The number of angels on the annual CARE (Children at Risk in Education) Angel Tree was over 400 this year, the most the program has had since its inception.
Wishes of the angels ranged from the nontraditional, including beds and sheets, toiletries, underwear, clothes, food, shoes and blankets, to the traditional bicycles, toys, games and music.
School counselors select angels for the tree based on the financial need of the students’ families. “Angels” are carefully screened to ensure that parents and guardians are working to provide for the household, but are having difficulty making ends meet.
Thanks to the generosity of the Fayette community, all angel wishes have been fulfilled, and the gifts have been delivered to the students’ families in time for the holidays.
Many community groups, organizations and businesses donate boxes of gift items for the CARE Angel Project, and just as important as securing the gifts, is the collection of them, which takes the work of many volunteers.Prudy Sealey (left), receptionist at the LaFayette Educational Center, donated her lunch break to help organize and box gifts for delivery to schools before semester break. Helping her is Karen Spangler, coordinator of the CARE Angel Tree project. Photo/Submitted.
A Better Way Moving company donated a truck and personnel for two days to assist with picking up donations and delivering them to the LaFayette Educational Center. Once there, more volunteers, including retired teachers, school system employees, and community members, sorted and organized the gifts for distribution to the schools.
“We couldn’t do this every year without the help of our volunteers. They are wonderful to give of their time and resources to help us pick up and organize the donations so we can get them to the schools before the semester break,” says CARE coordinator Karen Spangler.
Some employees even donate their lunch breaks to help unload gifts from the trucks and organize them for distribution. Prudy Sealey, receptionist at the LaFayette Educational Center, used her lunchtime to help box and label gifts for each school.
“It just makes me feel good to know that I am helping kids. It is important that these kids get their gifts in time for the holidays, so this work is critical to making that happen. This is exactly how I want to spend this time,” says Sealey.
