A Richie's Wish Angel Tree has been placed near the entrance of the Elverson Fitness Club, 51 S. Pine St., Elverson. The tree is decorated with red tags, each bearing the name of a child in foster care along with the child's gender, age, clothing sizes, interests and Christmas wish. Anyone who would like to take a tag and fulfill the wish of a foster child may stop by the fitness center during regular staffed hours and take a tag or two to help fulfill these wishes. The regular staffed hours are Mondays through Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Fridays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. New and unwrapped gift items should be dropped off at the Fitness Club by Thursday, Dec. 8.

The Richie's Wish Foundation was established to honor the memory and legacy of Richie, a child who spent 1,390 days in foster care before being adopted at age 14. He died in 2018 at the age of 23 from complications of cystic fibrosis. In his multiple moves from one foster home to another, Richie would often lose the few possessions he had accumulated and rarely had access to age-appropriate toys. To help rectify this situation, during the last year of his life, he helped create the Angel Tree program to provide these toys to children in foster care who did not have them. Some children have requested new clothes as well. Monetary donations are also welcome.

For more information on Richie's Wish, visit http://www.richieswish.org.

To learn more about the Elverson Fitness Club, call 610-901-3373 or visit http://www.elversonfitnessclub.org.