BUCKHANNON – Trumps Salon’s recently ensured 25 ‘angels’ who might not have otherwise received Christmas presents had something to unwrap under the tree this year.

Rondal Mitchell, owner of Trump’s Salon, said their angel tree looks to specifically help high school students and their families, whereas some programs, have been traditionally focused on supplying toys and other necessary items to younger children, toddlers and infants.

“Our tree focuses on high school students in need, so some of these high school students might be what’s deemed homeless or their family might be in need,” Mitchell said. “For instance, we had a family this year that, at the last minute, their dad lost his job, and so the family had no income whatsoever and they hadn’t bought any presents, so they had one child, and this child would not be receiving any gifts if it wasn’t for our tree.”

He said the salon works with Buckhannon-Upshur High School counselors and teachers to come up with a list of students whose families might need some help, and then give the list to Mitchell. The names are then designated by numbers and they have their needs and wants listed and put on a card, which is hung on the salon’s angel tree.

“Our gracious clients literally rush in and grab all of them and this year, we were a little late and we were having clients actually call and ask us when the tree would go up and ask if we had any angels yet,” Mitchell said. “We probably had 13 angels taken before we ever got them on the tree. I really can’t express how proud and how humbled I am by my clients, because we truly have some very gracious clients.”

This year, the tree had 25 angels and each one was taken care of for Christmas; Mitchell said they even had an anonymous donor buy presents for 10 angels.

“They told us next year they would possibly like to double that, if possible and so ultimately, I would like to have 50 and if I could 100,” Mitchell said. “I’d like to take every kid in need, if I could.”

He said Christmas 2019 marks the fourth year Trump’s has undertaken the angel tree initiative, and it seems the high schoolers ask for a variety of functional items.

“They want food gift cards, and they’re very specific about shoes and very specific about what type of shoe they need, such as work shoes, steel-toed boots, for work,” Mitchell said. “Last year, we had a lot of kids that needed pillows and blankets and comforters because where they were living that wasn’t supplied to them, so that was their Christmas need. This year was different, we had a lot of personal hygiene items that were wanted this year.”

He said he hopes to raise awareness that the tree is there so next Christmas, even more angels are signed up.

“I would like to reach out to the angels or the potential angels and just say, when you hear about this angel tree next year, if somebody doesn’t contact you and you don’t have a Christmas, or you’re not going to be able to have a good Christmas, please reach out to somebody and let them know, so that we can help you have a good Christmas,” Mitchell said.