White Eagle PTA and fifth-graders fulfill 300 Angel Tree Wishes
Aurora, IL (December 11, 2015) - An annual tradition that every student and parent looks forward to at the White Eagle Elementary School in Aurora is adopting angels from The Salvation Army Angel Tree at Christmastime.
This year is no different, as PTA organizer Rezina Lam states, "The staff and parents are very supportive of this project and we are so happy to help."
Lam further explains that White Eagle Elementary has been doing this for years as a PTA community service project with the fifth-graders. The lessons learned are about helping families in need and giving back to the community. They do this by also spreading the word throughout the school so more students and families will participate in The Salvation Army's Angel Tree program.
The White Eagle Elementary School fifth-graders chose their own tags and purchase the gifts with their own money. This year the school has adopted over 300 angels. Students bring the unwrapped gifts to the school, and PTA volunteers load them into a truck and deliver the gifts to The Salvation Army at 550 Redwood Dr., Aurora for distribution on Wednesday, Dec. 17.
Lt. Rich Forney, corps officer for The Salvation Army of Aurora states, "We truly appreciate the continual support of the children, staff and especially the parents of the PTA who have been doing this for years. If we calculate $30 per angel being spent based on a child's wish list then that is a $9,000 value for a gift in kind donation from the students, parents and faculty of the White Eagle Elementary school."
Lt. Forney further states that over 900 families have signed up this year for assistance, so approximately over 4,000 children will be served through the Angel Tree and Toy Shop programs.
The money collected in the red kettles in Aurora is used to provide services to those in need in southern Kane County during the holiday season, including Christmas Angel Tree, toy shop, and food baskets. Money raised at Christmas also includes 70 percent of the yearly budget that supports year-round programming such as family services and crisis assistance, children and youth programs, counseling & rehabilitation and emergency disasters services.
Volunteers are still needed to ring bells through Dec. 24. Shifts are available Monday-Saturday for the next two weeks and signup is easy online at www.registertoring.com or you can call the office at (630) 897-7265 and ask for Cindy.
About The Salvation Army Metropolitan Division and Aurora Corps
In 2015, The Salvation Army is celebrating its 150th worldwide anniversary and 130 years of service in Chicago and the Fox Valley area. As one of the largest direct providers of social services in the state of Illinois, The Salvation Army operates more than 20 corps community centers in the Metropolitan division, as well as other facilities in neighborhoods across the greater Chicago area and surrounding counties including Aurora offering after-school programs, recreational activities and music education, as well as disaster relief, shelter, meals, child care, senior services and more.