I don’t know about you but it seems to me that this season is off to a quick pace. And our new Frontdoors event calendar has offered some wonderful opportunities to learn about several smaller organizations and meet the supporters helping them get established. I picked three to highlight this month — all with a focus on children. Andrea Evans | Publisher Three organizations that are all heart for kids in need SMALL BUT MIGHTY OPEN DOORS { publisher’s page } 52 FRONTDOORS MEDIA | NOVEMBER 2018

ANGEL MAMAS & ANGEL KIDS This organization was founded in 2008 by Shira Nicks when she gathered a group of fellow moms to host a charity baby shower to support local organizations in need of diapers and other baby essentials. After four years of assisting other charities, Angel Mamas created its own program: Wings of Love. The program started by “adopting” a single mother fighting breast cancer and her son for an entire year. The following year, they repeated the effort with a larger family — a single mom and her three children, the eldest girl struggling with the ravaging aftereffects of early childhood cancer. Since 2014, the program has expanded to support multiple families with children fighting life- threatening medical conditions with financial and in-kind support on a monthly basis. I met the Angel Mamas at a recent AZ Mindful Moms gathering where I was introduced to the Angel Kids, the children of several Angel Mamas who wanted to give back too. For the holiday season, the kids are collecting new toys for patients in the Center for Cancer & Blood Disorders at Phoenix Children’s Hospital and distributing them at a very special holiday party. For more information on the Wings of Love selection process and Angel Kids toy drive, visit angelmamas.org . DEFENDERS OF CHILDREN Today, the Defenders of Children’s expanded mission is to protect children, facilitate healing and end the intergenerational cycle of abuse in our society. In addition to working with client families, the staff liaises with other nonprofit organizations and state or county officials concerned with child welfare. Often the following services are needed to support each case: providing information and referrals; coordinating social services, including trauma-informed and free counseling for victims; and/or providing family support such as mediation, supervision, therapeutic intervention (aka reunification) and education advocacy. The organization offers legal services for client-families that meet the criteria, and offers forensic and expert witness services when needed. The staff and volunteers interact with agencies such as the Attorney General’s Office, the State Bar of Arizona, family and juvenile courts, and the Department of Child Safety to navigate a successful outcome for each child. To see some incredible success stories and learn more, visit defendersofchildren.org . NOVEMBER 2018 | FRONTDOORS MEDIA 53