Amelia Dewberry-
This month, the Community Engagement Center is again partnering with St. Peter Head Start to run their annual Angel Tree program, brightening local kids’ holiday seasons with gifts. The Angel Tree assists parents and helps create joyful memories for the kids.
Planning for Angel Tree started in early November when St. Peter Head Start started gathering Christmas wishlists from the kids in the program. From there, “We collect the wishlists and make tags for the tree so that community members can view the tags and sign them out. By signing out a tag, you commit to buying a gift for that child,” Community Engagement Center Coordinator Eavan McCormick explained.
The tags give information about the age, gender, and a short wishlist for the child. The gifts should be wrapped and are due back to the Community Engagement Center by December 16th, when they are sorted and returned to St. Peter Head Start for distribution.
“St. Peter Head Start is a federal program for preschool-aged children from low-income families. This program is designed to help these children prepare for success in school through an early learning program. They participate in various educational activities that help them learn problem-solving skills and how to socialize with others,” McCormick said.
McCormick reflected that “Contributing to the Angel Tree can make a large impact on these children’s lives. A lot of these families do not have a lot of money to spend on gifts for their kids; this program helps change that by giving these children a little something extra to open during the holiday season. Most of these kids would not receive gifts if it weren’t for the donations we receive.”
Supporting the Angel Tree is a major component of the Community Engagement Center’s work and has seen remarkable support from the Gustavus community. “This work is very important, especially around the holiday season. We are all so used to receiving and having gifts to open on Christmas morning that it becomes easy to forget that there are many people who do not have this luxury. I think the importance comes from being able to reflect on our experiences and opportunities we have that others may not, and by looking at how we can support those who need it,” McCormick commented.
“We say on our posters for Angel Tree, ‘Thank you for helping make this Christmas a little brighter for a child’ and that’s truly what’s being done,” McCormick said.
McCormick was a coordinator for Angel Tree for the past three years as a student before she was hired in the CEC this year. During her last year as a student, she taught current Junior Laurel Connett about the CEC’s programs, including Angel Tree. Connett has since taken over as student coordinator this year, connecting with Head Start to collect wishlists from the families. Connett added, “I have loved getting Angel Tree running this year and participating myself. It is a perfect way to start the holiday season and to get involved in the community. I am excited to see the gifts start to roll in and get them delivered back to Head Start.”
Connett finds that “With service being one of the pillars of Gustavus, I think it is really valuable that we all take the time to branch out to the St. Peter community, whether it be through Angel Tree, one of the other programs offered through the CEC, or in a different way.”
Due to enthusiastic participation in the Angel Tree program, all of the tags for this year were taken within the first few days. For those wishing to be involved next year, it can be expected that tags will come out right before Thanksgiving Break next year. The Angel Tree is located in the Community Engagement Center in the Campus Center. Further, students are encouraged to keep an eye out for other giving events and opportunities sponsored by the CEC in the spring.