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Cheer Club donations made season brighter for all of us

It’s certainly been an unusual holiday season, but we’ve been glad to see one thing continue as usual: demonstrations of generosity by area residents.

And many of us here at The Mining Journal office have had the joy of observing this giving spirit firsthand, as we’ve watched our community drop off countless donations to the Journal’s Cheer Club over the past month.

The Cheer Club, which kicked off Nov. 27 this year, is a beloved annual tradition at the Journal that collects unwrapped toys and gifts to be donated to local children and families each holiday season.

This year, we had to make some pandemic-related safety alterations to the program. However, we were delighted to see people of all ages — as well as area businesses, organizations and clubs — show their generosity in so many ways.

From donations of teddy bears and toys, to bicycles, hoodies and headphones, to gift cards and financial contributions, every donor has played a valuable part in making a local family’s holiday brighter this season.

The many gifts and donations collected by the program were distributed to local families in need earlier this month through St. Vincent de Paul and The Salvation Army of Marquette County during socially distant events.

Like many events this year, the distributions were altered for safety reasons, but organizers at the Salvation Army told us that they had each parent make detailed lists for their children to ensure each child’s wishes could be matched as closely as possible.

And while we don’t know the final donation totals yet, we know one thing for sure: our community showed so much love and generosity this year.

It was truly heartwarming to see many people willing to give back to others during one of the most challenging holiday seasons in recent memory.

This spirit is a shining example of what makes our community a wonderful place to live and is something that we all must remember during these trying times: when we band together and give back to those in need, all of us are better for it.

And we can make a big difference in the lives of many, many people.

So to all who donated this year, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for making this difficult holiday season brighter for everyone.

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