jeanette Casillas
Read the article here.
Mineards’ Miscellany: Al Fresco Afternoon
/Montecito Journal | May 9, 2013
by Richard Mineards
Read the article here (page 30).
On the Town: Montecito Bank & Trust
/Santa Barbara News-Press | May 5, 2013
From left, Michelle Richardson, director of management information systems at Montecito Bank & Trust, and Gerald Parent, bank board member, meet with Meichelle Arntz and Susan McCollum, both with Angels Foster Care. The nonprofit was one of 10 receiving $1500 Anniversary Grants from the bank at a March 13 reception at its downtown branch. Employees decided who would get the grants.
Angels Foster Care mother helps heal child’s heart
/Santa Barbara Family Life | May 1, 2013
by Angels Foster Care
Madeline, a foster infant from Santa Barbara County, was born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome and other congenital heart defects to a 16-year-old mother who, herself, was a foster child. This precious baby underwent open heart surgery the day she was born. Because of limitations in the foster care system, she was left alone to recover at the hospital with just the nurses to care for her. All alone for six weeks with no family.
Then Angels Foster Care stepped in. Little Madeline was released from the hospital and was in need of a stable home. It quickly became clear that she would need two adult parents who were committed to caring for a medically fragile child. The Sprague Family was in the process of becoming foster parents through Angels when they found out about Maddie. Their desire was to provide this little girl with a loving environment where she could heal and grow without changing caregivers, which coincided perfectly with the Angels fostering philosophy.
“When she first came to our home, she wouldn’t look at us. If we tried to get in her field of vision, she turned her head away. She didn’t smile or coo at us like other babies her age. But just a few weeks later, all that changed,” said Jeannie Sprague.
At three months old, Maddie’s first surgery repair began to fail and she was rushed down to the hospital for a second open-heart surgery. The family stayed with her at the hospital for a month where they got the opportunity to talk to and thank the nurses who took care of her the first time around. Jeannie’s husband took his work on the road and they stayed at the Ronald McDonald house with their little 4-year-old son. The nurses and doctors remembered her and were so happy that Maddie had someone with her this time.
Their bonding with Maddie increased tenfold with this experience. In the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit post-surgery, despite being heavily sedated and the nurses telling the family she wouldn’t be able to react much, she responded to their voices. She turned her head in their direction. By the time they got home from the hospital she was already so attached she would cry if they started to walk away.
Maddie needed extra care and a temporary quarantine to avoid illness. Their commitment to have one parent at home with the children provided that care and she was able to heal faster.
Had Madeline been placed in a traditional foster setting, it is unlikely she would have received the attention she needed to heal. The Angels model is set up to support both the foster child and family that bring her into their hearts.
“I believe that Madeline is now a thriving, happy baby because she knew that a mom and a dad and a brother were finally there to love her. Angels Foster Care made that happen,” says Jeannie. “I hope if you learn more about the incredible stories of the many Angels families that have given so much that you will feel the impact of the work that is being done to change babies’ lives. There is a way to make a difference in foster care. Angels Foster Care makes a difference. I’m just grateful that we could be a part of it.”
To learn more about the Angels program, visit them on the web at www.angelssb.com or call (805) 884-0012.
Mineards’ Miscellany: Al Fresco Afternoon
/Montecito Journal | April 18, 2013
by Richard Mineards
Angels Foster Care will host its second annual Al Fresco Afternoon on the Riviera, a benefit luncheon, in the gardens of the Four Seasons Biltmore. The event will take place on Friday, May3, at 11am. Guests are invited to shop in the Angels Marketplace, filled with items ranging from jewelry, home goods, fashion accessories, food items and florals, with a percentage of all sales going to Angels.
The luncheon will be served “al Fresco” and the menu is an array of European-inspired food from Italy, France, Spain and Portugal. The event is held in celebration of National Foster Care Month and honors Angels foster families.
