Every year, on an early morning in December, a truck is loaded with presents donated by supportive and empathetic students at the Empire. Student Council members at El Dorado High School prepare to make children’s dreams come true and bring the Christmas spirit to life.

While others can enjoy Christmas without financial strain, some families struggle to afford it. Schools allow students and staff to donate to The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program, which benefits children and families, helping them have a Christmas filled with gifts and long-lasting memories. Senior Kiana Malacara, along with the other Student Council members, showed their generosity by loading up the truck with toys.

“Lots of preparation went into this from having classes claim angel tags, allowing ample time to buy gifts, and giving them to the council, where we organized and loaded them into the trucks,” Malacara said.

An abundance of donations and gifts were brought to elevate Christmas for families, and the boys’ soccer team gifted bicycles to make a few angel wishes come true. Oftentimes, people avoid larger, more expensive gifts, but El Dorado went the extra mile to give back to families. Senior Treasurer Nevaeh Matsuda expresses her gratitude and hopes to influence others to give back and feel cared for.

“I think schools and communities should donate more, and can make it easier by holding more donation events. This is something I would most definitely do again. I love giving back to those in need and think everyone deserves to feel loved, especially during the holidays,” Matsuda said.

This community service project has influenced students to become more involved and considerate of others. Aztec Angels bring awareness and perspective to the differences in everyone’s Christmas. Senior Secretary Janelle Lamptey felt the charity event changed her outlook on the holidays.

“This is something that I would for sure do again because growing up, I was always blessed with everything and given everything by my parents, and now I want to be able to do the same to others. I want to give them a good Christmas. Even with the simple things like socks and clothes, something you would think everyone has, I’d like to provide them with that,” Lamptey said.