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Holidays
remind us that the years of our lives are inextricably tied to
the calendar. Each year brings with it familiar celebrations
that become a part of us. At Orchards, the holiday season
brings to light the ever-growing needs that we strive to meet,
and the boundless generosity and friendship of those committed
to helping us meet those needs.
Our sincere thanks to all
community partners and friends who made this holiday season so
memorable for our children and families.
Holiday highlights include--
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On Christmas Eve,
Rich
Grohm
again opened up
Cloverlanes
in Livonia to our families, presenting a puppet show worthy of
Kermit’s praise, and a spoken and musically inspired message
that reminded attendees of the true meaning of Christmas.
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J.R. Johnson of Perfections Complete
Outdoor Maintenance
gave 100 turkeys.
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Employees of Blue Cross Blue Shield in Southfield,
set up a departmental challenge to collect for OCS food drive,
helping Orchards provide food through the holiday season for mor
than 300 families.
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Ephraim Salaam formerly of Detroit
Lions
hosted 50 kids for a shopping spree at Walmart. Ephraim, his
wife, mother, and several team members escorted the children
through Walmart, helping them to select up to $100 worth of
gifts.
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Pastor George Young
spearheaded churches in Anchor Bay, MI to hold a toy drive and
Christmas concert to benefit OCS. Participants included
Grace United Methodist, The Rock Church, North Shore Church,
Salt River Church, St. Mary’s Catholic, and New Vision Cathedral.
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Christian Fellowship Church
hosted 25 children for gift giving and Christmas dinner at their
church in Detroit.
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Karen Newman
hosted a family at her holiday concert at Andiamo’s.
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Michael and Kisha Quinn
hosted a holiday gathering at their home on December 5th.
They asked that all guests donate an age appropriate gift or
gift card to benefit Orchards.
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And finally, New Years Eve brought a welcome, but completely
unexpected invitation from
Piston’s great Rodney Stuckey,
who sponsored and hosted a year-end bash at Auburn Hills’ Post
Bar to benefit Orchards and the families we serve. Rodney’s own
experiences as a young man help him appreciate the importance of
the work Orchards does, and we couldn’t think of a better friend
or a better way to start the New Year off.
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