FORT WORTH -- With a broad smile and a "thank you" nod, the Star-Telegram's new editorial director, Mike Norman, walked off the stage in a hall at Lockheed Martin with a $10,000 check for the Goodfellow Fund.
"This is exceptionally significant for us," said Bridget Lauderdale, vice president and general manager for aerospace operations at Lockheed. "We really do value our participation in our community."Lauderdale handed Norman the check at the company's annual Christmas lunch on Wednesday.She also passed out checks, gifts, toys and bicycles to other local nonprofit organizations. It was the culmination of work by thousands of Lockheed employees who raise tens of thousands of dollars for organizations such as Goodfellows, Toys for Tots, Cook Children's Medical Center, Cowboy Santas and others.Employees also donate many hours to mentor and support children in the community, Lauderdale said.Smiling at hundreds of Lockheed employees at the luncheon, Lauderdale congratulated them."You have done so much this year," she said.Wednesday's event featured an in-house parade, Christmas music and an employee group of carolers. Santa provided hundreds of toys and bicycles to children who participated.Employee fundraising has been going on for decades, Lockheed officials said.But "just in the past few years, the participation of employees has skyrocketed," said Alli Beach, a community relations official at Lockheed.Employees of the aerospace company have been longtime supporters of Goodfellows, going all the way back to the 1940s, when the Convair "bomber plant" was built in far west Fort Worth.The Goodfellow Fund was around long before that. It goes back to 1912 and hasn't skipped a year of providing for children in families in need during the holiday season.Yamil Berard, 817-390-7705Twitter: @yberard
Be a Goodfellow
Join our 100th anniversary celebration by sending a contribution to Goodfellows, P.O. Box 1870, Fort Worth, TX 76101. Or go to goodfellowfund.com and make a credit-card donation. We'll acknowledge your gift in the newspaper unless anonymity is requested.
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