Nearly 20 Anna’s Kindness volunteers helped celebrate the hope and joy of Christmas with Angel Tree children Friday night.
Student volunteers representing four Ann Arbor schools served an auditorium filled with children of incarcerated parents and their caregivers, ensuring a fun evening of fellowship and giving at the Angel Tree Christmas party hosted by 242 Community Church in Ann Arbor. Sixty-eight families – 170 children and 60 adults – were registered to attend, and the auditorium was packed with family members of all ages.
The majority of Anna’s Kindness students tirelessly set salad plates, took pasta orders, delivered ice cream and cleared tables. Forsythe Middle School’s Stuart Knight, Lucas Johal-Smith, Chelsey Hewett, Celia Begosso, Sophia Marrs, Madeline Ellies, Ray Kangas, Clague Middle School’s Khalil Jones, Tappan Middle School’s Hans Rober, and Skyline High School’s Maddie Johal-Smith all made sure the guests were treated to first-class table service.
Clague Middle School’s Esteban and Nicolas Mercado (along with their younger sister and mother Marisela) were at the busiest table of the night. They helped the younger guests craft ornaments to take home and hang on their Christmas trees.
Clague Middle School 8th graders Anthea Sakamoto and Adelaide Romero, along with Anna’s brother and Skyline High School freshman Alex LeFort, played Santa Claus for guests. The students handed out bags of specially selected and wrapped Christmas gifts to families as they were ready to leave.
Angel Tree®, a Program of Prison Fellowship, is a national ministry that reaches out to the children of prisoners and their families with the love of Christ. Attendees at Friday’s event in Ann Arbor were from Washtenaw County.
A special thank you to parents Peg Knight, Caleb Jones, Hardeesh Johal-Smith and Marisela Garcia who stayed and helped make this a wonderful evening of service to others.
