charlie’s angels
When Charlie Borowczak received his acceptance letter to Jesuit Dallas on March 9, 2018, he nearly overlooked an unexpected surprise embedded in its contents. Lauded for “exceptional leadership and active participation in community service and social justice,” Borowczak was selected to receive the Men for Others Service Scholarship, a prestigious award presented to just one incoming student each year. For Charlie, he was just thrilled to be accepted at the School that won him over on a campus tour the year before. But for Jesuit, the admission of a young man who had already begun to make active service a part of his life came with a feeling of great pride.
others to hire him so that he could raise money for more Angels. Setting his goal at three, seven-year-old Charlie raised $700 and adopted seven underserved children, who otherwise may have awoke on Christmas morning without any gifts. Charlie’s Angels was off and running.
Borowczak is the founder of Charlie’s Angels, a grassroots charity supporting the Salvation Army Angel Tree program. In 2010, at the age of six, Borowczak saved money earned from working odd jobs for family and friends, and used those earnings to adopt two Angels off the tree at North Park Mall. The following winter, he made a compelling post on YouTube, asking for
Raking leaves, cleaning windows, pet sitting; these and other odd jobs helped fund Charlie’s mission. “I felt better knowing that I was working for the money rather than just asking for donations. There was a sense of achievement that encouraged me to keep pushing to make the program grow.”
22 | jesuitdallas.org
“I didn’t understand a whole lot being so young,” explained Borowczak. “At first I thought we were just buying presents for someone, but when my parents explained how some kids are truly less fortunate and often are forced to go without, I became focused on wanting to give families a Christmas as opposed to just buying gifts.”
A broken leg sidelined Borowczak and Charlie’s Angels for nearly two years, but he promised himself he would regain the momentum. This time, he enlisted his cousin, Jack, now a sophomore at ESD, to help take Charlie’s Angels to the next level. And together, they did. They were so successful, not only were they able to adopt 13 Angels, but they were able to surprise each child with either a Nintendo 2DS or an MP3 player. “Jack and I have always been close, but I wanted to help as many kids as possible, and I knew I couldn’t do it by myself. With two people, we could double our money; adopt twice as many Angels. I kept thinking of a young boy or girl not having presents to open on Christmas, and that inspired me to help as best as I could.” Charlie’s Angels took a huge leap forward in 2015. Herself inspired by Charlie’s passion for service, neighbor Dee Dee Anderson matched the boys’ efforts, enabling the program to raise