Since 2006, Angels Foster Care has rescued babies, neglected and abandoned babies and placed them in loving Angels foster homes in Santa Barbara County. The non-profit organization was established to caring, stable homes with a stay-at-home parent for children aged two and under (and their siblings up to age five) who are entering foster care for the first time. In seven years, Angels has placed 128 babies in local homes.
According to event committee member Sheela Hunt, numerous studies speak to the importance of infant attachment, which occurs when a child bonds to a consistent set of caregivers during his or her first 24 months of life. Angels foster parents take only one child (or sibling group) at a time and agree to keep the child until reunification with the birth parents or adoption occurs. A twelve-month commitment is usual, which allows the child to receive stable care and prevents movement within the foster care system.
Tickets are $125 per person or $1,250 for a table of ten, and may be reserved by visiting www.AngelsSB.com/alfresco, or by calling the Angels office at 884-0012.All proceeds from the event will fund training programs for Angels foster families and support the agency’s foster care program. Event sponsors include Coast2Coast Collection, Juliska, Vietri, The Biltmore Four Seasons Resort, Montecito Bank & Trust and Saks Fifth Avenue.
Due to critical shortages, there is an urgent need for certified foster homes. Information is available at www.AngelsSB.com.
Orcutt Kat: It’s All About the Babies
/Santa Maria Times | April 16, 2013
by Kathryn Scott
Read the article here.
Dazzled by ‘Twilight’
/Santa Barbara News-Press | November 15, 2012
by Scott Steepleton
While fans everywhere line up for tonight’s opening of “The Twilight saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2,” the fifth and final movie in based on Stephenie Meyer’s vampire tale, supporters of a local nonprofit agency that places abused, abandoned and neglected babies in foster homes already know how the end of the story looks on the big screen.
Hundreds of Twi-hards purchased advance tickets for a benefit screening of the Summit Entertainment movie at the Arlington Theatre on Wednesday night, with proceeds going to Angels Foster Care of Santa Barbara. Founded in 2005 by Meichelle Arntz, Angels Foster Care focuses primarily on children 2 and under (and siblings as old as 5) who are entering foster care for the first time.
“We take 20 new babies a year, and are caring for 50 a year now,” Ms. Arntz told the News-Press.
For all of the “Twilight” films, the foster family agency was able to hold a pre-release screening as a fundraiser thanks to Robert Friedman, co-chairman and CEO of Summit, which early this year was purchased for a reported $412.5 million by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. Mr. Friedman is a friend of Angels board member Lynda Elton and her husband, Byron.
Wednesday’s event featured general admission tickets for $25, and a VIP party in the theater courtyard and preferred seating inside for $100.
Everything went as planned – and the fans had a great time.
An estimated 520 fans waited in the general admission line that ran out to State Street and down the block.
Aeron Torres, 30, near the front of the line, has been following the series since the first book.
“I only wait in line for special movies,” he said.
That theme ran the length of the line. All agreed the series was special and worth the wait. When asked, Traci Ried, speaking for her group, simply said, “Because we’re Twi-hards!”
Melissa Blanchard, 27, jokingly said she was hoping to see a public apology from Bella to Edward over the recent real-life spat between the actors who play those two characters, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson. But she was ultimately just “glad to help a good cause and see it two days early so I can rub it in everyone’s faces.”
Sophia and Julie Fay, 12-year-old twins and both members of Team Jacob because Edward is “too pale” were at the VIP party.
“So cool that I get to go to this,” Sophia said.
The girls have been fans since the first movie, although they admit they haven’t read the books because their mom wouldn’t let them, and are unsure how it will end.
Sophia said she just wanted it to be a “good, surprise ending.”
“A happy ending,” Julia added.
They both plan to read the books in the future, with Sophia noting, “I think we’re allowed to now.”
Ms. Arntz, who patterned Angels after a foster care network in San Diego, said the final fundraiser in the “Twilight” film series was bittersweet.
“It’s our last one and we’re sad. We just feel so lucky that we had such generous people supporting us,” she said.
