The Angels are Flying

On Saturday December 13, 2025, The NJ Council was the gracious recipient of several hundred gifts courtesy of the Manasquan and Sea Girt Police Departments in conjunction with ST. Dennis RC Church.

This yearly event collects gifts for not just the NJ Council but also two associations of the Monmouth County DCP & P. Under the direction of Father Bill and with the help of Boy Scout Troop 59 under the supervision of Jim Scmeider and Sargent Johne Ringo, hundreds of gifts have been donated to families at Naval Weapons Station Earle and the US Coast Guard in Sandy Hook and as far north as Bayonne NJ.

On behalf of the families of the US Navy and US Coast Guard and the NJ Council, THANK YOU and Merry Christmas

Twas a week before Christmas and all over the base……..

gifts, games, coloring books and stuffed animals were laid out in the Chapel of Naval Weapons Station Earle. The gifts were those collected at St Dennis’s RC Church in Manasquan with another 350 games and coloring books donated by Scott Aitken.

Pictured here are members of the First Class Petty Officers Association and Ed Gorman of the MWR Department of Naval Weapons Station Earle. All of these gifts were available for pickup by the active duty folks assigned to or living on base. Additional gifts were also available for pick up on other days and other areas.

In 2025, the New Jersey Council’s Angel Program celebrated over twenty years of toy distribution.  The program strives to give every Navy and Coast Guard child at NWS Earle, all Cutters, Commands and Stations of Coast Guard Sector New York at least a warm article of clothing and a gift at Christmas. Over the course of 20+ years, the Council has joined with multiple Agency’s including AT&T, NBC Universal, Amazon and multiple small businesses & Churches.

On Saturday, December 20th, Senior Vice President Bill Aitken and President Dan Dermer visited the local Toys for Tots Distribution Center in South Plainfield. While there, they were assisted by CWO4 Nick D’Andrea (USMC Ret) and Logistics Chief Joseph Leone. Toys for Tots then donated over 100 gifts in order to supplement support to three Cutters and a Coast Guard Station.

During the visit, Council President Dan Dermer assured Nick and Joe that the NJ Council will provide volunteers for their 2026 campaign. We are very grateful for their generosity and extend our thanks on behalf of all of those that will benefit from these gifts.

The New Jersey Council-NLUS using donations from the Toys for Tots Program, Scott Aitken and other donors, delivered Angel Program gifts to the US Coast Guard units in Bayonne, NJ. The gifts will be distributed to children of the crews of the Aids to Navigation Team, The USCG Cutters Katherine Walker, Sturgeon Bay, Penobscot Bay and Hawser.

The Angel Program at large had very inauspicious beginnings.  In 1997 two elderly members of the Council, Jack and Elaine Leslie started the philanthropic program by giving a few gifts to children of the Cutter Katherine Walker.  As the crew of that cutter increased so did the number of the children that became part of the program.  The Council officially started a Giving Tree in 1999 whereby each Council member selected a child and a wish.  Those presents were selected, purchased, wrapped and delivered to the cutter.

 In 2003, the Council coordinated a now large giving tree program that included three Cutters and hosted three brunch's with Santa. In 2004, the Angel Program was created and expanded to include Naval Weapons Station Earle and any other adopted units.

In twenty-one years, Dan Dermer’s Angel Program has grown in size and scope. It has endured the hardships of government shutdowns, Super Storm Sandy, and the loss of large and small donors. Throughout the years, his dedication to the mission of providing a simple gift to a military service members child has never wavered. Along the way he has enlisted the help of Council members, friends and families. At each and every turn it was and still remains all about “Kids at Christmas”. To date, this program has given over 15,000 individual gifts, with a value exceeding a half of a million dollars.