DETROIT – Members of the Old Newsboys' Goodfellow Fund of Detroit will take to the streets of Detroit once again for the group's 98th Annual Sales Day & Parade on Monday, November 26 starting at 5:30 a.m. Hundreds of Detroit Goodfellows and Detroit police officers will sell a special "Goodfellow edition" of the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News in various locations throughout Detroit starting at 5:30 a.m.
Newspapers are sold for any donation and all money raised goes toward the Detroit Goodfellows' 2012 fundraising goal of $1.2 million to provide Goodfellow holiday gift packages to 36,000 needy Detroit area children aged 4 - 13. Previous Sales Days have typically raised more than $100,000.
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Detroit Goodfellows President Ken Neal will sell newspapers starting at 5:30 a.m. at Cadillac Place (former General Motors building) located at 3044 W. Grand Blvd. (at Second).
Other locations where Goodfellows, Detroit police officers and Detroit firefighters will be selling newspapers on November 26 are:
• Ren Cen - inside the building
• Detroit Fire Dept. - Washington Blvd.
• Coleman A. Young Municipal Center
• Guardian Building - 500 Griswold
• Penobscot Building
• Compuware Headquarters - One Campus Martius
• Eastern Market – Russell & Market St. (Freeway Service Dr.)
• Detroit Post Office - 1401 W. Fort Street
• One Detroit Center - Woodward and Larned
At 10:00 a.m. several dignitaries will break from selling newspapers to gather for a group photo and parade starting at Guardian Building, 500 Griswold. This year's parade will feature a band from Detroit's Renaissance High School. A traditional highlight of the Detroit Goodfellows parade is when it stops at the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center to serenade office workers.
The Detroit Goodfellows and Detroit police officers are working to ensure that there is "No kiddie without a Christmas" –– the Goodfellows' motto since it was founded in 1914. The Detroit Goodfellows' goal this year is to raise $1.2 million for the holiday gift package program, as well as various other initiatives to benefit Detroit area children in need. So far, approximately $346,170 has been raised which is 29 percent of the $1.2 million goal.
With all donations collected, Detroit Goodfellows will distribute 36,000 gift packages through Detroit police precincts to needy children in Detroit, Hamtramck, Highland Park, Harper Woods and River Rouge from December 7 - 19. This year 12,000 dolls will be given to little girls aged 4 - 9 as part of the Goodfellow gift packages containing books, warm clothes, toys and candy. The packages will be provided to children whose names were submitted by public, private, parochial and charter school officials. It is estimated that one out of every three Detroit public school children receives a Detroit Goodfellows holiday gift box.
Tax-deductible donations may be sent to: The Old Newsboys' Goodfellow Fund of Detroit, P.O. Box 44444, Detroit, MI 48244-0444. Donations may also be made using the organization's secure website: www.detroitgoodfellows.org.
Founded in 1914, the Detroit Goodfellows is the original and oldest Goodfellow organization and is not affiliated with any other Goodfellow group. It also sponsors an emergency dental program for children, awards scholarships through Wayne State University, provides free shoes to children in need and helps send hundreds of needy children to camp each summer.
For more information contact Detroit Goodfellows Director Sari Klok-Schneider at (586) 775-6139 or sarigoodfellows@gmail.com. "Like" Detroit Goodfellows on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/DetroitGoodfellows.