Judge Gordon Richardson was appointed as Justice of the Peace to the Lake Township Justice Court on January 1, 1983. Seeing a need to help the children of Lovelock, Judge Richardson started the Lovelock Angel Tree in 1985 in connection with his Salvation Army work. He continued to run the Lovelock Angel Tree for ten years until his retirement as Justice of the Peace for the Lovelock Township Justice Court on January 2, 1995.
Prior to Judge Richardson, Bob Schein, manager of the First Interstate Bank in Lovelock, placed the first Angel Tree at 1150 Cornell. He mirrored a program that he had seen at Park Lane Mall.
Laura Richardson was a police clerk working for the City of Lovelock when she took over the Angel Tree after Judge Richardson retired. She continued to run the program until August of 2012.
Now a committee manages the Angel Tree Program with headquarters being Lovelock City Hall. With the help of community residents, non-profit organizations, and businesses, the committee has provided a Merry Christmas to thousands of Pershing County children over the history of the program. The committee screens the applicants for eligibility, processes the applications, and writes out the information for each child on a card to hang on one of the two Angel Trees. Then the committee receives the donations, wraps the gifts, and distributes the Christmas presents to the families.
Cards with the children's wishes are available for pick up at Nevada State Bank and Lovelock City Hall starting in mid-November. This year there are 52 kids with cards on the Angel Trees. These children range in age from infants up to 12 years of age.
The Angel Tree Program accepts new unwrapped toys or clothing. Drop-off locations are Lovelock City Hall and Nevada State Bank. If there is a need for the committee to fulfill an Angel Tree Card, the committee will go and shop for the child. Cash donations are accepted at Nevada State Bank and City Hall for the purpose of the committee to do the shopping.
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