RAF MILDENHALL, England -- Every year, children of RAF Mildenhall Airmen receive gifts they would not have otherwise had, all thanks to the "Angel Tree" and the generosity of others around base.
The Angel Tree is a charity event run by the First Sergeants Council, to help RAF Mildenhall families in need and to ensure their children have a happy Christmas.
Some Airmen may not be able to afford Christmas gifts for their families, so the Angel Tree, in conjunction with Operation Warmheart, provides a way to help ease the financial burden. Operation Warmheart - a private organization run by the first sergeants - receives funding from both enlisted and officers' spouses groups, as well as from fundraising done throughout the year, such as bell-ringing donation collections.
The first sergeants in every squadron talk to their flight supervisors, who then provide names of those who may need some help financially, maybe someone with a lot of kids, or someone who's having financial trouble, according to Senior Master Sgt. Beau Jones, 100th Logistics Readiness Squadron first sergeant.
"Those people usually don't know they're being nominated," Jones, from Fort Wayne, Ind., said. "We usually end up with between 500 and 600 gifts every year for about 150 kids - everybody gets about three gifts. We have trouble keeping names on the tree and keeping the box empty!"
Operation Warmheart also provides between $5,000 to $7,000 per year of commissary vouchers, said Senior Master Sgt. Gordy Evarts, 100th Security Forces Squadron first sergeant.
"We give them to ensure the same families get proper Thanksgiving and Christmas meals, so they have the money to be able to afford to buy holiday meals for (themselves) and their family," he said.
Any base ID cardholder can donate gifts to the Angel Tree. The tree is located inside the RAF Mildenhall Exchange food court, and anyone can take a paper angel tag from around the tree and provide a gift.
Gifts should be left unwrapped, have the angel tag attached and be placed in the box beside the tree.
"At the very least (the angel tag) will state the age and gender of the child," Jones said. "Sometimes it has additional information such as clothes size or favorite toys, to help when purchasing a gift."
The program is entirely anonymous; those buying the gifts have no way of knowing who they are for. Only the first sergeants know who the gifts will go to, and they keep the information to themselves.
"We are always overwhelmed by the generosity of the base," said Evarts, from Grand Rapids, Mich. "This year, we had to empty the drop box within the first 48 hours - it was overflowing after the first day!"
The first sergeants are responsible for collecting and sorting the gifts.
"We load up a KC-135 Stratotanker and send (the gifts) to the North Pole, so Santa Claus can deliver them," said Jones. "We have a direct connection with him."
The 100th LRS first sergeant said that every year about $12,000 is given to needy families on base. This amount includes the money paid for the commissary vouchers during the holidays.
All the money raised goes to help Airmen and their families who may need a little extra help.
For more information, contact unit first sergeants.