The leaves have fallen, the temperature is dropping and the holiday of gifts and giving is getting closer. Many less fortunate kids wake up on Christmas day only to see nothing under the Christmas Tree, but there’s a way to help those in need through certain charities such as Angel Tree.
The Angel Tree program is a form of communal charity, being a way to donate to people in need. Angel Trees can be found in many places such as stores and churches. Children and the underprivileged can write a wishlist on a tag then place it upon an Angel Tree as an ornament. Anyone who would like to help can acquire one of the tags from an Angel Tree and donate the items wished for on the tag such as clothing or toys.
The program was started in Lynchburg, Va., by Shirly White, a U.S. Salvation Army “Officer,” who created the idea of the Angel Tree in 1979. When The River Ridge shopping mall opened, a problem occurred. The mall had many big trees that they didn’t have a use for. After looking around the mall, White found a Hallmark card, imprinted with Angels. The card gave White the idea to write the name of a kid and their clothing size onto the card. They then put the cards on a tree for people to see what kids wanted for the holiday. This started the Holiday program, having Angel Trees continue to pop up around the nation for the next 46 years. The Angel Tree program went from helping hundreds of people to hundreds of thousands of people.
Angel Trees are not only for children, but can be for many different people, such as senior citizens or a person experiencing financial struggles. The trees can be found in many places each with many different tags, such as Walmarts and Salvation Army stores around Va. The program is funded by individual people and businesses, receiving donations from many people.
The Angel Tree program has helped many people in need, allowing millions of gifts to be donated each year. Anyone can donate to the program and bring the holidays to those who are less fortunate. The Christmas tradition gives an immeasurable amount of Christmas cheer to everyone, making the holiday even greater.
