Angels & Elves

02/19/2026

What an incredible event coming up! 💙⛷️

The Kennett Key Club is hosting a ski fundraiser at Cranmore Mountain Resort on Saturday, March 7th — and it’s all to benefit Camp Sunshine.

Ski yourself… or sponsor a skier! 🎿 Every dollar raised helps support Camp Sunshine’s mission of providing hope, joy, and community to children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. Register or donate here: https://charity.pledgeit.org/ski-for-sunshine

Camp Sunshine serves families whose children are facing cancer, retinoblastoma, brain tumors, kidney disease, sickle cell disease, and other serious hematologic and autoimmune conditions — including ITP, TTP, aplastic anemia, beta thalassemia major, thrombocytosis, and lupus (SLE), for children age 21 and younger. They also offer bereavement sessions for families who have experienced the heartbreaking loss of a child.

This is what community looks like. ❤️
Teens stepping up. Mountains making memories. Families finding support.

Let’s cheer on these amazing Key Club students and help make a difference.

Ski for Sunshine - March 7, 2026 | Cranmore Mountain Enjoy an evening on the slopes of Cranmore Mountain to support Camp Sunshine! The challenge: Complete 15 runs as an individual or 60 runs as a team (of 4) between 4:00pm and 8:00pm. Prizes will be awarded to top fundraisers. Help us raise $15,000....

01/28/2026

A note of thanks. Individual thank-you letters were mailed to everyone for whom we had a mailing address. Unfortunately, we did not have addresses for all donors—particularly those who contributed via Venmo or supported the program through purchases from our Amazon Wish List.

Please know that every donor and volunteer (including those who shared Facebook posts) is deeply appreciated and made a meaningful difference for local children and families. If you gave in any way, this message is especially for you—thank you for helping make Angels & Elves such a success.

01/11/2026

Huge THANK YOU to everyone who showed up yesterday to help us move out Angels & Elves and Photos with Santa — we couldn’t have done it without you. 💙

With lots of helping hands (and delicious donuts from Leavitt's Country Bakery 🍩), we wrapped everything up in under an hour and a half. A special thank-you to Country Picker (https://www.thecountrypicker.com/) for donating their time and truck to get everything back into storage — truly appreciated!

Your time, energy, and good spirits mean more than you know. We’re already looking forward to doing it all again… see you next year! 🎄✨

Photo credit: Linda McConnell King

01/07/2026

✨ Last night was a special night at our Kiwanis Club of Mount Washington Valley meeting. ✨

We gathered to recognize and thank the Angels & Elves volunteers from our community — the people who have devoted years of time and energy to this project. While Angels & Elves is a Kiwanis program, the majority of the work is done by community volunteers, and last night was about honoring their long-term service and commitment.

There were 48 people in attendance, including many Kiwanis members who have never been directly involved in Angels & Elves. Marie Lee put an enormous amount of work into creating a slideshow filled with photos from Angels & Elves over the years. She shared the history of the program and walked the group through exactly how it operates, helping educate members who had never seen the full scope of the logistics and behind-the-scenes effort required each year.

We were also honored to have Jay Poulin, President of HEB Engineers, Inc. in attendance. Jay and his company have been long-time supporters of Angels & Elves, always finding time over the years to help however needed, including wrapping presents. Each year, HEB Engineer employees select a nonprofit to receive a donation, and we are incredibly grateful that they chose Angels & Elves, presenting a $10,000 check in support of our work.

To close out the meeting, Marie surprised us all by passing the torch of Head Elf to Christine Gillette. Marie isn’t going anywhere — she will remain closely involved as second-in-command for the foreseeable future — but this was a well-deserved transition.

Congratulations to Christine, and sincere thanks to every Angels & Elves volunteer and supporter who continues to make this project possible. 💚

01/04/2026

💚 Angels & Elves Community Help Needed 💚

As we wrap up another Angels & Elves season, we could use some helping hands to load two large trucks and move everything into storage for next year.

📅 Saturday, January 10
⏰ 8:00 AM
📍 Elf Headquarters at Settlers Green, directly across from Famous Footwear

We’ll first load a Country Picker truck, followed by a second truck to transport racks and tables to our storage unit on East Conway Road.

Coffee and donuts will be provided, and with enough help we should be finished in under two hours.

If you’re able to lend a hand, we would truly appreciate it — many hands make light work. Thank you for continuing to support Angels & Elves and the families we serve 💚

12/31/2025

Happy New Year from Angels & Elves ✨

As the new year begins, we’re sending warm wishes to every family, neighbor, volunteer, and friend who makes our community such a special place to call home.

May the year ahead bring good health, steady days, and plenty of moments worth smiling about.

Happy New Year 💛

12/25/2025

🎄 Merry Christmas from Angels & Elves 🎄

From our hearts to yours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas.

Because of this incredible community, children across the Mount Washington Valley woke up today feeling remembered, supported, and loved.

Angels & Elves exists because people step forward — neighbors helping neighbors, quietly and generously — and that spirit is felt most strongly on Christmas morning.

Thank you to every donor, volunteer, sponsor, and supporter who helped make this season possible. You are the reason this work matters, and the reason it works. ❤️

May your day be filled with warmth, joy, and a little extra magic.

With gratitude,
Angels & Elves 🎁✨

12/23/2025

Free trees until 4PM today ❤️

Lucy's is embracing the spirit of giving this holiday season! 🎁🤶🏼

To help make your Christmas merry and bright, we're offering FREE CHRISTMAS TREES! 🎄

Visit us today before the storm hits and take your tree home. We're here until 4pm!

