50th Space Wing Public Affairs
11/30/2015 - SCHRIEVER AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- More than two weeks before the start of the holiday season, Team Schriever's generosity was on full display as the Angel Trees outside the Satellite Dish Dining Facility and in the Atrium of Building 210 were already bare Nov. 19.
"People have already come by saying, 'I didn't see any [envelopes] on your tree,' because they're already gone," said Chaplain (Maj.) Martin Adamson. "We just put the tree up yesterday [Nov. 18]. This is a great problem to have in that we've got really generous people who want to help some folks in the community."
The Angel Tree program, an annual event hosted by the 50th Space Wing Chapel Office, is designed to help struggling families at Schriever Air Force Base and in the Ellicott community. Names of children, along with some suggestions for possible gift ideas, are submitted to the Chapel Office. The age, gender and gift ideas are then put on a card and the card hung on the tree. Anyone wishing to participate in the program can take a card off the tree, purchase or donate a gift and bring it back to the Chapel Office.
"These are families who really may not have anything for Christmas," Adamson said.
The Angel Tree program is being held in conjunction with a drive to fill care packages for Schriever members currently on a deployment.
"We've got boxes and are just encouraging people to come by and fill those boxes up or just bring by some things, some items that we can put in the boxes and we'll get them all together and we'll mail those out to all the deployers from Schriever so they know we're thinking about them," Adamson said.
The care packages serve as a way to give deployed members a little boost during the holidays and let them know there are people at Schriever thinking about them.
"We're meeting the needs of the community on base and the Ellicott community," said Tech. Sgt. Tawny Devine, 50 SW chaplain's assistant.
While all the angels for Schriever have been claimed, those still wishing to participate in the program can visit one of the six Angel Tree locations at Peterson Air Force Base, the Base Exchange, Building 1, Building 2, Building 350, the fitness center and the chapel, or call Master Sgt. Scott Devine at 556-4772.
Peterson currently has approximately 250 angels still waiting to be claimed.
While both programs help build community, the Angel Tree program also helps Schriever show its appreciation for being a part of the Ellicott community.
"It shows [Ellicott] that we are there for them and I think that is the best way to strengthen a relationship is just letting the other part of that relationship know that we are here," Devine said. "We're not just here to provide you GPS, which is awesome. But we are here to help meet your needs and we are constantly looking for ways to do that and this is a great opportunity to show that community that we are there for them."
The care packages will be available until Dec. 4, while the Angel Tree gifts will be collected Dec. 7-14.
For more information about either program, contact the Chapel at 567-3705.
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