Michigan Members Help Spread Cheer to Foster Home Children

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Michigan Wing members on the ground and in the air helped ensure Dec. 4 that gifts for foster care children across the state would receive gifts as part of Operation Good Cheer.

They represented a larger group of aircraft and trucks, both private and corporate, transporting donated toys across the state from Oakland International Airport.

Wing members have volunteered for several years to help load trucks at Oakland County International Airport in addition to providing aircrews for gift delivery. This year 19,941 gifts were delivered to 6,647 children in foster care.

First Lt. Michael Freeman, communications and public relations officer for the Oakland Composite Squadron, coordinated the Michigan Wing effort in 2021.

“Operation Good Cheer is my favorite event of the year,” Freeman said. “I was involved with OGC before joining CAP, and now I am honored to lead our team’s involvement. This is a great event to show the public the type of activities that CAP participates in and contributes to the community.

“We have cadets from squadrons across the state of Michigan loading gifts into trucks and marshaling over 200 aircraft between the ramp and loading areas on the field. I’m very proud to be part of such a great team.”

Operation Good Cheer, organized by Child and Family Services of Michigan, has hosted the toy drive on the first weekend of December for 50 years. It began in 1971 with gifts for 66 children.