Do you believe in angels? Do you believe we can be the angels in others’ lives?

One organization, Angels for Hope, definitely does. Their mission - to help people send a message of hope and caring by providing free crocheted angels, butterflies and smiley faces to those in need of hope proves it is true.

In 2002, Angels for Hope also added its Fallen Military Angels Program. Angels for Hope is trying to reach out to the families of every Fallen Soldier. “We hope our Angels and Butterflies will bring some comfort and be a reminder to each family that they are not alone and their loved one has not been forgotten,” says Cindy Gabner, President of Angels for Hope.

“To date we have reached 657 Fallen Soldier families, 49 of those being in Texas. Although it is a small number we continue to search for the names and addresses of those families so that we might honor their loved ones through Angels for Hope,” Cindy says.

So how do people respond when they receive the tiny messengers of hope? Below are some of the responses to the tiny messengers of hope sent by volunteer angels taken from their website, www.angelsforhope.org.

“One of our sons was killed in Iraq ... Needless to say, the past 6 months has been the most difficult of our lives. A few weeks ago we began receiving angels and butterflies in the mail from the Angels for Hope…I’ve been collecting angels for a few years now, and my son had given me a few angels to add to my collection before his death. It’s occurred to me that maybe he’s still sending them to me now ~ through you. They mean more to me than you can possibly know. Thank you for this gift.”

“I wanted to thank you for the angel I received today. I am taking chemotherapy for ovarian cancer. My hair had just started to fall out on the day I got your angel in the mail. I started to cry...it was a reminder that God doesn’t care if his children have hair or not. That is a hang up we as people have. Suddenly I felt beautiful and loved again. Thank you for all you do to make people feel good in the midst of a storm of life.”

“I really want to thank everyone involved with the angels. Hastings was in a coma and they had no hope but he got his angel and woke up.”

“I received an angel ....  on the day I came home from hospital from colon cancer surgery. I was so moved by the angel & the words on the card, that I had to sit down & cry… happy tears, for there are angels out there. I met one when I was in the hospital on the day I was coming home, I did not have enough cash on me to get my medicine filled & he stepped up & paid for it. He was my hospital roommate’s dad. And to this day, I do thank him. For all you do, you will truly be blessed. God Bless You.”

“My friend Amy requested an Angel for me. I lost my 12 year old son.... when he was hit by a truck riding his bike. My life has been forever changed and as I am trying to find my way through this agonizing time…it is wonderful to have the support of friends, family and organizations like this....thank you Angels for hope, for bringing a smile to my face today when I received this special Angel in the mail. Smiles are few and far between these days…but I found a reason to smile today!”

“I just wanted to thank you for sending my grandmother an angel. She is battling a brain tumor and unfortunately was recently given 6 months to live. My aunt put her angel on her lamp shade so she can look at it every day. When she received her angel she was lit up with joy.”

“I want to thank you and the people who have made these angels. There are no words to say how I feel about losing my son last week. My world has shattered and all I can do is pray for strength to get through this time….These angels started arriving yesterday and I just sat down and cried. More arrived today and I am still crying.”

“Thank you to everyone for making the beautiful angels and butterfly wings. I cannot express in words how much each one means to myself and my daughter. Thank you for including the fallen soldier program in your work...it has only been two months, but we miss him every day. Your angels are a constant reminder of hope that we will get through these difficult days. Thank you again.”

“I just received one of your angels and it is beautiful. It was sent to me by a caring family member. My 19 year old son passed away in a car accident 3 months ago and it is one of the hardest things I have ever had to deal with. It is a great thing that your organization does. I thank you again for the angel of hope.”

Angels for Hope wants to touch 72,000 lives before the end of 2009. Have they reached their goal? “At the present time we have not but we are on a pace to reach it by the end of 2009. At the end of September we had reached 65,000,” advised Cindy Gabner.

If you would like to become an angel by donating your time and talents to the cause of Angels for Hope, you can become an angel at www.angelsforhope.org. Angels for Hope provides patterns and instructions for creating the angels and other items, and for mailing them.  They also welcome donations of yarn, crochet thread, hooks and ribbon. Instructions for donations are on their website. If you would like to send a messenger of hope to someone in need, go to their website and click on the angel at the bottom.

“Most people who think about Angels for Hope focus on the recipient of our angels.  The hope it brings, the smile and the feeling of someone caring, but there is an added benefit.  One you might not think about. The person who crochets each stitch to create the angel is also blessed. It brings them joy knowing they are helping someone, making a difference in someone's life, combined with the feeling of belonging to a worldwide group of volunteers,” said Gabner.