By Aidan Mortensen | KOAL News

Each year during the holiday season, United Way of Eastern Utah hosts its annual Castle Country Angels Tree to provide holiday cheer to children across eastern Utah who would otherwise not be able to experience the joy of opening presents on Christmas Day. This year, the organization accomplished this goal in spades, serving 430 children and 42 disabled adults/seniors through the charity event.

“This was our biggest year to date,” UWEU Executive Director Pam Boyd said in a news release. “We had 168 families apply to the program this year and, as always, our incredible sponsors stepped up to make the holidays happy for 430 local kids.”

The Castle Country Angels Tree proved especially important in 2025, as rising costs and economic uncertainty created stress for families across the country. “With concerns about both the local and national economy, we figured it would be a busy year for the program,” Boyd said. “Our sponsors came to the same conclusion, and they all stepped up in a big way to meet the additional need.”

Eleven local businesses and groups participated in the event, with volunteers working in a variety of roles to ensure its success.

“Each and every one of our sponsors is so critical to our effort and we are so grateful for what they all do,” shared Boyd. “I want to extend a special thanks to the Helper Clampers, who sponsored 158 kids, and Eastern Utah Community Credit Union, who sponsored 100 kids this year.”

In addition to the 430 children served by the event, Boyd also shared that 42 disabled adults and senior citizens were served through the Angels Tree.

The UWEU served as the home base for the Angels Tree, collecting applications for the tree and distributing the wishes to the group’s trees spread across the Castle Country. From there, volunteers would select an angel, go shopping and return the present to UWEU to be wrapped and delivered in time for the holidays.

The event furthers the mission of the United Way of Eastern Utah to “improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of communities.” This mission is evident in other events, such as the organization’s annual ‘Soles2Souls’ pop-up shoe shop and Day of Caring event.

Below is a complete list of sponsors for the Castle Country Angels Tree:

• Castleview Hospital
• Christmas Tree Regalia
• East Carbon City
• Eastern Utah Community Credit Union
• Helper Clampers
• Huntington Power Plant
• Price Kiwanis
• Price Fire Department
• United Way of Eastern Utah
• USU SUN Center
• Carbon High National Honor Society