A Season of Hope: Celebrating the Success of CWCC’s 2025 Hope Tree

This holiday season, Central Wyoming Counseling Center’s annual Hope Tree program reminded us just how powerful community generosity can be.

Thanks to the incredible support of individuals, families, staff, and local businesses, CWCC’s 2025 Hope Tree was our most impactful year yet. What began as a simple way to support children of clients in our care grew into a record-setting effort that brought hope, joy, and relief to families during a season that can be both meaningful and challenging.

By the Numbers

This year’s Hope Tree supported:

• 45 children — more than double the number from last year
• 19 local families
• 178 gifts generously donated by our community

Gifts included a wide range of items chosen with care and intention:

• 64 toys that brought excitement and fun
• 27 arts and crafts supplies to encourage creativity
• 24 clothing items to provide warmth and comfort
• 23 beauty and toiletry supplies offering dignity and self-care
• 14 books to inspire learning and imagination

Every single Hope Tree tag was taken, ensuring that no child was left behind this holiday season.

More Than Gifts

While the numbers tell an important story, the heart of the Hope Tree goes far beyond gifts under a tree. For parents working toward recovery, the holidays can bring added financial stress, emotional weight, and pressure to provide. The Hope Tree helps ease that burden, allowing families to focus on healing, connection, and hope.

For children, these gifts represent more than holiday surprises. They are tangible reminders that their community cares, supports them, and believes in their family’s journey.

This success would not have been possible without the compassion and generosity of our community. From community members who picked up tags and shopped thoughtfully to CWCC staff who helped organize, wrap, and deliver gifts, each act of kindness mattered. Local businesses played an essential role in the success of this year’s Hope Tree, and Les Schwab exemplified what it means to show up for the community. By providing gifts for roughly a dozen children, their team helped ensure that no child was left without support this holiday season. Their involvement is a meaningful example of how business partnerships can strengthen families and create lasting impact.

On behalf of Central Wyoming Counseling Center and the families we serve, thank you for making the 2025 Hope Tree such a meaningful success. Your generosity helped transform the holidays for dozens of children and families and reinforced what we know to be true every day: hope grows stronger when a community comes together.

We are deeply grateful for your support — this season and always. Hope is here.

At Central Wyoming Counseling Center, we deeply value each of our clients and are committed to providing the highest level of care in a safe, welcoming environment. In alignment with our mission and values, and to ensure we comply with all federal and state legal requirements, CWCC has adopted a new Client Service Animal Procedure, effective immediately.

Under this procedure:

• Service animals (dogs, or in some cases miniature horses) that are trained to perform specific tasks for individuals with disabilities are permitted in CWCC facilities.
• Emotional support animals (ESAs), while recognized for the comfort they provide, are not considered service animals under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or Wyoming law. This means that ESAs are no longer permitted inside CWCC facilities.

We know this change may affect some of our clients who have been bringing emotional support animals with them. Please know that our focus remains on you, our client — your care, comfort, and success in treatment. Our staff will work with you to make sure you continue to feel supported, whether that means identifying alternate accommodations, adjusting your appointment arrangements, or exploring other resources to ensure your needs are met.

Thank you for your understanding as we implement this important policy. If you have questions or would like to talk through how this may affect you, please reach out to your treatment provider or call our main office at 307-237-9583.

Together, we’ll continue to move forward in recovery and wellness.

CWCC is proud to recognize Angel, a hard-working Case Manager, as October’s Employee of the Month! Angel consistently demonstrates the values of Compassion First and Stronger Together through her reliability, teamwork, and steady support for both clients and colleagues. As one nominator shared, “Angel always lends a helping hand and is a true team player. She has done a great job helping everyone out when she can and making sure clients receive the help they need.” Whether covering tasks, providing encouragement, or responding to client needs, Angel’s dedication makes her an invaluable part of our team.

Colleagues frequently highlight Angel’s calm presence and willingness to go above and beyond. One coworker noted, “Angel regularly steps up and goes above and beyond to help her team,” while another appreciated her “quick and calm reaction and assistance to any high-stress event.” Peers also value her support on difficult days, describing her as “a great coworker to talk to after a tough day.”Angel’s compassion, teamwork, and dependability not only strengthen her team but also positively impact the clients she serves.

To get to know Angel better, we asked her a few questions:

1. What inspired you to pursue a career in mental and behavioral health services?
   Taking my first addictions class and realizing how much I could help someone if I learned more
   
2. What’s your favorite part of being part of the CWCC team?
   My co-workers and the community events I have attended
   
3. How do you practice gratitude or maintain a positive outlook in your day-to-day life?
   Remind myself that it is only a bad moment not a bad life and it will be what I choose to make it
   
4. If you could host a dinner party with any three people, past or present, who would you invite?
   My grandfather, Eleanor Roosevelt and Edgar Allen Poe
   
5. If you could add one outrageous item to the break room, what would it be (e.g., a bouncy castle, a popcorn machine)?
   Soundproof box to scream in when you need to