{"id":15336,"date":"2025-12-08T16:26:56","date_gmt":"2025-12-08T23:26:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/record-number-of-families-seeking-help-from-dolores-rotary-club-angel-tree\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T03:46:40","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T03:46:40","slug":"record-number-of-families-seeking-help-from-dolores-rotary-club-angel-tree","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/record-number-of-families-seeking-help-from-dolores-rotary-club-angel-tree\/","title":{"rendered":"Record number of families seeking help from Dolores Rotary Club Angel Tree"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"More
More than 60 wish-list tags remain on the Dolores Rotary Club\u2019s Angel Tree in the Dolores Public Library back room. Organizers, facing high demand, are asking for help to fulfill them before Dec. 16. (Anna Watson\/The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

With just days left before gifts are due back, the Rotary Club of Dolores faces its highest-ever number of holiday assistance requests \u2013 and more than 60 Angel Tree wish-list tags remain unclaimed at the Dolores Public Library.<\/p>\n

Demand has surged beyond typical levels. Organizers are asking the community to help so everyone on the list can receive a gift this season.<\/p>\n

Each Angel Tree tag represents a Dolores child, senior or resident. They submitted a short holiday wish list through their school or community program. When a shopper takes a tag, they agree to buy some of the listed items. Gifts usually cost about $25 and must be returned unwrapped to the library by Dec. 16.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had close to 72 kids and about a dozen senior requests. This is a record number,\u201d said Susan Lisak, Rotary\u2019s assistant district governor for Dolores, Cortez and Telluride.<\/p>\n

Need grew again this week. A former Dolores teacher, now working in Shiprock, New Mexico, contacted the club after her school\u2019s Angel Tree program fell through, asking for help for 10 additional children. Those names were added to the Dolores tree.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m worried that we\u2019re not going to be able to fulfill all of these gift requests,\u201d Lisak said. \u201cIt\u2019s been a tough year, and we have a lot of families that could use some extra smiles this Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Angel Tree program, more than a decade old, helps Dolores students, preschoolers and seniors who submit gift requests through teachers or caregivers.<\/p>\n

Rotary receives two types of requests: items children want and items they need. This year\u2019s wants reflect excitement around the new Dolores Bike and Skate Park, with many asking for skateboards, elbow pads and knee pads.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe tell the parents to keep the list at a maximum $25, but of course, a skateboard is not going to be under $25, and we understand that. We tell shoppers the wish list is only a guideline,\u201d Lisak said. On the needs side, she saw repeated requests for snow pants and snow boots, reflecting winter needs.<\/p>\n

\"Angel
Angel Tree cards are anonymous, and ages in the program range from grade-school students to adults in the community. (Anna Watson\/The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>
Here\u2019s how to get involved<\/div>\n

Anyone who wants to shop for a child or senior can pick up a tag directly from the Angel Tree at the Dolores Public Library. Residents can also sign up online at https:\/\/form.jotform.com\/253375592952165 to be matched with a tag.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they don\u2019t want to come to the Dolores Public Library, there\u2019s an online form they can fill out,\u201d Lisak said. \u201cIt asks if they have a preference \u2013 male, female, elderly \u2013 and then, I text them a picture of the tag as I take it off the tree.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gifts do not need to be wrapped, but they can be. All items must be returned to the library by Dec. 16, with the tag number attached to prevent mix-ups. Rotary volunteers will wrap gifts that evening, and families will pick them up Dec. 17 and 18.<\/p>\n

The library, at 1002 Railroad Ave., is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.<\/p>\n

Rotary also noted the library is collecting nonperishable food and diapers for the Dolores Family Project through Dec. 13. Food pickup occurs Tuesdays from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Dolores Community Center.<\/p>\n

The Angel Tree has been housed at the library since the Ponderosa Restaurant closed, where Rotary previously ran the program each holiday season. Sean Gannt serves as Rotary Club president. The club meets Tuesdays at 7:30 a.m. at the library.<\/p>\n

Cortez Angel Tree has unclaimed tags for six local kids<\/div>\n

A second Angel Tree is also available in Cortez, with six tags for local children through the Pi\u00f1on Project. The tree is operated by The Journal <\/em>in conjunction with the Pi\u00f1on Project\u2019s Christmas for Kids program and is located inside the Cortez Chamber building at 20 W. Main St.<\/p>\n

Community members are invited to pick up a tag, shop for the listed items and return unwrapped gifts to the Pi\u00f1on Project by Dec. 15. Initially, 20 tags were provided.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

organizers ask for help \u2013 with over 60 gift tags still unclaimed<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15337,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[28,29],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-15336","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-headlines","tag-newsletter"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15336","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15336"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15336\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19605,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15336\/revisions\/19605"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15337"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15336"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15336"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15336"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=15336"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}