ROBERT PIERCE
• Leader & Times
Halloween candy has been gathered and in many cases eaten. The clocks have been set back an hour, meaning earlier sunsets for many, and that means the holiday season is officially here.
Locally, USD 483 has a couple of community events coming up at the end of 2026, the first being the third annual Mustang Mentors Turkey Trot set for 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, at the Plains Golf Course.
Following a 5K walk and run, participants can head back to the club house for some chili and fun. Coordinator Norma Sanchez said participation is a free will donation with all money going to the Mustangs Mentors program.
“That program is high school students coming to the elementary schools and spend time with third, fourth and fifth graders and become a mentor for them,” she said. “They do a lot of awesome things together. We raise money to get expenses from that met.”
The second event on the USD 483 holiday calendar is the district’s annual Angel Tree project, and Sanchez said a link went up on the district’s Web site at www.usd483.net Wednesday for families to register for the project.
We ask that family to fill those out, and we process those applications,” she said.
The deadline to complete registrations is Nov. 16, and Sanchez said the link will be shut down.
“We need some mindfulness on that date,” she said. “It locks you out after the 16th. Hopefully, parents can access that, and if something comes up, they can contact us, and we can help guide them through any questions they might have.”
With the Turkey Trot, Sanchez said thus far in the event’s short history, turnout has been steady.
“The weather’s been mild both times, a little breezy, a little cool,” she said. “We ask you dress accordingly.”
Sanchez said 5K organizers are grateful to the City of Plains for the use of the golf course for the fundraiser.
“The response has been great,” she said. “People come and get a nice walk or run in. Some bring their families. Some bring their pets.”
Along with chili, participants can enjoy board games and coloring sheets following the 5K. A small town, Plains is very community oriented, and Sanchez said this should add to the fun of the Turkey Trot.
“We all know each other,” she said. “We’re very nice. It’s like a family friendly event. The food’s always great. There’s board games kids get out and coloring sheets kids get out. People hang out for a while. They don’t just do the 5K and leave. They hang out. They do some family fun. It’s really great. We have a guest turkey that comes around and does photo ops with kids and families. That’s a lot of fun too. It’s a really great family event.”
Still in its early stages, Sanchez said the Mustang Mentors program’s format has undergone some change this year as well.
“We’ve opened it up to all third, fourth and fifth graders,” she said. “Before, it was a smaller select group of kids. Now, we’ve been able to expand it, and the most exciting part of it is we’ve been able to bus our high school seniors over to the elementary school. They get to come and spend time, and the grade school kids love that. They love to have the high schoolers come into their territory and be their guests. It’s really neat to see them. They play games, have lunch with them, get to know them.”
Funding for any program is necessary and needed, and Sanchez said Mustang Mentors could definitely use more funding.
“This is our only actual fundraiser,” she said. “What we get in is what we have for the whole year, so we have to be mindful of how we spend money. We do have some pretty gracious donors when they come to the 5K, but everything’s expensive and everything costs money, so that money we raise is spent relatively easily given the nature of things.”
In order to take part in the Turkey Trot, Sanchez said people just need to show up to the golf course Nov. 14.
“They’ll sign a waiver,” she said. “We do have the path marked. A lot of people show up to support and participate. There are a few who are definitely in the competitive nature, but overall, it’s a good way to get out and get a nice walk in or a nice light jog. It’s definitely low key, and it’s a lot of fun to interact with the people who come.”
For the Angel Tree project, Sanchez said traditionally, the most requested items have been socks and underwear, but last year, deodorant made the top of the list.
“That was an unusual change from what we normally used to,” she said. “Those essentials have gotten pretty costly recently. We’re seeing that be a trend, and hopefully, we can continue to provide some of that for our families.”
Sanchez said many other great items are donated to the drive as well.
“A lot of the groups and organizations in our community will donate diapers and wipes, and we make sure babies get those,” she said. “We see lots of toys. We see lots of coloring books and crayons. We try to give every single child one of those in their box. We see a lot of community support in donating packaging tape and wrapping paper, and some come and help wrap. They donate their time. It’s all types of donations anywhere from items to their time.”
Sanchez said she sees the Angel Tree project simply as a way to serve the community.
“We work with the ministerial alliance, and they’ve always been so easy to work with,” she said. “Our goal is to make sure children who have needs have those needs met as best as we can. It’s so sweet to see the time, effort and things they’ve purchased for the angels they’ve picked. It is a heartwarming thing.”
Sanchez said the people who buy items for the Angel Tree put special attention and love into each gift.
“It’s great to see a community come together to do that project,” she said. “It’s great to see the kids who come to distribution night to pick up their packages. They’re so excited, and the families are so grateful. It’s all of that. It’s not just one thing. It’s the combination of all of those things.”
So what does the Angel Tree project do for Sanchez? Above all else, she said it warms her holiday spirit.
“For me, family is so important,” she said. “We understand family needs vary and are different. We want children to have great experiences. We want good memories, and if that helps get it going, we want to help facilitate that. We also take lots of pride in having this area families have a lot of dignity in. There’s a lot that goes into that.”
Coordinating the project with Sanchez is Kayla Mendoza, and through the many years of the Angel Tree, the two have made many changes and adjustments to fit community needs.
“I feel now, we’ve got it down to an art,” Sanchez said. “We have lot to incorporate technology for sign-ups, and that’s helped a lot.”
Naturally, Sanchez said families are filled with happiness and gratitude in their hearts when they receive gifts.
“We load them not only with their gifts, but they get a really nice box of food from our local food bank,” she said. “The ministerial alliance has a great role in facilitating that. They are blessed. We are blessed to have that collaboration.”
Sanchez said needs in the district have remained unchanged for the most part over the years.
“We have a large level of need, and we try to make sure our families who don’t get signed up, we reach out to them,” she said. “We say this is available. Are you aware this is available? The needs are still pretty big for our area.”
Registration for the Angel Tree is now open, and the deadline to register is Monday, Nov. 16.
“We process those applications,” Sanchez said. “Angels are put out the week of Nov. 16 through 20. We start getting angels out in the community, and instructions on the back of the angel talk about when those boxes are due back to us so we can process the gifts. The actual date of distribution when they pick up their gift from the Bank of the Plains in Plains is Wednesday, Dec. 16, from 5 to 6 p.m.”
For more information about the Angel Tree project, e-mail Sanchez at
“We also have a G-mail account at
For Sanchez, both the Turkey Trot and Angel Tree are labors of love.
“We enjoy them,” she said. “Each event is very different. I work with different people on each event, but they’re so important and meaningful. I get really excited to work with our community on both of those projects.”
