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Angel Tree Aid Lifts Struggling Families' Spirits

Tribune photo by ANDY JONES

Teresa Papola, Student Government Association volunteer coordinator at Pasco-Hernando Community College's New Port Richey campus, moves bags of presents in the SGA offices Thursday. The presents were collected through the Angel Tree program at the school. Individual donors and the Student Government Association provided gifts for 20 needy families for the holiday season.

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By JONATHAN RODRIGUEZ

Tribune correspondent

Published: December 12, 2008

NEW PORT RICHEY - On a rainy morning that threatened to dampen spirits, Pasco-Hernando Community College brightened the mood for some of its financially strapped students Thursday as they picked up gifts wrapped for Christmas.

For the third year, the college's student government association's PHCC Cares program sponsored an Angel Tree program to help underprivileged families have a good meal for Thanksgiving and gifts for Christmas. The program gets its name from the plastic angels that hang from the office tree, each with a request for gifts for needy children.

All day Thursday, students chosen for the program visited the college's student activities office to pick up gifts; pickups will continue today.

"It's very remarkable when the few families are brave enough to share their financial hardships with us," said SGA President Adam Clum. "The stories are very heart-wrenching."

Beth Hermansen, 32, only wished for her two children to have a Merry Christmas at home.

She has had a hard time this holiday due to a struggling economy and loss of hours at her boyfriend's job. This is her first year as an Angel Tree recipient.

"I know I am not the only one in this situation," Hermansen said. "I am in school, and now I have to find a job when no jobs are to be found."

To qualify for the Angel Tree program, each family had to receive a child care grant and use the on-campus day care center, among other qualifications. The school's financial aid office nominated potential Angel Tree recipients based on their financial need.

Through the program, PHCC helped 45 families with a total of 99 children from the west, east and north campuses this year, Clum said.

The west campus had more than half of those, with 20 families and 46 children, nearly triple the number from last year. In all, Angel Tree donors, many of them PHCC teachers and students, took in more than 240 requests and gave more than 300 gifts, Clum said.

Each year the donations grow as fast as the need does, he said.

Danielle Morgan, 29, a first-time Angel Tree recipient, was amazed when she learned that she received three full packages for her five children. Morgan said she was vague in requesting gifts for her children, except for the SpongeBob SquarePants toys for her triplets.

The Angel Tree donations will take some of the pressure off the family this year, Morgan said.

"Anything helps," Morgan said. "I can go buy a Christmas tree instead of presents. Now instead of one present for each child, they'll probably have five each."

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