Volunteer Spotlight: Look, a visit from Angels

Dec. 2—Christi Dahl and the volunteers with Christmas Angels have been making Christmas happen for families in need for more than 20 years.

Dahl, of Lewiston, started helping families even before Christmas Angels was an official non-profit organization. Her aunt Arlene died of ovarian cancer in 2001 and she loved Christmas, so the family decided to help people Arlene knew. And the tradition started. Dahl continued to assist families and then, with help from Shannon Boren, Christmas Angels became a non-profit in memory of Boren's father, Rick, who also helped with the Christmas giving.

Lezah Shinkle, of Lewiston, has been with Christmas Angels for the last three years. She is retired and went to the Angels' yard sale, one of the organization's fundraisers. She asked about the group and they told her what it was about "and I asked, 'How do I join?'" she said.

The rest is history.

Shinkle was impressed with Dahl and the volunteers and was touched when she heard their stories of helping families.

"We all cried when we met," Shinkle said. "The stories, it was just 'Oh my gosh, I got to do this.'"

Dahl has seven administrators, eight during the Christmas season, that help her during the year. In November, volunteers shop for items from a list that the families provide. Then volunteers wrap gifts and they are taken to "Santa's workshop," to be delivered. The truck was loaded Friday and the gifts will be delivered today.

Christmas Angels helps families in need to provide a Christmas experience for them. Families must be nominated by someone else. That process starts in October at the website www.christmasangels.org/, which is now closed for this year's event. The nomination process is anonymous to protect people's privacy.

Then the families are "adopted" by individuals or groups. Those purchasing the gifts know the age and gender of the children.

Shinkle said most of the time people spend $1,000 per family on items like groceries, gas money or even helping with a trip to the doctor.

"We just reach out and people say 'What can we do?'" Shinkle said. "People are awesome, they just dive in and help."

Every family gets a Christmas dinner, a "need" it has designated, and the children get a "want" and a "need" as gifts. The need can be something like groceries, the most common request, or even a new stove or paying for electric or gas bills. The need for the children can be clothing like jackets and boots for the winter. The "want" lets the children get a more conventional Christmas present.

"They get a true Christmas," Dahl said.

When Dahl talks with families about their needs, the wants are often not even on the list, especially food because the children are off from school and need lunches normally provided by the school.

"A gift is not the first priority," Dahl said.

Sometimes bigger gifts like a stove, a train ride or, like this year, an autograph from skateboarder Tony Hawk, comes from "somebody who knows someone, who knows someone, who knows someone," Shinkle said. That's how the group got the autograph, from a connection from Christmas Angels and a woman whose husband works with Hawk.

"We just can't wait to deliver this, it's going to be awesome," Shinkle said about the autograph.

The number of families the organization gives to has increased every year. First the group had 10 families, then 13, 15, and now this year there are 20. Part of the increase is because more people are aware of the organization.

"People have really gotten to know what Christmas Angels is, I think," Shinkle said.

Convering into a non-profit has also made fundraising easier and people can now get tax deductibles for their donations. Even with the switch to a non-profit, Dahl said fundraising is still a need, Christmas Angels had to turn away 30 families this year.

But Dahl credits the community for its support. Avista gives the organization $50 gift cards through a grant, the Happy Day group of restaurants gives $50 gift cards, Domino's pizza does a fundraiser four times a year and another 30 to 40 businesses, like Perfection Tire, Sylvan Furniture and Black Rifle Coffee, have donated items.

"We couldn't do this without the valley's support behind us," Dahl said "It wouldn't be possible."

Through those connections and relationship-building, Christmas Angels has increased support. Sometimes those connections people make with their adopted families sticks and they stay in contact. Other times the families the Angels helped end up giving back.

"Families have struggles and they get through the struggle and they want to give back," Shinkle said.

After doing Christmas Angels for more than 20 years Dahl has lots of memories of those she's helped. Families who have almost nothing, like women who have left domestic violence situations or gone through a divorce, get beds, dishes and other necessities from Angels.

"We feel like we're the best hope for them to get on their feet and those will always stick out in my mind," Dahl said.

Shinkle said one family she helped was a single dad and his son. It was her first year with Angels and she was helping with the delivery. The boy asked if all the presents were for them.

"The look on this little boy's face was priceless," Shinkle said. "It just made your heart melt."

Another time Shinkle delivered new coats to a family. Gifts like coats aren't wrapped because they are often needed right away. The family had a kindergartner and a second grader who were so excited to get new coats.

"It just makes you really appreciate what you have," Shinkle said.

Those interested in helping can also contact the group's Facebook group, Christmas Angels of the LC Valley, or the website. Shinkle loves being able to volunteer with the group and with the others who help.

"It's so heartwarming to do this," Shinkle said.

Brewster may be contacted at kbrewster@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2297.

how to help:

More information on Christmas Angels, how to donate, volunteer and nominate families can be done at www.christmasangels.org