To the editor:

2021, like 2020, held a lot of surprises for everyone in Jackson County. One large, pleasant surprise for Sertoma members is how well the Jackson County community stepped up in troubled times, both in 2020 and 2021.

As a club, we were rather worried about returning to delivering physical Christmas gifts to children in Jackson County in 2021.

Would volunteers show up and box, wrap and deliver gifts, given that in 2020, we did not utilize those volunteers? Would some of our leading workforces again contribute numerous toys and gifts in physical form, like they did in 2019 and previous years?

Jackson County Sertoma Club members cannot be more pleased with the again wonderful response we got from so many individuals, clubs, businesses, groups and organizations that makes Christmas Miracle work.

To try and list every business, bank, group, club, workplace, agency, print and radio media outlet and organization that helped to make this year’s Christmas Miracle a success would inevitably cause me to leave someone out. Therefore, we won’t even try to name all contributors and volunteers, but realize that our gratitude for your help knows no bounds. Because of everyone who supported our cause this year, Sertoma was able to help 254 families with 608 children throughout every part of Jackson County, which is up from 2020.

In the end, the people of this fine county showed their true desire to help their fellow citizens. One Sertoma member recently observed that Christmas Miracle now is a project of the entire Jackson County community, not merely a Sertoma project. This continues to be reiterated every year.

Sertoma stands for SERvice TO MAnkind. Our club is able to do what we do for the people of this county because of your support. Again, thanks go out from all of the members of Jackson County Sertoma for everyone’s help in making the Christmas season a little brighter for the children of Jackson County.

John Fox, Christmas Miracle co-chairman

Jackson County Sertoma Club