On Dec. 14, the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, local 3317, and the Wayne County Sheriff’s Deputy Association, P.O.A.M., will sponsor the Goodfellows’ 2009 fundraiser, “No Child Without a Christmas.”
The event will take place from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Key Club Restaurant (Steve’s Soul Food), 1440 E. Franklin, and will feature a live auction and raffle prizes. One hundred percent of the proceeds will be used to purchase toys for less fortunate children for Christmas.
Paula Bridges, Sheriff Benny Napoleon’s press secretary, said the sheriff’s office has raised money to buy toys and other items for children in Wayne County for several years. She added that Napoleon, who began as sheriff this year, has always supported the Old Newsboy Goodfellow Fund of Detroit it its efforts to raise money to buy toys for children.
Bridges added that in addition to purchasing toys and other gifts for children, the sheriff’s department has, in the past, also “adopted” agencies that needed supplies such as toiletries for its clients.
“Through our No Child Without a Christmas program, last year, we were able to adopt 25 families,” she said, “And get toys and gifts and clothing and for the kids in those families, and also buy supplies for the Michigan School for the Blind.”
Asked if Sheriff Napoleon has a specific goal of how much money he hopes to raise or how many families he hopes the department will adopt, Bridges said the department hopes to surpass last year’s goal of $30,000. She said that amount would help the department do quite a bit to help families in Wayne County.
“We want to make sure that area children who have nothing to do with the economy tanking are able to smile on Christmas day, because Christmas is a time when they should be happy and not suffering the effect of the economy in their particular household.”
She added that the Sheriff’s Department also doesn’t want parents to suffer the anguish of knowing they can’t buy anything for their kids.
She also said the department hopes to help more than 25 families, and to reach out not only to the Michigan School for the Blind, but also another agency that has a need for supplies.
“We’re researching that right now,” she said, adding that all of this is incumbent upon the public helping to raise funds by attending the Dec. 14 fund-raiser or by donating.
“We certainly will take donations here at our office to this Goodfellows fund, as well as at the event on Monday,” she said.
For more information, call Sheila Rhodes at (313) 224- 2266 or Francis R. Davis at (313) 205-0472 or Sheila Mulhern at (313) 224-0631.