LISD’s Adopt an Angel Program Returns
Monetary and gift cards may be brought or mailed to Lewisville High School (attention Dan Moser) from Dec. 2-13. Gifts will be organized and wrapped for delivery to the schools on Dec. 17. Money also may be donated online through Zelle or Venmo money transfers.
Even after retiring from a 32-year career with the Lewisville Independent School District in May, Allison Stamey wanted to continue working on some of her favorite special projects.
Among them was the Adopt an Angel gift program she started at Lewisville High School in 2002 and which she leads again this year in conjunction with the Lewisville High School Student Council. It provides clothing, toys, and other items to less fortunate students.
“There’s no better way than using this Angel program to develop and build leaders,” said Stamey, who most recently served as Lewisville High School’s student activities director, leadership teacher, and student officer trainer.
“They quickly learn what the need is, how to work on projects, how to plan, how to initiate it, how to finish it, how to evaluate it. It’s just the best learning tool I ever could have started with them. It truly has become our No. 1 project when it comes to developing these leaders.”
Unwrapped items needed are clothing, including coats and shoes, plus toys and other specific wish list items. Anyone not able to contribute those items can make donations of cash or checks, gift cards, gift boxes, and wrapping paper.
Stamey got the idea for the program after LHS second-period classes participated in a similar one at Vista Ridge Mall in 2001. When she learned some of the gifts weren’t going directly to the designated children, Stamey decided to start one at her school with 200 students benefiting that first year. The next year LHS feeder schools were added and that became so successful it went district wide by 2005. The program has grown to aiding about 3,500 students aged newborn to 19 and their families.
“It became a huge, huge program,” Stamey said. Called the Angel Tree Program for the first 15 years, the name was changed to Adopt an Angel to avoid a potential lawsuit.
A list of needy students was created in October based on recommendations from school counselors and Communities in Schools social workers representing the district’s 69 campuses. Those eligible were posted on the LISD website on Nov. 6 and gifts are to be brought to Valley Creek Church Lewisville’s Next Steps Center at the corner of Bellaire Blvd. and Business 121 between Dec. 2-10. Hours are 4-8:30pm on Dec. 2-6, 10am – 4pm on Dec. 7, and 9am – 8:30pm on Dec. 9-10.
To help ensure everything runs smoothly, area VIPs, community groups, and other student leaders from the five LISD high schools will wrap the presents. People from area churches also will serve as volunteers with more needed.
“There’s no way I could get this done without those Lewisville High School student officers,” Stamey said. “The students take up a lot of the slack when adults can’t make it.”
“It’s a huge undertaking but the most wonderful feeling,” Stamey said. “The students learn that by bringing happiness to others they get joy for themselves.”
Stamey makes sure each child in selected families receives a similar number of gifts. Leftover items and money are used to help other families throughout the year. She said most of such need comes from Lewisville and The Colony.
“It makes me so happy to know children will have a better holiday by the actions of LISD’s schools and communities,” Stamey said. “With the help of Valley Creek Church, we now have a large warehouse to organize and wrap each angel’s gifts. We are so thankful to our entire community of LISD!”
For more information on adopting an Angel or volunteering for the program, visit:
