Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Deanna Janczak, of Wells Fargo, and Jim Mildren, of Gogebic County Transit and Santa's Headquarters, stand next to a Christmas tree in the bank's lobby on Cloverland Drive in Ironwood on Tuesday. The tree is filled with ornaments with the gender and age of a child registered for the Santa's Headquarters project, which will provide toys and other gifts for more than 350 children in Gogebic County, to be distributed next week. There are also gifts around the tree that have already been purchased. There are 22 such trees in businesses and other locations across the county for the public to take an ornament and purchase a gift.
By LARRY HOLCOMBE
It's the 11th year of Santa's Headquarters and organizers say the effort to make sure every child has a gift on Christmas continues to grow.
"It's amazing to see the outpouring of generosity from the public," said co-chair Jim Mildren. "It keeps growing each year - the toys, the gifts, the gift cards. It's quite an operation - all for the kids and their families."
Fellow co-chair Pat Niksich said Tuesday there are 167 families and 370 kids in Gogebic County registered to participate this year, "So, far."
The public is invited to take an ornament from the tree that lists the age and gender of one of the registered children from one of 22 Christmas trees in local businesses and other locations across the county and purchase a gift for the child.
The public has until Friday to select an "age and gender" ornament from the tree. Gifts are due back to the tree on Friday, as well. Although, Niksich said people could take a name and shop over the weekend, but they would have to deliver the gift themselves to the Memorial Building in Ironwood by 2 p.m. on Monday.
The gifts purchased from the tree ornaments are just part of the magic of the program, said Niksich. There are food cards for each family, as well as hand knitted hats, mittens and scarves, made by people in the area.
Niksich said each child will get toothpaste and a toothbrush donated by area dentists. There are also books, blankets and quilts made by area quilters, to be distributed, as well as the toys and stocking stuffers - all donated items to help make this Christmas a warm and happy holiday.
The toys and other items will be distributed from two locations this year – from the Memorial Building on Wednesday, Dec. 7, from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and from the Watersmeet Township Fire Hall on Thursday, Dec. 8, from 3 to 5 p.m.
Niksich said Santa's Headquarters began in 2006 when four organizations - the St. Vincent de Paul Society, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Michigan State-Extension and local Kiwanis Club - gathered forces to help make Christmas better for those kids and families in need in the county.
The effort has grown every year, with the number of recipients up as well as the number of agencies, businesses and churches involved.
For more information, call Mildren at 906-932-2523 or Niksich at 906-667-0283, ext. 18.
