Give a Gift to Needy Kids Through Glenview Ice Center 'Angel Tree'

The following press release was submitted by the Glenview Park District:

For the tenth consecutive year, the Glenview Ice Center will support the Salvation Army Angel Tree gift drive beginning Monday, December 2 through Wednesday, December 20.  Last year, the ice center received more than 175 donated holiday gifts for underprivileged children.  It was the largest collection in the program's nine-year history at the ice center.

The Angel Tree is located at the Glenview Ice Center lobby.  Residents visiting the center can pick up an Angel Tree Tag from the tree that details the gender, age, and holiday gift wish list for a child. The individual purchases the gifts on the list and returns them unwrapped to the ice center no later than December 20.

The Angel Tree program is one of The Salvation Army's highest profile Christmas efforts, alongside the well-known Red Kettles that frequent store fronts. Created in 1979 by Major Charles and Shirley White, the program was born while the two worked with a Lynchburg, Va. Shopping mall to provide clothing and toys for children at Christmastime.  Children wrote their gift needs on Hallmark greeting cards that featured pictures of angels, hence the name Angel Tree program. Charles and White then placed the cards on a Christmas tree at the mall to allow shoppers to select children to help.

The Angel Tree program is unique because it matches sponsors with specific children.  The Salvation Army identifies families in need each year, and each sponsor purchases gifts for their specific children with information about their age and gender.  Each child's wish list is as diverse as the children themselves, and goes directly to the child named on the sponsor's Angel.

Each child that had a tag on the tree will receive a gift, no matter what. Even in instances when not all the tags are taken, the Salvation Army will split up the donations, so that every child will have a present to unwrap on Christmas morning.
The Angel Tree program is a part of the Glenview Ice Center's 13th Annual Winter Carnival event that is taking place December 20 through January 5, 2014.  This winter break family fun event includes daily public skating, mini figure skating and hockey lessons, skating exhibitions, Holiday Family Luau, charity hockey game, New Year's Day celebration and much more!