Believing that all people need
occasions for joy, just as they need
comfort, shelter and food,
AngelWorks again sponsored
free public admission to Botanica on
Mother's Day.
Nearly 4,000 people attended in 2007, the
fourth year of this annual event. Children
had the opportunity to make cards for their
mothers and/or place a written tribute on a
paper flower on a Wall of Remembrance.
It is one of two events AngelWorks
sponsors at Botanica. The other is the
annual Christmas light event,
Illuminations. Last
year, more than 900 low-income families
attended
Illuminations free on
AngelWorks-sponsored tickets,
including several homeless families.
Click here to learn more about
AngelWorks-sponsored events at
Botanica.


















Explore Kids welcomes new members
     Exploration Place
in May welcomed its fourth
group of children to Explore
Kids, a scholarship program
that serves gifted kids from
Title I schools who have a
passion for science.

    On May 26, 2007, the newest group of Explore Kids
will were welcomed with a pizza party and T-shirts. From
there, they can look forward to a year of exploring
science with scientists from different areas.
In past years, Explore Kids have learned about
tornadoes and forecasting from a meteorologist, and
how to solve mysteries with forensic science from three
CSI investigators from the Wichita Police Department.
Explore Kids also met with WSU paleontologists to
examine the mammoth tusk recovered at a Wichita road
construction site; in another workshop, they learned
about airplane design from two Boeing  engineers.
The Explore Kids program began with a $30,000 grant
from AngelWorks, which provides free membership to
the science museum for the entire families of
low-income children with high aptitude and interest in
science.

Click here for more information.
Wanted:
Teens trying to make an impact

AngelGrants are available to high school students with
original ideas for addressing community problems. The
grants range from $250 to $1,500 and are awarded on an
on-going basis.

Students must have a non-profit, church or school sponsor.
Past winners include a fund-raising dinner to buy food for
starving North Koreans, an oral history project that matched
teens with retirement home residents, and a middle school
literacy program.
Click here to learn more or apply.
AngelWorks is a Wichita-based philanthropy
dedicated to easing human suffering. It partners
with local non-profits, churches and schools to
bring comfort and opportunity to those suffering
poverty, homelessness, addiction or grief.
AngelBooks
a publishing affiliate of AngelWorks






















"Santa's Stray" series raises more than
$150,000 for Wichita charities
Simon, the cat featured in the "Santa's Stray"
children's book series, had raised more than
$150,000to date for charity.
"All Is Bright," released in 2006, is the third book by
author Polly Basore and illustrator Carlene Williams,
who together produced  "Santa's Stray" and "A Piano
for Christmas." AngelWorks published the books so
that the entire proceeds could go to charity.
So far, more than 15,000 copies have been distributed
.  "Santa's Stray,'' first published in 2004, has raised
more than  $90,000 for The Lord's Diner, Wichita's
soup kitchen for the hungry and homeless. The 2005
sequel that benefits Three Trees, a counseling center
for grieving children, raised another $34,000.And in
2006,  "All is Bright"  raised at least  $26,000 for The
Lord's Diner.
For more information, click here.
The program, sponsored by AngelWorks and in cooperation with USD 259, is intended to provide
Title I schools with a valuable incentive to offer the passes as a reward to students who work hard
at school. Each school's principal determines how the passes will be awarded at his or her school.
Each school may award 12 passes per month. Botanica, Exploration Place, Old Cowtown, the
Wichita Art Museum and the Sedgwick County Zoo have all agreed to honor the passes! For
details, please visit the sister website, www.iearnedit.org.  Thanks to these museums for their
commitment to making these attractions available to children regardless of their ability to pay.
Welcome to
AngelWorks
Established 2003
Wichita, KS
"What Heaven Left
Behind," the personal story
of death, life and a search
for meaning that led to the  
creation of AngelWorks, is
being sold in the author's
hometown to raise money
for the Stillwater, OK United
Way, which will receive
$10 per book. Other
Wichita charities can
receive $5 per book.
In cooperation with West Wichita's Sunrise
Rotary, AngelWorks is sponsoring construction
of a playhouse/puppet theater at the Sunrise
Boundless Playscape, soon to become
Wichita's premier outdoor playground. The
park will provide play experiences for children
of all abilities, with swings and raised sand
beds that accommodate wheelchairs, sound
and sensory gardens, as well as the fully
accessible playhouse. Construction of the
playground, to be located in Sedgwick County
Park, began in November 2006. You can
contribute by purchasing a $50 personalized
brick for the entry plaza.
What Heaven Left Behind," available in Wichita bookstores
and several other locations, retails for $14.95 plus tax. The
United Way fundraiser is being done in tribute to the
author's father, Bennett Basore, a former member of the
Stillwater United Way board.
For detailed information about the book, click here.
'What Heaven Left Behind' to
benefits several Wichita charities
A 12 inch version of Simon,
featuring the distinct markings of
the black and white cat who
became Santa's Stray, is now  
available at book signings, local
retailers and online. Order here!
Incentive program in its second year
Eighteen schools are enrolled in the
2007-2008 I Earned It Pass program.
The schools each get 12 passes per
month to award to their students who
meet goals set by each school's
principal. Passes allow students and
their families to gain free admission for
one month to five of Wichita's best
attractions!
     The participating schools include:
Adams, Allen, Caldwell, Colvin, Dodge,
Enterprise, Franklin, Harry Street,
Gardiner, Irving, Kelly, Lawrence,
Linwood,  Spaght, Washington,
Woodland, Mead and Marshall.
Explore Kids
2006-2007
AngelWorks partners with Sunrise Rotary to build a playground for all
Gardiner Elementary students were given their “I Earned It” passes on
Sept. 8 and their families were invited to attend the celebration. Photo
courtesy Gardiner.
Recent projects:
In September 2006, AngelWorks' founder Polly
Basore began working with Wichita philanthropist
Barry Downing under the name of the Wichita
Children's Fund. The partnership launched a number
of new initiatives focused on children:
  •   The Sexual Exploitation Roundtable, a
    collaborative community effort to protect
    Wichita girls from sexual exploitation. (This is
    an outgrowth of AngelWorks' support of the
    Women of Worth program);
  • The Real Men, Real Heroes Project -- a broad
    campaign to familiarize boys in Wichita public
    schools with local African American men who
    make good role models;
  • The Reading Roundtable, a community
    collaborative effort to reduce the number of
    children who struggle with reading by
    promoting emergent literacy skills in children
    under the age of 5.   
Thousands enjoy Botanica
free on Mother's Day
Wichita's 3rd graders to get
free illustrated dictionaries
AngelWorks is proud to support the
Wichita Downtown Rotary's Dictionary
Project, which will supply every 3rd
grader in Wichita public schools with a
free illustrated dictionary.  
The project is part
of Rotary's
on-going
commitment to
promoting literacy
in our communities
and throughout the
world.  
Note to Santa's Stray fans: There will not
be a new book in 2007. However, the
author may have a book in 2008.
Watch for details!