Youth Library Association delivers Christmas gifts to 70 local children

The Youth Library Association’s angel tree project, located inside the Centennial branch of the Fort Erie Public Library, invited residents to take a tag from the tree and commit to donating gifts for a local child aged 0 to 18.

All 70 tags were claimed before the December 18 deadline, meaning every child signed up through the program will receive gifts this Christmas season.

The entire project was organized and run by the Youth Library Association (YLA), a group of teenagers working to make the library a more inclusive place for young people.

Parents or guardians in Fort Erie who needed extra help this Christmas could sign up through a Google form to receive donated gifts for their children.

Senior representative of the YLA, Bianca Martin, 16, told Fort Erie Radio the idea came to her after she saw angel tree videos on TikTok and wanted to bring the same initiative to Fort Erie.

Each tag on the tree listed the child’s name along with specific wish list items, including toys, books, clothing and other requested gifts. There was no set spending limit, with donors responsible for choosing what they could afford once they committed to a tag.

“What truly inspired this project was my love for planning and helping my community. I love helping kids and families. Especially when times are tough,” said Martin.

Once a community member selected a tag from the tree, they were expected to purchase the listed items and return the tag along with the gifts to the library by the deadline.

“I am truly grateful for each and every person and family that went out of their way to help this kids this year,” said Martin, adding that donors were motivated by knowing the name of the child they were helping, rather than dropping off an unassigned toy in a bin.

After gifts were returned to the tree, they were collected and taken to Martin’s home, where they were wrapped before being prepared for distribution.

“Being able to help over 70 kids in my community this season means everything,” she said.

She thanked YLA chair Adelaide Dy, 15, for leading the initiative, along with her mother for driving her to and from the library and helping wrap and transport gifts.

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