Just because the economy is hurting doesn't mean Christmas needs to suffer, too
IRONWOOD -- Toys decked the halls of the Ironwood City Memorial Building as the local Kiwanis collected Christmas gifts for Gogebic County children.
"This is Santa's Headquarters," said organizer and Kiwanis member, Jim Mildren.
At this year's fourth annual Headquarters, almost 400 children from local families in financial stress were signed up to receive presents.
"People are struggling, they're having trouble heating their homes," Mildren said. "They're having trouble putting food on the table, and we want to make sure that Christmas is what it should be. It should be something sparkly, it should be something fun, it should be something wonderful for children."
It works like this: with the help of local organizations and churches, the Kiwanis placed 30 giving trees in businesses throughout the county. Each ornament on the trees lists the age and gender of a local child in need, and community members who pick one up are asked to purchase a $15 gift for that child.
More than 500 people in Gogebic County participated this year, and the effort keeps growing.
"The donations come in and it's just overwhelming how generous people are in this community, and I would just like to encourage others to be involved in it because it really is a blessing," said Ironwood resident, Judy Bergquist.
This year's most popular presents were those that warm not only the heart, but also fingers and toes. Mittens, gloves and blankets all topped the list.
All gifts were brought to Santa's Headquarters at the Ironwood City Memorial Building where they were sorted and later distributed to families.
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