VHES students, families give back through Angel Tree

Vestavia Hills Elementary School West each year around Christmas time reaches out to help needy families. 

A letter is sent to each family in the school, giving them three options: request help in fulfilling their family’s Christmas wishes, agree to sponsor another family’s child or send a donation or gift for any child as needed. 

Those families that feel like they need help can fill out a Christmas wish list and receive a sponsor, said school counselor Dawn Norris, who spearheads the effort. 

Families that want to sponsor a child will receive a wish list from an anonymous family and then can go shopping for the “angel” they are sponsoring. People who do not want to take on the financial commitment of an angel sponsorship can opt to send a donation or gift for the book and toy tree in the school’s front lobby. 

Wish lists started arriving in early November, and parents of sponsored “angels” can pick up the gifts Dec. 17-18, Norris said. The book and toy tree will be up from Dec. 7-18, so students and community members can stop by to drop off gifts for the tree. 

All gifts are turned in unwrapped, and then the school works to distribute the book and toy tree gifts to children who were not sponsored. Norris said she enjoys the chance to see families pick up their gifts before the holidays and to see their joy. 

“I’m just always amazed at how giving this community is and how generous they are,” Norris said. “Every single need a child has, every single need is fulfilled.”