Wells Ranch, Chevron match donations for Weld Elves Xmas fundraiser
Published on December 03, 2021
The Weld Elves on Friday received a trailer load of gifts as a last generous donation for the organization’s inaugural Christmas toy drive.
The donation was made by Weld County resident Steve Wells, of Wells Ranch, and Chevron Corporation, which operates oil and gas facilities on Wells’ 32,000-acre property outside of Gill. Wells and Chevron teamed up to donate $20,000 worth of Christmas gifts, which were purchased from the Johnstown Scheels sporting goods store.
“I was a little worried there was going to be some corporate red tape to work through after Chevron acquired Noble Energy,” Wells said. “I called them up and told them I wanted to donate $10,000 to this program and that I wanted them to match it. Within 30 minutes I got a call back saying they were in.
“Chevron has been an incredible company to work with. They’re invested in the places where they operate, and they really enjoy doing things like this for their communities.”
In addition to recognizing Wells Ranch and Chevron, the Weld Elves board of directors also wants to extend its appreciation for all the support it has received from the Weld County community.
On Sunday, the Weld Elves hosted the last of its six public toy drives at the 23rd Avenue Walmart in Greeley. During the event, residents donated nine cart loads of new toys and more than $700 in cash. For comparison, the group averaged about four cart loads of toys and $300 during each of the five previous toy drives hosted at the 23rd Avenue Walmart, said Board President Lisa Carpenter.
“When I took on this project, I had no idea how much support we were going to receive from the community,” Carpenter said. “Thanks to the overwhelming generosity, we’re in a great position to give a lot of local kids the special Christmas they deserve.”
The Weld Elves, including members of its 15 partner agencies, will begin delivering toys Saturday. More than 1,100 kids from 460 families will benefit from the Weld Elves program this year, Carpenter said.
Weld Elves is a partnership of Weld County law enforcement, fire & rescue, EMT and local military agencies aimed at collecting gifts and stocking stuffers for Weld County children who otherwise wouldn’t have any toys under the tree this Christmas.
For more information about Weld Elves, check out the Weld Elves Facebook page, visit the newly launched Weld Elves website, WeldElves.com, or email Deputy Lisa Carpenter at lcarpenter@weldgov.com.