Student Council will be participating in the annual LISD Adopt an Angel program. The program provides gifts to LISD students in need for the holiday season. Donations will be collected by Student Council in room 1110 until Nov. 17, or can be dropped off at the Next Steps Center in Lewisville from Dec. 1-9. 

“Faculty and staff members are asked to nominate students who are in need of [assistance],” counselor Stacy Lovett said. “Students are put on a list [so] people in the community can donate items specific [to the student’s wants and needs].”

For the past 19 years, the LISD Adopt an Angel gift program has been delivering various toys, clothing and gifts to students in need during the holiday season. This year, about 3,600 ‘angels’ across the district are registered to receive gifts. Last year, the district saw an increase of approximately 600 children on the list, potentially due to the pandemic; for Hebron, the number of students registered to receive donations has increased from previous years.

Allison Stamey, student activities director and Student Council sponsor at Lewisville High School, started this program after seeing the Angel tree program at the local mall was not honest with their operations. 

“We decided to help [LHS students] by having every single class adopt an angel from the angel tree at the mall, which was run by a local non-profit,” Stamey said. “[At the end], a truckful of wrapped gifts were donated; [however, I later saw] the [non-profit and a partnering store] unwrap our donations and put them on their shelves.”

Devastated to see their gifts were not helping the children in need, Stamey started her own Adopt an Angel program specifically for Lewisville High School families. After seeing its success, Stamey opened the gift program up to all of Lewisville High School’s feeder schools and, eventually, all of the schools in the district. 

“It’s all handled with a lot of trust and delicacy, which is all for the betterment of our kids,” Lovett said. “Coming out of the pandemic, we saw huge economic shifts [occurring] in families. This [program allows us] to support families that we know and be generous.”

Many staff and student groups on campus, such as cheer and the science department, have already adopted an angel from the list of families needing donations. In addition to adopting a couple Hebron angels on the list, Student Council will be collecting donations of new toys, games and books for the program. 

“[Since] we get caught up in building our own [wish lists], it’s unimaginable for a lot of people to understand the feeling of going through hard times,” Student Council sponsor Jennifer Russell said. “If you’re [fortunate] enough to, why not help other kids experience the good holidays?” 

Stamey said that knowing the amount of joy that the program brings to families each year gives her the motivation to stay during late nights to help manage donations and projects to make sure students are receiving what they need. 

“I have always believed that doing [good] for others makes your life better, as it did [for mine],” Stamey said. “[I love] seeing students who have been angels [since young] grow up to excel in high school and life. It’s truly something special.” 

The list of angels who have yet to be adopted can be found on the official LISD Adopt an Angel website. As anyone is able to help out a child in the district, Stamey asks for people to lend a helping hand to those in need. 

“[The children receiving gifts] remember the people who help them,” Stamey said. “Many students come to help [prepare] the gifts; even my own kids who graduated years ago help out every year. It is so heartwarming to help others.”