United in Harmony's Dec. 12 concert will benefit JFS's Adopt-a-Child Christmas program
When Randy Fischer joined United in Harmony is the summer of 2017, the local men's chorus was rehearsing Christmas songs. He enjoyed the music, but had a question.
"Our schedule, it played out months in advance, and I didn't see any Christmas concerts on the schedule. I was like, 'Well where are we going to sing this Christmas music?'" he recalled asking the group's director, George Gibbs. "He was like, 'Well, we just go around to the different assisted living places, and at Candlelight Christmas, we sing at the Pelican.'"
That year, United in Harmony started a new tradition, an annual Christmas concert at Good Hope Lutheran Church to benefit a local charity. This year's concert at 4 p.m. Dec. 12 will benefit Crawford County Jobs and Family Services' Adopt-A-Child Christmas program.
Fischer, who's a member of Good Hope, said in 2017, the church was celebrating its 175th anniversary, and was looking for a way to mark its founding date, Dec. 10.
"We were looking for something to do, and a light bulb went off," Fischer recalls. He pitched the idea to the church's pastor, suggesting donations could be collected for a local charity. The first concert was a huge success, with more than 300 people attending, he said.
For the first three years, the concert benefited Bucyrus Feeding Ministries. Then, two things happened. The 2020 concert had to be canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. And because of concerns about social distancing and similar issues, many churches, including Good Hope, stopped serving meals.
'It just breaks my heart'
"Well, we're going to have a concert this year, so who could we help?" Fischer said.
Jessie Furner, executive director of the Bucyrus Area Chamber of Commerce, suggested JFS and its Adopt-a-Child for Christmas program, Fischer said, "And I said that's great."
The program allows the group to help children all across Crawford County, he said.
"Plus my family, we were blessed; we always had good Christmases," Fischer said. "And it just breaks my heart to think of a kid, particularly a foster kid, not having anything for Christmas; that's just awful."
United in Harmony will sing 12-14 songs, a mix of sacred and secular music — including a medley of kid-friendly tunes.
Zaika: Community steps up to help
Kathy Zaika, who administrates the Adopt-A-Child program for Jobs and Family Services, is expected to speak at intermission about the program and about the need for foster parents, Fischer said.
"It's a community effort each year," Zaika said of the long-running Adopt-a-Child program.
In many cases, the same individuals, organizations and businesses help out by adopting a few kids each year, Zaika said. They're asked to spend $100 on each child.
"We help all the kids that we are working with," she said of Jobs and Family Services. That includes children in foster or kinship care — plus any other child the department's working ith "that we feel if we don't do something, they're not going to get something."
The program helps about 220 children a year.
"I'm very proud of Crawford County, because they do step up and that's a lot of kids to take care of," Zaika said. "They definitely get the job done."
People who wish to donate or adopt a child can call Zaika at 567-393-4773.
Fischer said event planners are hoping a number of the foster families will be able to attend the Dec. 12 concert, which ends with the audience being invited to join in some carol-singing.
"We're just really looking forward to it; it's probably our biggest concert of the year, numbers-wise," Fischer said. "It's just a good way to end the year and to help some folks, particularly kids."
ggoble@gannett.com
419-559-7263
This article originally appeared on Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum: United in Harmony concert will benefit Adopt-a-Child Christmas program
