Donors Continue to Support Christmas House

Mark Benson, Chairman of the Coudersport Rotary Club’s Local Humanitarian Efforts Committee, recently presented Alyce Reese, Director of the local Christmas House, with a check for $711.08.

“Rotary members raised $388.04 of the recent donation, however Mark Benson deserves to be recognized for the $323.04 he independently raised through his recruitment of local volunteers such as Ron Angood and the Crosby family of Coudersport,” stated Karen Cahilly, Rotary President.

The Alliance of Bikers Aimed Toward Education (“ABATE”) also made a recent donation of $2,000.00 to the Christmas House, presented by Dave Vossler; an extra tiding following ABATE’s traditional toy drive that the organization conducts every holiday season in support of the Christmas House’s gift program.  “ABATE wants the kids to have the toys but we understand that the Christmas House does so much more like providing heat to families in need,” according to Vossler.

The Christmas House is located in downtown Coudersport by the Potter County Annex Building and administrates programs such as Heart Respond, co-administrates the local efforts of the Salvation Army and provides Christmas gifts and school shoes to area children each year in addition to its winter coat program.

According to Alyce, the efforts of the Christmas House are year-round despite the fact that most of the donations raised occur around the holiday season.  “In fact, we have already begun collecting and wrapping donated toys for next year’s Christmas gifting program,” added Alyce.

Alyce has been managing the Christmas house programs, formerly administered through the County, since 1984, with the help of several local volunteers including Monica Porter, Georgia Merritt, Ella Mae Campbell, Judy Mottershead, Barb Heimel, Mark Benson and the late Virginia Hummel.  Some of the area’s largest supporters of the Christmas House over the years include Judge John B. Leete, ABATE, Kightlinger Motors, John Wright, NDAP and the Coudersport High School Honor Society, just to name a few.

Anyone interested in becoming more active in the Christmas House Humanitarian initiatives should contact Alyce directly at (814) 274-0825.