Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By TOM LAVENTURE
Ironwood - Volunteers will be walking area parents through the Santa's Headquarters today at the Ironwood Memorial Building.
The 14th annual event will be serving 360 children and 153 families along with walk-ins, according to Erin Ross, event co-chair and an extension educator with Michigan State University-Extension. A second Santa's Headquarters event will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. Thursday at the Watersmeet Community Center.
"It's one of my favorite projects of the year, or I wouldn't be doing this for as long as I have," Ross said. "The favorite thing about it is that parents can come and pick the stuff for their kids."
Santa's Headquarters is a charitable event but the kids don't have to know that, she said. The parents can decide to give the gifts from themselves, from Santa, grandma and grandpa or whomever, she said.
"We don't' tell them who they have to give it to or who they get it from," Ross said.
The Santa's Headquarter's committee are people from MSU Extension, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, St. Vincent de Paul Society, Gogebic-Ontonagon Community Action Agency, the Kiwanis Club and the STAR Collaborative. Several other organizations and businesses including the churches, Rotary Club, the Lions Club, Aspirus Ironwood, Walmart and the Dollar Store contribute funding or items to the event, she said.
"We also got a lot more individual donations this year after we realized we were a little short on things," Ross said. "People who feel strongly about this project help us out."
Each family will get a food card and blanket while each child will receive four stocking stuffer items in addition to a large toy, a set of hats and mittens or a coat and toiletries. The few large dollar items, such as bicycles and electronics, are distributed randomly by drawing names from the database of children.
"We've been a little short on blankets and we ended up buying some and we have a few places that give us blankets and people who make blankets," Ross said. "We really think it's important for each family to get at least one blanket."
When trucks arrived with the toys and gifts on Monday at the Memorial Building there are usually several area high school students there to unload, she said. The storm and school cancellations left that burden to the few organizers present along with some nearby 4-H kids, she said.
"It always works that way," Ross said. "Everybody pulls together and makes it work."
The high school students will be back on Wednesday, helping parents to shop the items and to wrap the gifts. There are more than 50 volunteers around on distribution day.
"We can't thank everybody enough," said Jim Mildren, a Kiwanis member and Ironwood city commissioner. "We love this whole community for what they do for us."
This is the first year that Mildren is not a co-chair of the event. He helped organize the annual Santa's Headquarters events since it started in 2006.
Prior to 2006 there was an annual Kiwanis Christmas party for kids, he said. People started thinking it would be better to have a collaborative event where all the area groups donate to a single event where parents pick out gifts for kids.
"We've come a long way," Mildren said.
If the event raises $5,000 then the kids get their gifts, he said. If the event raises $15,000 then the kids get their gifts along with other surprises like gift certificates to restaurants and the movie theater.
Brian and Beverly Tousignant said the Santa's Headquarters event is one of the many charities that the Klassic Kruisers Car Club supports. They hold a hat and mitten drive and also collect clothing, toys and stuffed animals.
"It's just a way to give back to the community and it gives us a great feeling, knowing that we've helped for such a wonderful thing," Beverly Tousignant said. "It just gives me a great feeling knowing that there are going to be little kids walking around with new hats and mittens, and real nice ones."