Community, local businesses make it possible
According to a press release issued by Dee Olsen, Executive Director of the Merrill Area United Way, “We saw into the heart of Merrill this Christmas Season, as corporations and many individuals provided support to the Children’s Christmas Project.”
Olsen said that, as word about the project got out and time went on, the project and the funding grew.
As a result, the United Way Children’s Christmas Project was able to “provide Christmas” for 133 families, totaling 360 children. This United Way Project was done in partnership with three of their affiliate agencies–the Merrill Food Pantry, St. Vincent De Paul, and the North Central Community Action Program (NCCAP).
The United Way wishes to extend a heartfelt thank you to the major financial donors for this project: Connexus Cares, FreMraq Innovations, Merrill Chamber of Commerce Foundation, United Way, Breaman Merrill Ford, Incredible Bank, mBank, Ascension Episcopal Church, Wisconsin Public Service, Brickner’s Park City, and Park City Credit Union. In addition, about 30 individual donors helped.
In fact, due to the outpouring of local support, the project was able to expand to do more than they originally hoped. What started out as an idea to provide a modest $20 Christmas gift certificate for parents to buy gifts for each of their children grew to a $50 gift certificate. Then, due to a $7,000 donation from FreMarq Innovations, an innovative architectural framing company located in Merrill, contributing to high thermal energy performance, the amount of the gift certificate was able to increase to $75 per child. The FreMarq company “was humbled to help those families needing assistance with Christmas this year,” Olsen said.
“This project would not have been possible without this outpouring of support. May our participating families and our ever-important donors have a Merry and Blessed Christmas from Merrill Area United Way,” Olsen said in her release.
In addition to the $75 Chamber Gift Certificate for each child, participating families received a voucher for a family-size ham from the Merrill Food Pantry, and a box of holiday chocolates, all via a drive-through event.
“The amount per child was higher than expected, and the parents were very appreciative,” according to Olsen. “Truth be told, we did have some moms that cried when they got the Certificates, allowing them to give their children the Christmas they want and deserve. The Merrill Area United Way knew that this is a year of increased hardships for families struggling through financial needs. We also knew that Merrill is a community with a great big heart, but ultimately bigger than we anticipated.”