By Lori Ehde
Anonymous angels saved Christmas this year for boys at Pinnacle Programs Inc. in Magnolia.
The organization is a residential treatment program for troubled youth operating out of the former Magnolia school since 1995.
Of the 23 boys staying at Pinnacle over the holidays, only a handful saw their families for Christmas, and of those who stayed in Magnolia, only a couple received gifts from home.
Most of the boys, ages 13 to 17, are from the Minneapolis-St. Paul area or from other large cities.
Many are from homes so troubled that, given the chance, they'd rather not celebrate Christmas with their families.
For years, teachers and staff at Pinnacle have looked for creative ways to make Christmas special for the boys. That has meant special meals, Christmas parties and activities.
In recent years, staff members have pooled resources to buy small gifts for the boys to open.
While the efforts were thoughtful and appreciated, opening a generic gift that everyone received wasn't the same as getting a personal gift meant specifically for them.
Last year about a week before Christmas, Pinnacle business manager and co-owner Sonja Crowley put up an "Angel Tree," in an effort to reach each one of the boys personally.
The boys were asked to write on a card what they wanted for Christmas, and those wish lists were hung on the tree in the Pinnacle lobby.
Initial requests were modest, Crowley said. "They'd ask for socks or toiletries or small things they needed," she said. "So we went around again and asked if there were any fun things they wanted to add to the list."
Staff members, volunteers and area residents then retrieved those lists and anonymously purchased the requested items.
"At first the kids didn't believe it would happen," Crowley said. "But they were surprised."
Actually, Crowley said everyone was surprised at the generosity of the gift-buying "angels."
"That first year it was kind of rushed, but this year we started early, and it just exploded," Crowley said. "We had people calling for names long after they were gone from the tree. People spent a lot of time shopping for hard-to-find items."
Most of the boys received everything on their lists plus stocking stuffers besides.
Two Omaha, Neb., boys, A.B. and J.W., agreed to be photographed and interviewed by the Star Herald about their Christmas angels. A.B., 13, has been with Pinnacle since Oct. 27, and J.W., 17, has been there since July 28.
Both were struck by the generosity of their angels.
"I was surprised that people care for me - people I don't even know," J.W. said. "It surprised me."
A.B. was pleased with his gifts and the Christmas experience offered by Pinnacle.
"I'm happy they gave me a Christmas to spend like a family," he said. "It surprised me that people would pick a name off a tree and go buy for us."
The boys weren't the only ones surprised by the Angel Tree response.
"My office was packed with gifts," said assistant director Rebecca Dreesen. "I was amazed by the turnout and the amount of money that people spent."
Special education teacher Diane Schmidt said news of the Angel Tree traveled fast, even in circles outside of Rock County.
"I was flabbergasted at the generosity of the people and the interest," she said.
She had mentioned Pinnacle's tree to her Zion Lutheran Church choir members in Sioux Falls, "and they jumped on it," she said, estimating the group spent $800 on gifts.
"I'd come home at night and I'd find gift bags stuffed between my doors," she said.
At a time of year when so many organizations are seeking donations, why such a positive community response?
"I think it's that so many kids don't have homes to go to for Christmas," Schmidt said.
Another possible reason for the generous response, Dreesen said, is that Pinnacle kids make frequent contact with the Rock County community through various activities.
Having faces to attach to some of the names on the wish lists may have prompted more interest.
The Angel Tree will go up at Pinnacle again next year, in addition to satellite trees volunteered at other locations in the area.