History
On a 1997 episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show, Oprah invited viewers to join her in using their lives to improve the lives of others. What began as a campaign to encourage viewers to collect spare change for 150 scholarships given through The Boys & Girls Clubs of America and to volunteer time to build 200 homes with Habitat for Humanity evolved into the charity known today as Oprah's Angel Network.
Projects
Examples of Angel Network projects include:
- With Free The Children, Oprah's Angel Network has built over 55 schools in 12 countries, providing education for thousands of children in rural areas throughout the world.
- In 2005, Oprah's Angel Network provided more than $1 million worth of school supplies, including school uniforms and shoes, to 18,000 impoverished South African children.
- As part of the Hurricane Katrina and Rita recovery efforts, nearly 300 homes have been built or restored in eight communities across Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama with the Angel Network's support.
- Oprah's Angel Network built the Seven Fountains Primary School in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Opened in 2007, the school serves more than 1,000 boys and girls and serves as a model for teaching and learning throughout Africa.
- O Ambassadors, a joint project of Oprah's Angel Network and Free The Children, launched in 2007. O Ambassadors is a school-based program that inspires young people to become active, compassionate and knowledgeable global citizens.
- Through its Oprah's Book Club Awards, Oprah's Angel Network provides books for under-resourced children in regions where a book club selection is set. For example, book club awards were distributed in Beijing, China for The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck and in St. Petersburg, Russia for Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.
- Inspired by O, The Oprah Magazine's "Rescuing the World's Girls" and "Live Your Best Life Tour" events, the Angel Network gives grants to organizations that provide life-changing assistance for women and girls.
- Oprah's Angel Network introduced the "Use Your Life Award" on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2000. From 2000 through 2003, 54 organizations that were making a difference in the lives of others received awards.
Visit www.oprahsangelnetwork.org for information about additional grants and projects.
How to Contribute
To make a donation or to learn more about Oprah's Angel Network, please visit www.oprahsangelnetwork.org. Donations can also be sent by mail to:
Oprah's Angel Network
P.O. Box 96600
Chicago, IL 60693
To date, Oprah's Angel Network has raised more than $70 million. Because Oprah Winfrey makes a donation to Oprah's Angel Network equal to its management and general as well as fundraising expenses, 100% of all donations go toward program costs.
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