12/22/2025

For 34 years, Angels & Elves has supported children and families across the Mount Washington Valley during the holiday season—making sure kids have what they need for winter and adding a little extra joy at Christmas.

But the challenges families face don’t end when the holidays are over.

That’s where REV — Raiders (Fryeburg Academy) & Eagles (Kennett High School) for the Valley comes in.

REV was created by students in the Kennett High School Key Club, who recognized that some high school students face financial barriers that affect their ability to attend school, work, and stay engaged. In partnership with MWV Kiwanis and school support staff, REV provides discreet, direct assistance to students at Kennett High School and Fryeburg Academy, helping with essentials like groceries, gas, and other basic needs.

The 2nd Annual Jingle Jam fundraiser was held this past Saturday, hosted by The Dellavalla Trio. The evening benefitted both REV and Way Station, which supports homeless and housing-insecure individuals and families in the Mount Washington Valley through compassionate, non-judgmental services and advocacy.

The event raised $1,273 for REV, including a $25 Market Basket gift card, all of which will be used to support local students facing financial challenges. At one point during the evening, we counted at least 70 people in attendance. Thank you to all who attended ❤️

REV reflects the same values that have guided Angels & Elves for more than three decades—showing up for young people and meeting real needs, often quietly and behind the scenes.

As you make your year-end plans for charitable giving, we hope you’ll consider REV and the students it quietly supports throughout the year.

➡️ Learn more or donate to REV:
https://www.mwvkiwanis.org/raiders-and-eagles-for-the-valley-rev/

12/21/2025

🎁 It’s a Wrap — Angels & Elves 2025 🎁

As we close the doors on another Angels & Elves season, a project of the Kiwanis Club of Mount Washington Valley, we’re taking a moment to pause and take it all in.

This year, 489 children were accepted from 220 families right here in the Mount Washington Valley - infants to high school seniors, with families ranging in size from 1 to 8 children.

Most importantly, all 489 children were sponsored — either by a community sponsor or fulfilled internally through donations. Hundreds of children and their families rode the Santa Express thanks to the Conway Scenic Railroad, a few dozen others received bikes from the Mount Washington Valley Bicycling Club, and many will find sleds, scooters, and other items they had hoped for under the Christmas tree!

Because of the generosity of this community, every single family received a $50 grocery gift card ($11,000 worth). This was made possible in large part to Nick News!!!! where Jason Bagley, rallied followers and raised nearly $3,500, coupled with generous donations from Hannaford and a few other donors who wish to remain anonymous.

As always, applications were carefully reviewed to confirm families live in the Mount Washington Valley, that children attend local schools, and that families were not receiving duplicate holiday assistance. This process allows us to be thoughtful stewards of the generosity entrusted to us and ensures support reaches those it is intended to serve.

We are deeply grateful to the school personnel who encouraged families to apply — especially those who may not have reached out on their own. That advocacy made a meaningful difference for many families this season.

None of this happens without a village. Donors, volunteers, individual and business sponsors, school partners, community social media accounts, and countless behind-the-scenes helpers all played a role in making this season possible. Year after year, the response from this community continues to be extraordinary.

Angels & Elves isn’t built on big checks alone. It’s built on people who gave what they could — the ones who wrapped gifts for hours, who donated $5 because that’s what they could give, who dropped off a single toy, who shared a post, who helped quietly behind the scenes. Those contributions mattered just as much. This program works because our entire community and beyond contributed.

In addition to our own program, we were also able to lend a hand to others doing important work — helping support The Revolving Closet, Raiders and Eagles for the Valley (REV) — a program where kids help other kids, run by our own Kennett High School Key Club, Jen's Friends Cancer Foundation, Starting Point: Services for Victims of Domestic & Sexual Violence, Children Unlimited as well as programs in Berlin through Northern Human Services and a few items to Tamworth, ensuring their applicants had what they needed too.

We are deeply grateful to Settlers Green whose support year after year makes so much of this possible. By providing space for Angels & Elves and Photos with Santa at no cost, including heat and electricity, they remove a major operating expense and allow us to focus our resources where they matter most — serving children and families. That kind of ongoing partnership makes this program sustainable.

Thank you to The Conway Daily Sun for their ongoing support and for featuring Angels & Elves on the cover not once, but twice this season — that kind of community coverage makes a real difference.

A heartfelt thank you to HEB Engineers, whose employees selected Angels & Elves through their annual charitable giving program, resulting in a $10,000 donation that strengthened our ability to serve local families. We are also grateful for the time their employees spent volunteering at Elf Headquarters throughout the season.

Last but certainly not least, a special shout out to our two Head Elves, Kiwanians Marie Lee and Christine Gillette Their leadership, commitment, and countless behind-the-scenes hours are what keep Angels & Elves running year after year. From guiding volunteers to solving problems no one else ever sees, they carry this program with heart and dedication. This season simply would not have been possible without them. ❤️

Angels & Elves has been part of the Mount Washington Valley for 34 years, and we can say this honestly: this was our BEST YEAR EVER. Not because the need was greater — but because the response was.

This is what it looks like when a community looks out for its own. Thank you all for making this season one filled with care, dignity, and joy.

Happy Holidays to all, and we’ll see you next year. 💛🎄

P.S.: Be sure to give us a follow so you see our posts when Christmastime 2026 rolls around.