Community embraces Angels for Christmas project
FOXBURG — Angels are at work helping their neighbors in the Allegheny-Clarion Valley School District.
“It makes my heart smile that this is our community coming together to make this happen for our families,” said Erin Albert, who has volunteered for the Angels for Christmas project for four years. “It is an adventure every year.”
The A-C Valley FIRST Program's project is in its 24th year of helping to meet the needs of families in the Allegheny-Clarion Valley School District, which includes families from Butler, Armstrong, Venango and Clarion counties.
“We are very much embedded in the community with this project,” said Maria Clark, program director and parent educator.
The FIRST Program (Families in Rural Schools Touch) provides support to families within the district for children ages prenatal through kindergarten.
“Annually, an average of 180 children from birth through 12th grade, about 80 to 100 families, benefit” from the Angels for Christmas, Clark said.
The group is a Parents as Teachers Blue Ribbon Affiliate.
“We provide home visits to families focusing on parent-child interaction, development-centered parenting (topics like nutrition, sleep, attachment, discipline), and family well-being (topics like physical and mental health, relationships with family and friends, early care and education, basic essentials, and employment and job readiness),” Clark said.
The Angels for Christmas project began in 1997 through the efforts of Emlenton resident and business owner Julie Powell. At the time, Powell was a parent educator in the FIRST Program at A-C Valley.“One of the reasons I started the program was because the nurse was taking donations for coats, and I was inspired to help,” said Powell, who modeled the program after one she saw at church when she was a child in Florida.Community members pick up angel tags from local churches and organizations; most tags are displayed on Christmas trees as ornaments that can be kept as keepsakes. There are no names, however, the age of the child, the gender and which clothing items/gifts that child may have requested from Santa are listed.“(The items) were given to needy families who otherwise would not be able to see the joy of their children opening presents on Christmas morning,” Powell said.The FIRST Program and the Angels for Christmas project are ways to “empower parents to empower their children,” she said. “The goal was and still is to engage parents with their children and encourage that engagement throughout their school years.”
The FIRST Program and Angels for Christmas has grown into an effort that involves community members, churches and organizations to partner to meet the needs of families who are struggling financially, especially during the holidays.“It is very rewarding to help in any way I can so that kids get something for Christmas,” volunteer Barb Ritts said.Angels for Christmas mainly provides warm coats, boots and clothing items to children, however, a wish list of toys is also fulfilled.“Every year when the list is made and we look at it, we are overwhelmed by how we are going to provide for all of the children and their needs, but we have never had a year when a single need was left unmet,” said Kris Mapes, a long-time parent educator with the FIRST Program. “In some way and somehow, someone came through by providing a gift or monetary donation that was needed.”Working to make those Christmas dreams come true are community volunteers, school district members and staff, maintenance personnel, the Emlenton United Methodist Church, Emlenton and St. Petersburg borough offices, and the Parker fire hall, Clark said.“It is a very worthwhile project helping hundreds of children with main necessities for winter,” long-time volunteer Linda Palmer said.
The deadline for families to sign up for Angels for Christmas is Oct. 25.For those who wish to provide gifts of clothing and toys, the deadline is Nov. 1.Gifts must be supplied to the A-C Valley FIRST Program by Nov. 30, and monetary donations by Dec. 1. Donations are also accepted for the project year-round.Gift bags will be distributed to families on Dec. 7. The gifts are presented in the bags unwrapped, so families can enjoy the pleasure of preparing them for their children.For more information, contact Maria Clark, A-C Valley FIRST Program, P.O. Box 100, Foxburg, PA 16036. The FIRST Program can also be contacted by calling 724-659-3224 or by email at acvfirst@acvsd.org.
