Want to help North Texas needy over the holidays? Check out this Virtual Angel Tree
For some students in the Northwest School District, their classmates are helping make Christmas a virtual blessing.
Once again, the district implemented its Virtual Angel Tree online for students and community members to visit, select gifts, and help bring a joyous holiday season to those in need.
The concept is simple. Folks visit angeltree.nisdtx.org, pick a student in need and provide him or her with gifts during the holiday season. Each student on the tree provides a list of clothing sizes, interests, etc. The process is entirely anonymous, with a $100 suggested limit for each child on the Virtual Angel Tree.
And the project was a big success, said Phil Beckman, Northwest ISD partners in education specialist.
“Thanks to the support of our community, we have a large amount of donors and volunteers who annually support our students,” he said. “The program happens because of them.”
The idea began with a physical tree 15 years ago. However, support was so overwhelming, Beckman said another plan was designed to accommodate all who wanted to help and all those needing help.
“We realized we had a large amount of students in need of gifts for the holiday, and when we saw how many were on the physical tree we started with, we decided to move to a virtual format to make it easier for people to help out,” he said.
“What makes Angel Tree so special is the feeling of bringing not just toys, but hope and joy for kids, and hopefully one day they can do the same for others and keep the Christmas spirit alive and well in every community,” said Northwest High School junior Jonathan Ottmann, a member of Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA), a group that has been participating in the Angel Tree project for a decade.
NHS senior Melissa Stephenson, also a member of the HOSA, added, “Choosing a child on the Angel tree is very special to me because Christmas is my favorite holiday. However, not everyone has the means to provide their children with a gift for Christmas. When we adopt an Angel we are not only making Christmas special for that child but also helping their parents in a time of need.”
Beckman said several student programs have made it an annual project to participate in the Angel Tree program, such as softball and cheerleaders.
“The Angel Tree program is not only an opportunity to give back, but it reinforces the idea that if everyone does their small part they can make a big difference, just like being part of a team,” said NHS softball coach Tanya Morrow.
“The Angel Tree program is special to me because it feels great to give back to a program that my mom had to rely on once upon a time,” said NHS senior softball player Madi Carter.
Beckman said that while Angel Trees are commonplace in places such as shopping centers, malls and retail stores, he’s not aware of another school district that has such a project in place. However, he said if any others are interested, he’d be happy to give them some pointers.
“We’ve received inquiries about how we operate our program from as far away as New York, and would be happy to answer any questions from school districts looking to start their own,” he said.
Beckman encouraged anyone interested to mark their calendars for next year. Also, along with donors, he said they are always looking for volunteers to help sort and deliver the gifts.
The adoption process begins each November. Anyone interested can email him at pbeckman@nisdtx.org, or call 817-215-0172.
“It creates a special feeling inside and gets everybody into the true meaning of Christmas, giving,” said NHS junior softball player Morgan Cummings. “Giving back to students in need also makes them feel special and loved and cared for — like everyone should feel.”