Why Jimmy Wayne Helps the Angel Tree Program

Jimmy Wayne knows a thing or two about being a foster child during the holidays, about how some parts of the Christmas holiday that other kids take for granted are rarities to foster children. But thanks to charities like the Salvation Army's Angel Tree, less fortunate children man have a more memorable Christmas.
"I was a recipient of the Angel Tree Program when I was a kid," Jimmy told The Boot. "My sister and I both were. Sometimes we'd get picked and sometimes we wouldn't. It was pretty tough seeing other kids in the neighborhood with new bikes and clothes, and [we had to go] back to school wearing the same clothes that we wore last year. It was ... tough times."
But not every year was difficult. One Christmas Jimmy recieved a memorable gift through the Angel Tree program. "I remember getting a deck of UNO cards. Man, we thought that was a big deal!"
Several years later, after he moved to Music City and got a record deal, Jimmy was shopping during the Christmas season and was reminded of the past. "I was at the Green Hills Mall in Nashville right before my first album was released. I was standing there looking over the tier down at this angel tree, just kind of reminiscing of times when I was a kid and those Christmases. I remember how it felt. Although you're used to not getting anything -- or much -- it still hurts. I just started thinking, 'What's going to happen to those kids? The same thing that happened to us, probably.'"
This inspired Jimmy to write a song to bring more awareness to the Angel Tree program. Featured on his debut album, 'Paper Angels' was released as the third single. The song eventually won the William Booth Award in 2005, which is given by the Salvation Army in recognition of Jimmy's charity work for the program.
"That wasn't me," he said humbly of the honor, "It was the song, and it was the people behind the song -- the fans out there and the public who got involved and started helping out all these kids. That's who got the award, really. The song was an instrument to motivate people and create some momentum and awareness. It worked. It's been played every year since then, just reminding folks that it's important for us to get involved and help out these kids. Because they've been told their whole life if they're good, they're going to get something; and if they're not, they're not. That's just what we've taught them to believe. If they don't get something, how are we going to expect them not to think, 'Well was it because I was a bad kid?' That's what I'd probably think."
Jimmy noted that some say it isn't what you give or receive, it's the thought that counts. Unfortunately, "it's not that way to a kid. Kids don't think like we think. You'd be surprised what a pair of shoes will do for a kid's self-esteem. Wearing the same shoes to school two years in a row is not fun. You get a new pair of shoes or a new shirt ... watch how fast those grades go up!"
Jimmy is encouraging people to get involved in the Angel Tree program this year with a special challenge. "What if we all got together as adults and forfeited gifts to one another and say, 'My gift to you is going to be to sponsor a kid, and your gift to me is that you're going to sponsor a kid.' That's what I've asked everyone to do instead of getting me anything. Take that money and go get a kid something for Christmas. We don't need stuff like they do. They can't physically go get a job and make money to take care of themselves. They depend on us."
Jimmy is so involved in the program that he admits it sometimes aggravates him when he is given a gift during the holidays and his birthday. "I'm not an unthankful person; I'm a thinkful person. When I get a gift, I appreciate it, but there's a kid who needs it more than me. Everybody who I've met along the way who knows me has started giving their gifts to me to the kids. They don't even ask me [what I want] anymore!"
Source: The Boot