By JOYANNA LOVE/Senior Staff Writer

CLANTON — Clanton Middle School Beta Club is working to make sure children in Chilton County who may not otherwise receive a gift at Christmas time will receive presents this year.

The Beta Christmas Angels project is an annual event for the club.

For the club officers, who are all in eighth grade, the project has special meaning.

“I feel like I might not be able to help like how you see for other countries with like these big charity events, I might not be able to help, but locally it helps a lot to be able to give back to other kids,” Beta president Kensley Davis said. “It just feels really good to be giving back.”

Vice president Brady Bolling said the group works with the Department of Human Resources to find the children they sponsor each year.

“This year our ages range from 10 months to 18 years old, and we have boys and girls,” Bolling said.

Bolling said he wanted to be a part to help provide Christmas for these children.

A list of wanted and needed items for each child is provided. Beta students can then sign up to purchase an item on the list or contribute to an item being purchased. Culpepper then takes these funds and combines theme to get a large item on a child’s list.

The club also has fundraisers to cover the cost of any listed items that were not donated.

Karis Walker, Beta club secretary, said students organize the items to make sure the right gifts are kept with the correct number. Numbers are used to keep the identities of the children being served confidential.

This year the club will assist 22 children through the project.

Walker said she enjoys the “opportunity to give back.”

“There excitement to know that they are helping is wonderful and it inspiring because that is what Beta is about. We are a service organization and a leadership organization,” co-sponsor Kalee Culpepper said. “For a middle schooler to think outside themselves is huge. It means a lot to me because there is still hope.”

The gifts are delivered to DHR for distribution to the families.

CMS Beta Club is open to seventh and eighth grade students who have an 85 grade average or higher.

There are 147 students in the Clanton Middle School Beta Club.