EDWARDSVILLE — Thanks to the generosity of local donors, several children in Madison County will wake up to new toys, clothing, and other gifts this Christmas. The initiative, for both the Community Christmas campaign and The Salvation Army's Angel Tree program, has garnered significant participation from community members, including staff from the Madison County Criminal Justice Center and the main courthouse.
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Judge Kyle Napp, along with her colleagues, took on the challenge of fulfilling 50 requests from the Angel Tree this year.
"Every year, we try to do something good for the community," Napp said. "Last year, we gathered toys for Margaret Freer at Freer Auto Body's celebration, and everybody said they wanted to do more this year."
The group not only met the Angel Tree requests but also collected a substantial amount of additional items, which were delivered to a Cookies and Cocoa event at Freer Auto Body in Godfrey last week.
"I am really happy that the Angel Tree requests were taken and we were able to donate additional items to the Freer campaign," Napp said. "This was very important to all of us."
Among the donations was a baby crib and mattress, highlighting the diverse contributions made by the group. Because of this tremendous effort, many children will wake up with new toys on Christmas Day.
"It was really awesome to see judges, private attorneys, deputies, circuit clerk staff, court reporters, and others donate items," Napp added.
Margaret Freer, who organized the Cookies and Cocoa event, expressed her pride in the collective effort by the Madison County group.
"They were so meticulous with everything they donated," Freer said. "They even had the Angel Tree requests stapled to the outside of the donations. I have never seen so much organization."
The initiative not only provided gifts for children but also brought a sense of fulfillment to Judge Napp and those involved.
"Some of the people from the courthouse and criminal justice center who donated to the Angel Tree often don't have a lot themselves," Napp said. "It meant more to them to ensure every Angel Tree request was taken."
Looking ahead, Napp confirmed that the group plans to continue this charitable effort in the coming years. "We will absolutely do this again next year," she said. "We will try to make sure we can take more tags."
She closed by trying to inspire others to also join in these types of community efforts: "Giving makes you grateful in more ways than one."
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