ORLANDO, Fla. – It’s a tradition Luann Brooks is proud of, dozens of hotels and restaurants part of the International Drive Business Improvement District got results for 500 children participating in The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program.
Brooks, executive director of the district, said this tradition started 20 years ago with her daughter.
“She was 5 years old, we were at a mall, she looked up at the Angel Tree and said, ‘Mom what’s that?’ I explained to her what it was, and she said can we adopt some of those angels. We started with five, today we have 500 angels,” Brooks said.
On Wednesday, workers were seen wrapping up gifts in clear bags and loading up bicycles into trucks ahead of distribution day.
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“It’s not just the gifts, it’s the socks, it’s the money, it’s everything that we do just brings a lot of joy to our hearts,” Brooks said.
Brooks also handed a $1,000 check to The Salvation Army to help raise money for gifts for any angels left behind.
“We are so proud of you and the sacrifices that you’ve made so on behalf of all the vulnerable people in this community, I accept this on their behalf and you are bringing them a Merry Christmas,” said Captain Ken Chapman with The Salvation Army.
Brooks explained the last three years have been challenging for most businesses due to the pandemic.
Last year, the district was only able to adopt a little over 100 angels but this year, 500 angels were adopted.
“It’s amazing and it’s all due to the businesses that we deal with every single day here on I-drive,” Brooks said.
Brooks told News 6′s Ezzy Castro the goal for next year would be to adopt 600 angels from the Angel Tree program and she thanked all the businesses that participated this year.
“Thank you for everything you’re doing for the district, thank you for everything you’re doing for the Salvation Army but most importantly thank you for everything you are doing for the families,” Brooks said.
If you want to help The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program, you can find a guide here on ClickOrlando.com.
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