You may have caught a glimpse of our BANK VI Hero of the Week volunteering during the holiday season at The Angel Tree. This week, we honor Connie Bowman for coordinating and selflessly volunteering at The Salvation Army Angel Tree in Central Mall.

Connie has been involved with The Angel Tree for over ten years – but increased her role this year, due to a shortage of volunteer staff. She and fellow members of Heartland Worship Center worked nearly every day manning The Angel Tree through mid-December.

The tree becomes a fixture in the middle of the shopping center each year around Thanksgiving and is adorned with ornaments containing the first name of a child and a short list of items the child needs. Those choosing angels from the tree purchase these items and return them to Angel Tree staff for distribution by The Salvation Army just before Christmas.

Roxanne Matous with The Salina Salvation Army tells The Salina Post that close to 600 kids under the age of twelve had gifts to unwrap this Christmas because of the public’s generosity.

“Kids that were once benefactors of this program have grown up and are now picking angels and buying presents for other children. I love seeing people open their hearts to these kids”, says Bowman.
Connie is also a full time para-educator at Sunset Elementary School in Salina.

If you know someone who gives back to our community or goes that extra mile to make our community a better place, nominate them for BANK VI Hero of the Week by clicking here.