 Angel
Tree Gifting...
Note: All gifts have been committed as of Nov 16, 2008. Thank-you!
Donors come to Bayside
services and pick up a kid-gifting packet at the Angel Tree Outreach
table. The packet describes the child and potential gift that is
desired by the child. The donor purchases the gift and returns it
to the Angel Tree table at one of our Bayside services. The Angel
Tree team has planned parties at 7 church locations around the
Sacramento area and will celebrate the birth of Jesus and give the gifts
to the kids during the first week of December.
All gifts need to be brought back to Bayside no later than Sunday,
November 30th to ensure that each child will have a gift for Christmas!
For more information read below...
Sign me up to give a gift.
Click Here:
Questions? Contact
the Angel Tree Hotline at
916-746-8683 or
email us at
Angeltree@baysideonline.com
Did you know:
-
There are 2.3 million children of
prisoners.
-
22% of children with a parent in
prison are under 5 years old. The majority of children are under
10. The average age is 8.
-
Children of prisoners are 6 times
more likely to go to prison than their peers. They are 7 times
more likely to be involved in the criminal justice system.
With the Angel Tree Ministry, we have a
chance to reach out to these kids and expose them and their families to
the wonders of God! All through a Christmas gift!
Angel Tree Frequently Asked
Questions
What is Angel Tree?
Angel Tree is a program of Prison
Fellowship ministry. It provides Christmas gifts to children who have a
father or mother in prison. Baysiders buy and wrap the gifts on behalf
of the inmate, who has written a message to their child. The parent’s
message is written on the Angel Tree label. The children and their
caregivers are then invited to an Angel Tree party at a local Bayside
church where they receive their gifts and are greeted by the local
church staff.
Is anything being done for the inmates
themselves? Yes, inmates
wishing to participate in the Angel Tree program must sign up through
the prison chaplain. The chaplain ministers to the inmate, not just at
Christmas time, but also throughout the year. There are Bible Studies
that meet regularly in the prisons. Angel Tree also has a mentoring
program for inmates who are returning home.
Is anything being done for Angel Tree
children and families during the rest of the year?
One of our main goals for the Angel Tree Parties is to make the
connection between the caregiver families and the local church who can
minister to the family throughout the year. We also invite you to pray
for these children, families and inmates both now and throughout the
year.
If I take an Angel Tree packet, what am I
committing to? You are
committing to shopping for, purchasing, wrapping and returning a $25 toy
gift and a $25 clothing gift for each Angel Tree packet that you check
out. It is critical that these gifts be returned on time otherwise the
Angel Tree team will need to shop, purchase and wrap those gifts to
ensure that the child receives his/her gifts.
What if I want to spend more than $50 per
child? We must stay with the
$50 limit per child. The child’s siblings will be receiving gifts from
other Baysiders and inequity will create hurt feelings. Even if you buy
for all the siblings in one family, those children’s friends, cousins or
neighbors may also be participating in Angel Tree. If you have
additional money you wish to contribute to Angel Tree, please consider
checking out additional packets or making a monetary donation of any
amount to Angel Tree. There are also many other great Christmas projects
through Bayside that involve a wider range of cost. You may want to
check out one of these that best suits your desired spending amount.
What if $50 is too much for me?
You might want to consider partnering
with a friend. One of you could be responsible for the toy purchase and
the other for the clothing purchase. We also accept monetary donations
of any amount. We must ensure each child gets two gifts totaling $50 per
child. The child’s siblings will be receiving gifts from other Baysiders
and inequity will create hurt feelings. There are also many other great
Christmas projects through Bayside that involve a wider range of cost.
You may want to check out one of these that best suits your desired
spending amount.
Can I buy a gift card instead?
Please do not purchase a gift card.
It means more to the child to feel that they have received a personal
gift from their parent. Additionally, the caregiver may choose to use
the gift card to purchase something for themselves, or something such as
food, alcohol etc. and not a gift for the child.
Each toy and clothing gift is supposed to
have a $25 value, but what do I do if the suggestion listed costs much
less or more than $25. The
Angel Tree team does their best to make sure that appropriate gift ideas
are listed on the Angel tags. However, we may miss some. If the
suggestion listed does not total $25 or totals more than $25, be
creative and add or reduce from the suggestion given. A child that wants
a deck of cards may also enjoy board games or puzzle books. A child that
wants a ball may also enjoy other sport equipment or outdoor toys. A
child that wants an Xbox or a computer would probably enjoy a handheld
electronic game.
How do I wrap my gift?
The toy gift must be wrapped separately
from the clothing gift. It’s OK to purchase multiple toy (or clothing)
gifts to total up to the $25 amount, but please wrap them together in
one box or bundle them securely together (using strong packaging tape)
with a note that multiple toy (or clothing) gifts total $25. Please do
not wrap toy and the clothing gift combined in one box or bundle them
together. The organization team is expecting two packages per child, one
for toy and the other for clothing.
What do I do with the Angel Tree labels?
The Angel Tree labels are
self-adhesive. Attach the TOY label to the wrapped toy gift and the
CLOTHING label to the wrapped clothing gift. Place both the wrapped
gifts into the color- coded plastic bag that has been provided. Attach
the Angel Tree BAG label in a visible location on the outside of the
plastic bag.
What do I do if I lose my Angel Tree
Labels? Contact the Angel Tree
Hotline at 916-746-8683 and leave a message for Kim Heuvelhorst or email
her at
kheuvelhorst@surewest.net .
We’ll look up your child’s
information and provide it to you along with instructions for what to
attach to your gift when you turn it in.
Can I write a card to the child I’m
buying for? No. It is
important that the child realizes that this gift is from his/her father
or mother. The inmate father or mother has already written a message to
their child and this message is written on the Angel Tree gift label. We
are only acting on behalf of the incarcerated parent. It would be
confusing to the child to see an additional card from a third party.
When and where do I bring my gifts?
The gifts should be returned
to the lobby of the worship center on NOV
15/16, 22/23 or Nov
29/30. If you will not be in town either of those three weekends, please call
the Angel Tree Hotline at 916-746-8683 and leave a message for Kathy or
Scott Peters or email them at
bejoyful_kat@yahoo.com
for instructions on how to return your Angel gifts.
What do I do if I miss the deadline for
returning my gift? After Nov
30
we will shop for any missing gifts so that no child is left out. If you
miss the deadline for returning your gift and wish to still participate,
you may make a monetary contribution to help with the costs of
purchasing missing gifts.
When and where are the Angel Tree
parties? The Angel Tree
Parties will be on Saturday, December 6th and Sunday,
December 7th (depending on location) in
Rancho Cordova, Central Roseville, West Roseville, Woodland,
Placerville, and Auburn.
I’m interested in helping at an Angel
Tree party. What should I do?
There is a sign up sheet for party volunteers at the Angel Tree table in
the lobby of the worship center during the last three weekends in
November. You can also call the Angel Tree Hotline at 916-746-8683 and
leave a message.
Is there any other way that I can help?
We can always use donations of heavy-duty Christmas gift-wrap or
especially gift bags. We especially appreciate monetary donations to
cover the cost of materials and shopping for missing gifts.
For the following situations, please
leave a message at the Angel Tree Hotline at 916-746-8683 or email us at
Angeltree@baysideonline.com for:
·
Lost Angel Tree tags?
·
Unable to purchase gifts
after all?
·
Need a special
arrangement to return gifts?
·
Donate money to Angel
Tree?
·
Donate Christmas
gift-wrap or gift bags?
·
Donate food/supplies for
the Angel Tree parties?
·
Help at the Angel Tree
parties? |
