Juanuary 4, 2005
Tucson, AZ -- The agents of the eight Border Patrol Stations that comprise the Tucson Sector gave many gifts and donations to less fortunate families within their local communities this holiday season.
Several stations set up "Angel Wish Trees" with ornaments representing a family's children in need of some Christmas cheer. The ornaments had the names and ages of the children for whom the gifts were to be bought. The agents 'adopted' those kids for Christmas and provided age appropriate gifts for them. Other stations collected financial donations or participated in charitable events.
-Ajo
In early December, the Ajo Border Patrol station set up an "Angel Wish Tree" with ornaments that listed what each of the 19 children living at the ranch wanted for Christmas. The agents selected an ornament and then either purchased the gifts or donated the money to purchase the gifts. The gifts ranged from school supplies, Care Bears, dolls and Game Boys. In addition, the station took up a collection of money to purchase a new Foosball table for the Village's recreation center. "Most of these children had never received a Christmas present," said Agent Chris Hartsuiker, "Watching the children open their presents really brings home the reality of what the holidays should represent."
Tuesday, December 20, 2004, Border Patrol Agents assigned to the Ajo Station delivered gifts to the children of the Childhelp USA Merv Griffin Village of Arizona located in Wickenburg. Childhelp USA is one of the largest and oldest national non-profits dedicated to the treatment and prevention of child abuse and neglect. The Merv Griffin Village is a residential facility that provides intensive, comprehensive 24-hour services for severely abused Arizona children ages 3 to 12.
-Casa Grande
Casa Grande agents raised $100 for the Marana Middle School's 7th grade Angel Tree Fund. The agents provided many clothes, car seats, and gifts to three different Child Protective Services. In addition, two hundred and fifty dollars was raised to purchase gifts to fill "Andrea's Closet" sites at four Phoenix hospitals. They also partnered with Cholla Elementary School to provide over 400 gifts to local area families.
-Douglas
Douglas Station supported two organizations. The Healthy Families organization received between gifts from agents. La Escuelita Headstart received 60 gifts. The gifts were for kids ages 2 months to 16 years of age.
-Naco
Naco agents collaborated with Child and Family Protection Services and provided approximately 1,000 presents to the children of 150 different families. Each family had between one and four children.
-Nogales
Nogales agents set up an "Angel Wish Tree" collecting presents for 80 area families with between one and 4 children each. The gifts were donated through Child and Family Resources of Santa Cruz County.
-Sonoita
Sonoita agents coordinated with the Patagonia Health Center to provide Christmas dinner and gifts to area needy families. Several Sonoita Agents participated at the event and collected over $600.00 in donations.
-Tucson
Tucson Station and Tucson Sector have been sponsoring two local children's organizations for several years during the Christmas holiday. The organizations are THOSE WHO CARE and DEVEREUX. The children that these organizations represent have been removed from their homes and placed into shelters for their protection. Sadly, some of the children have been at the same shelters for several years and most of them will never return to their homes due to continued abuse and neglect.
The agents try to make their Christmas the best possible even under these conditions. Every year, Tucson Station MW&R sponsors a Christmas party for the organization THOSE WHO CARE. They provide pizza, drinks, and goodies for the children and Santa arrives to distribute toys and candy! This year, Santa arrived on horseback! The ATV unit is always there to help and the K-9 unit always has a friendly dog for a demonstration! Agents and their wives organize the party and help with all the festivities!
-Willcox
Willcox agents provided their presents to local kids through the "Toys for Tots" charitable organization.
The Border Patrol is a division of the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, a new agency within the Department of Homeland Security, responsible for managing and securing our nation's borders. Electronic photograph attached.
~CBP~
