Health and Human Services participating in Operation Good Cheer.

Health and Human Services participating in Operation Good Cheer. 

#Christmas2016.

LUDINGTON — Health and Human Services agencies in Mason and Oceana counties will participate in Child and Family Services of Michigan’s Operation Good Cheer program.  Child and Family Services of Michigan has sponsored and coordinated this program since its inception in 1971, granting holiday wishes to children in foster care throughout Michigan.

Operation Good Cheer is an annual, all volunteer, Christmas gift-giving program of Child and Family Services of Michigan, Inc.  All of the recipients currently live in foster care homes, group homes, or residential treatment facilities in Michigan. Many of them have been removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect.

Mason and Oceana Department of Health and Human Services is teaming with Child and Family Services of Michigan, Inc. and 70 other social service agencies across Michigan to share in creating Christmas joy for everyone in the program.

Each child in the program creates a “wish list” with six gift ideas that they would like for Christmas; donors purchase and wrap gifts from the individual’s wish list.  Gifts are then taken to drop-off locations to await transportation to Oakland County International Airport.

The gifts will be collected from 28 pickup locations via donated ground transportation on Friday, December 2, 2016 coordinated by Mike Pipia of Guardian Industries.  They will continue their journey to the airport for distribution flights and local ground transport on Saturday, December 3, 2016.

All distribution flights and local ground transport will originate from Oakland County International Airport, where more than 17,200 gifts will be gathered for sorting and loading at the host hangar, graciously provided by Pentastar Aviation.  Hundreds of volunteers will be on hand at the airport throughout the two-day period to assist with the distribution effort.

Through the “Spirit of Good Cheer” flight, participating local social service agencies will greet flights at 25 airports and various ground destinations where they will transfer the gifts for final distribution to children served by the agencies, in time for Christmas.

Through the efforts of Jerry Drew, retired air traffic controller at Oakland County International Airport and ground transportation by Mike Pipia of Guardian Industries, gifts will be distributed to agencies so the 5,733 children and youth sponsored by Operation Good Cheer this year will receive their gifts before Christmas.