Oprah & Me

The amazing effect Oprah has on businesses has quite the opposite effect on my checking account. Yes, I have every book in the Book Club and yes I am an O Magazine subscriber, and if Oprah told me that the sun was purple I would believe her. I have no shame in this. None. But the most important business that Oprah has led me into is the business of giving and this began in 1997 when she started the Oprah Angel Network.

The Angel Network has been able to award funds to hundreds of organizations throughout the United States and in more than 30 countries around the world, helping numerous individuals by improving access to education, protecting basic rights and so much more.

With Free The Children, Oprah’s Angel Network built more than 55 schools in 12 countries, providing education for thousands of children in rural areas throughout the world.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, the Network helped more than 1,000 families get back into their homes and helped build or restore more than 400 homes in eight communities across Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama.Through Oprah’s Book Club Awards, Oprah’s Angel Network provided 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.http://oprahsangelnetwork.org

At some point in life someone has probably told you that one person can make a difference, that one person can change someones life and usually you will just grin and nod....but Oprah makes me believe it. That's why she rules my world.

  
Disclaimer: The opinions or statements expressed here are my own and should not be taken as a position, opinion, or endorsement of Sinclair Community College.