Most everyone in the parish knows about our giving tree.  Just in case you don’t, here’s what it’s about.  In our neighborhood we have a wonderful place called El Valor.  They take care of children and adults with disabilities.  There are 300 children in their program, and for more than 8 years our parish has taken on the job of getting gifts for each of these children.  It’s a little complicated, because we want to be sure the givers and the kids remain anonymous.  The way it works is that we put paper ornaments on the tree.  Each ornament has a “secret code” on it (like “copper one”) and then we write three potential gifts a family could provide for the child.  Like “boys gloves small, boy’s scarf, GI Joe.”  The family takes the ornament, goes shopping for the gift, wraps it up and puts the ornament on the outside, and they drop it off at the rectory.  Our team of volunteers than bags them up and takes them to El Valor, where they are distributed by the teachers in each classroom.  In one of the pictures, the delivery team is shown, Rosa Moreno from El Valor, Dominic, Jason, Eloy, and Juan from our parish.  In the other picture, you see Angie, who helps organize the gifts each year.  Thanks to everyone who contributed a gift, and thanks to our volunteer team for getting them to the kids!