Lanark County Angel Tree program looking for record amount of ‘angels’ this year
Lanark County’s Angel Tree program is kicking off its 39th year with a record 970 angels.
The initiative is a collaboration between the Family and Children’s Service of Lanark, Leeds and Grenville and the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).
The “angels” are assigned to trees, each representing a child directly affiliated with Family and Children’s Services and affiliated programs. The goal is to provide a Christmas gift for each child. There will also be a selection of tags with the option of purchasing a gift card for a teen or groceries for a family.
The Lanark County municipal offices in Tay Valley, Lanark Highlands, Drummond-North Elmsley, Montague, Beckwith, and the Town of Mississippi Mills, along with the Pakenham Library, have been with the program since the beginning and are participating once again. Community partners in Perth this year are Albany, Eaton, Lanark County Administration, Wilson Street Auto Fleet & Tire, Spring Children, Perth Hospital, Perth Athletic Center, Lanark Dance Company, Perth Town Hall, Perth Home Hardware and Uniglass Plus. In Carleton Place, the community partners are Kirk Orthodontics, Walmart, Connect Well, Ricks Glass Medic and Tinting, The Studio School of Dance and Heritage Dental.
There will also be a gift card tree in Almonte at the CareBridge Community support building.
“Community partners broaden the dispersal of angels and are angles in their own way,” states a media release from OPP.
In Smiths Falls, OPP East Region Headquarters continues to conduct an internal distribution of angels to OPP employees. Rideau Home Hardware and 2 Guys for Lunch are their community partners.
“A special thanks to the U12 Rep B Perth Lanark Wings team and parents,” the release continues. “They tied all 970 tags for the Angel Tree. They did a fantastic job and were a very big help.
Angel Trees bearing “Angel Cards” were distributed to the above locations today (Tuesday, Nov. 12).
We appreciate the support more than ever this year.
Gifts (preferably unwrapped or in a gift bag) must be returned before Friday, Dec. 6.
“Ensure the Angel Card is affixed to the gift AND the gift contents are printed on the back of the card,” the release says.
Donations of money and items of new clothing/toys are also gratefully accepted. Lanark County OPP will be collecting from all of the locations on Dec. 10 and 11 and delivering them to Family and Children’s Services for distribution.