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Delivering Christmas Cheer to Foster Children

Posted at 5:02 PM, Dec 01, 2012
and last updated 2012-12-02 22:32:46-05

It`s a program that means a lot to Sarah Boucher. Saturday afternoon she donated her time to help unload gifts for Operations Good Cheer. It’s a program that delivers presents to foster children all over Michigan using planes. Sarah was a foster parent, and adopted two children four years ago.

“It`s wonderful to see all the gifts and all of the joy that we bring to the kids and all the support to the foster parents,” Boucher said.

Catholic Charities of West Michigan participates in the program and picked their gifts to handout Saturday afternoon at Gerald R. Ford International Airport. Sara`s children actually received gifts through this program. All the pilots dropping off the gifts are volunteers, donating their time, gas and plane to make these special deliveries.

“I`ve had an opportunity to bring them to foster homes, especially relative foster homes and to see how overwhelmed foster parents are and just grateful. It`s really just a humbling experience,” Alicia Czarnik, Lutheran Social Services of Michigan said.

“This might be the first time they have a safe place on Christmas morning to open Christmas gifts,” Brian Boyce, Catholic Charities of West Michigan said.

Sarah says as fun as this event is, it`s also a reminder.

“That the kids aren`t with their biological family. It makes me all the more excited to have my children home with me for the holidays,” Boucher said.