As the night of December 18 came to a close, $50,000 – on the dot – was raised for local families who could use a little extra love this holiday season.
Fort Recovery Radio hosted the fourth annual Christmas Gala Wednesday evening, serving those in the community who’ve found themselves in times of hardship.
The FR community came together to uplift multiple families – and not just those residing in this town of 1,400, showing that community stretches outside the Fort Recovery Corporation limits. This event, as it has for the past four years, offered opportunity to help one’s neighbors and reflect on the blessings of living in an area where family goes beyond blood relation.
“What these families are going through often times brings them closer together, makes them stronger than they ever thought they could be,” Jack Staugler, a key organizer of the Fort Recovery event posted on Facebook. “Yes, at this time of year especially, these very families find ways of counting blessings much greater than ours,”
The gala was broadcast starting 7 p.m., beginning with Mayor Dave Kaup challenging other local mayors to get involved. Entertainment included Pastor Q from Christ Chapel, the Fort Recovery show choir, Mary Help of Christians’s choir “Sisters”, the Lefevere kids and antics put on by the FR Radio team.
The event concluded with “The 12 Days of Christmas” sung by those present at the station.
While this Christmas carol was arguably dysfunctional, the way these individuals came together to uplift those who’ve fallen on hard times was anything but.
Last year, the night ended with approximately $39,000 having been raised. With this continued growth, its difficult not to anticipate what can be achieved by FR Radio and the community that rallies behind it in the years to come.