As for Mr. Friedman and Summit, she added. “He’s been just so generous to give us these films. It’s been so much fun.”
Based on the four books by Ms. Meyer, what began in 2008 with a little movie (“Twilight’) about a vampire and a teenage girl who fall in love and featuring a cast of relative unknowns, has grown into a five-movie franchise with a two-part ending that has a worldwide following.
In the run-up to Wednesday’s event, Ms. Arntz reflected on how things have changed since that first benefit screening.
“By the time you’ve done an event several times, it runs like clockwork. But your first time is a mighty effort getting everything in place.”
The first event, coinciding with the release of “Twilight,” was in a theater that held just 250 people. It was a sell-out.
With every new installment since, “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” in 2009, “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” in 2010, “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1” in 2011 and now “Breaking Dawn: Part 2,” the crowd was at least double the first event’s.
Growth meant a change in venue.
We’ve been at the Arlington ever since the first year,” said Ms. Arntz. They (Metropolitan Theatres) are so kind to let us have the theater year after year.”
The events have featured “Twilight” merchandise giveaways, themed treats, “wolf” cameos and other activities suited to fans.
And starting the second year, “Angels families” – those who are going through or have gone through Ms. Arntz’s agency – have been pulled from the general admission line and admitted to the VIP party.
“It’s an Angels appreciation kind of night for them,” said Ms. Arntz. “They’re our guests for the night.”
And oh, what nights they’ve been.
“We’re so sad it’s over,” said Ms. Arntz. “We wish there were three more movies.”
On the Town: Angels In Our Mist
/Santa Barbara News-Press | June 3, 2012
by Erin Graffy
We are looking for people to take only one placement – one baby or sibling set – to love them like crazy…and adopt them.”
So championed Meichelle Arntz, founder of Angels Foster Care of Santa Barbara This extraordinary organization cares for neglected babies by placing them in loving homes in the county. A fundraising luncheon, “Al Fresco Afternoon the Riviera,” took place in the gardens of the Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara to support the program.
Guests, including Alixe Mattingly, Roxie Solakian and Susan Pitcher, were fascinated to learn about the research showing how sensitive babies are to changes in caregivers. Babies need consistent, dependable nurturing for neuro-psych development. Without it, their brains cannot develop in the areas needed for bonding and attachment- the very elements required for building empathy, trust and conscience. And without those, evidence is clear: Violent behavior towards self or others is fundamentally linked to the lack of healthy bonding in the first few years of life.
This is precisely what happens to too many children in county foster care. Ms. Arntz's concern about foster babies began when working as a Court Appointed Special Advocate. She was assigned two brothers, ages 2 and 5, who had been moved six times within 12 months through foster homes and shelters. Not surprisingly, they later suffered from severe attachment disorder.
Ms. Arntz started Angels Foster Care to focus on children under age 2 because bonding is learned behavior and needs to be imprinted within the first two years of life.
“We are raising the standard of foster care by giving babies a stable home and love, with a 12-month commitment; we also arrange emergency/respite care,” Ms. Arntz explained. “The County now has Angels take all babies for foster placement.”
Angels supporters filled the garden, including board members Michelle Richardson, president, Susan McMillan, secretary-treasurer, and Carol Brown; event committee members Michele White, co-chair, Sue Bickett, Annie Williams and Dawn O’Donnell; and honorary event ambassadors Leslie Haight and Louise Casey.
A number of Angels foster moms, including Margot Clarke and Ann Scarborough, attended the luncheon, which featured an informal fashion show by Saks Fifth Avenue.
Only a third of foster babies return to their natural parents, so many Angels parents decide to adopt their foster babies should that become an option.
Shannon Neels was representative of the families licensed for Angels Foster Care. She and her husband, David, took parenting classes and home studies. Working closely with Angels social workers, the couple took in a 21-month-old girl for foster care. Within two days, Shannon knew she wanted to adopt the toddler.
“We could not have custom-ordered a more perfect child for our family,” Mrs. Neels said. “It’s such an honor to love her.”
