Charlie's Angels
In 2010, Charlie Borowczak’s parents adopted an angel from The Salvation Army Angel Tree program, and his life has simply never been the same. Borowczak explains that his parents were attempting to “model the spirit of giving” for the then-six-year-old, and that aim was clearly fulfilled.
“My mom explained to me that there are some families that can’t afford Christmas gifts for their kids,” Borowczak says. “As a six-year-old, it didn’t fully sink in right away. But at Christmas, I was standing there holding my little slip of paper of the angel I adopted, and we were talking about it. I glanced under the tree at my own presents, then back at the angel, and I paused, and a light bulb goes off in my brain that this is a real need. Because of what we did, there is another kid that gets presents tomorrow morning, and that, growing up, it was never something I had to worry about. That’s when it sunk in how important this type of project is in so many communities across America.”
After that seminal moment, Borowczak says he found clear inspiration that spurred immediate action. “I remember what that moment felt like, and I was like, ‘I want to do this again, and I want to make this tradition.’”
The following year, Borowczak raised money–as an elementary school student–to adopt two angels on his own. “I made a video for family and friends asking them to hire me for odd jobs, and so on,” he explains. Then, the next year, he did the same. Eventually, his self-described “angel project” outgrew his own individual capabilities, and he launched “Charlie’s Angels,” a team of volunteers who continue to aid Charlie in shopping for the gifts to present to children using the money he raised to adopt them.
By the time Borowczak was a senior in high school, he had raised approximately $70,000 and adopted 700 angels in a single Christmas season. “I’m so thankful to the donors, and we wouldn’t be where we are without them,” he says.
After beginning his undergraduate studies at Texas A&M University, Charlie took his freshman year off from the project, making sure to “get his feet under him” in a new environment. He wasn’t exactly sure how things would restart, but a group of friends in his unit within the institution’s Corps of Cadets encouraged him to keep things going.
“They didn’t know me in high school, and I didn’t know them before I got here,” Borowczak says. “They’re my best friends now, but I didn’t know any of them. And they were the ones who put the calling into me to restart it. I asked, ‘What if I fail?’ and they said, ‘We’re not going to let you fail, because we want to see this work just as badly as you do.’”
That investment from his inner circle made Charlie both emotional and focused. His spirit was rekindled, and Borowczak credits his “amazing network” at Texas A&M and within the Corps of Cadets for that renewed energy. He also indicates that there is now a leadership structure in place within Charlie’s Angels that includes the help of eight cadets on a day-to-day basis, beginning each spring and persisting through the planning and execution during the year.
By 2024, Borowczak was a junior in Company E-2 of Texas A&M’s Corps of Cadets, and he was adopting angels again—14 years after his initial encounter with The Salvation Army. His project adopted approximately 850 angels from the Bryan College Station Corps after raising more than $80,000.
“Charlie came to us very excited and wanting to adopt as many angels as he possibly could,” says Captain Marianne Villanueva, corps officer. “We want to say thank you so much to Charlie and Charlie’s Angels and the entire community of Bryan College Station for providing hope to these kids this Christmas.”
In addition to the goal of helping others, Charlie is also practical in realizing the great benefit of this leadership and organizational experience for his future as he nears entry into the workforce.
“Aside from just the good that it’s doing in the community, I’ve learned so much as a leader on how to communicate with people, on how to market things, on how to speak in front of groups, on just overall self-confidence and presence in a group setting,” says Charlie. “I’m excited to see where I can take it several years down the line, because when I’m hopefully successful in a business setting, I can use that power to help others.”
Borowczak’s story and overall output may not be fully replicable in every community, but it is a reminder of both the small-scale and large-scale impact of The Salvation Army Angel Tree program to bring Christmas to as many children as possible.
“I didn’t realize how broad The Salvation Army was when I first started,” Borowczak says. “I’ve kind of learned over the years about the amount of generosity. I met with The Salvation Army advisory board in Bryan College Station back in October, and the amount of talent and heart I saw in that one room was breathtaking. You’ve got so many people from different backgrounds all working toward the same goal of doing the most good. That’s something I can definitely take with me as I get older as well—to bring more good to the world.”
He also finds solace and inspiration to continue this project from his faith, widely proclaiming himself as a young Christian man who believes this is part of God’s leading in his life.
“I’ve always told everyone that God will continue to protect this project,” Charlie shares. “He’ll protect this project because this is us doing His work… Because without the grace of God, without the amazing community around me, it wouldn’t happen.”