It’s going to be a very nice Christmas for the hundreds of Lutheran Social Services of Michigan’s foster children, thanks to Operation Good Cheer. They are among more than 4,200 children, teens and adults with disabilities across Michigan who will receive donated Christmas gifts. Many of these boys and girls have never experienced a real family Christmas before. Dozens of planes and many donated trucks and volunteer drivers delivered the gifts to 41 programs statewide, including Lutheran Social Services of Michigan foster care in Flint/Saginaw, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Jackson/Ann Arbor and Southfield.
On Saturday morning, Dec. 4, half of the Grand Rapids foster care team met incoming private planes at Ford International Airport to unload the presents. They also provided refreshments to the pilots, who graciously donated their aircraft, fuel and time for the huge gift delivery effort.
Back at the downtown Grand Rapids office, the rest of the foster care staff members unloaded the truck, got them upstairs using the elevator, and tucked the many bicycles and wrapped presents into the cubicles of the caseworkers for future pick-up or delivery. Helping the LSSM staff at the airport and the office was Jonah Mitchell, 9, son of foster care director Laura Mitchell (shown unloading a pile of gifts from the elevator).
Special thanks goes out from Lutheran Social Services to Michael Auch, general manager of the UHaul store at 3815 28th St. SE, Grand Rapids, near East Paris Ave., for donating the use of one of their bigger UHaul trucks to transport the gifts from the airport.
News about Operation Good Cheer was reported by WOOD-TV8 and WZZM-TV13 in Grand Rapids, and WWMT-TV3 in Kalamazoo. Read the article that appeared Sunday Dec. 5, 2010, in the Grand Rapids Press.
For the surprise that awaited the Lutheran Social Services staff at Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids (thanks to Steelcase), read more here.
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