For 46 years, Child and Family Services of Michigan, Inc. has been bringing holiday joy to children and families throughout Michigan through Operation Good Cheer. Initially designed to provide gifts to children in foster care during the holiday season, Operation Good Cheer has since expanded to give gifts to children in residential care and to adults with disabilities. Operation Good Cheer is organized and executed entirely by volunteers who are hoping to bring happiness and joy to children and families during the Holiday Season. Children and adults who receive gifts through this program are allowed to create a “Wish List” of items they hope to receive for Christmas. Thousands of volunteers gather to purchase and wrap these gifts, which are then transported by volunteer trucking companies and their drivers to airports. Pilots and drivers then distribute the gifts to children and families throughout the state. Since 1971, more than 92,700 children in Michigan have received gifts from Operation Good Cheer.
Wolverine Human Services has been partnering with Operation Good Cheer for over 15 years. Every year, each child receives three boxes of gifts, but there can be multiple gifts in each box. Although children receive their gifts from Operation Good Cheer in December, planning for the event starts back in July. Wolverine employees and volunteers gather the Wish Lists from our children and enter this information into the Operation Good Cheer database. In December, a large group of volunteers gather to coordinate the gift-giving to our children in Vassar, Saginaw, Detroit, and children in foster care all over the state. This year, over 325 of our children in residential care will receive gifts through Operation Good Cheer during their holiday parties. Children at our Vassar location receive their gifts on December 20th, children at our Saginaw location receive their gifts on December 21st, and children at our Detroit location receive their gifts on December 22nd. Gifts to our children in foster care are given to them throughout the Holiday Season.
The Holiday Season is a time for families and friends to gather and celebrate. For many of the children in our care, they are away from their families when they would like to be with them the most. At Wolverine Human Services, we are incredibly appreciative of our partnership with Operation Good Cheer. The mission and generosity of Operation Good Cheer allows us to bring happiness and joy to our children during a time that can be very difficult for them. Even though our children may not be able to celebrate with their families and friends this Holiday Season, Operation Good Cheer brings them happiness and excitement when they need it the most.