Goodfellows helps 12,500 Tarrant children. ‘Generosity of the community is humbling.’
A mother with more than 10 children. A grandmother raising 13 grandchildren.
These are only a couple of examples of people helped in 2024 by the Goodfellow Fund.
As it has done since 1912, the Star-Telegram charity helped make the holiday season a little happier for children and families who have had difficulty connecting with joy. By providing qualifying families in need with $100 gift cards to Old Navy stores (twice the amount of previous years to help with rising costs), the Goodfellow Fund helped bring smiles to the faces of children who would likely have gone without this Christmas. They also delivered a message that — during some of the most severe challenges a family can face — someone does indeed care.
“One young mother was crying, and when I asked the volunteer if she was OK, he told me that she was raising her brother’s kids on her own and was beyond thrilled and happy we could help her,” said Heidi Brisson, a staff member with the Goodfellow Fund.
“Because of my own experience being raised by my sister, I went over to tell her that no matter what, her brother was grateful and proud of her, and to always remember that his children are thankful to be with her. She gave us both a big hug and thanked Goodfellows for having good people representing them.”
Another mother wasn’t able to work because one of her children has ADHD and can’t sit still in class. She was told she had to homeschool him.
The gift cards allowed her to still have a few things under the Christmas tree.
12,500 served by Goodfellow Fund
The Goodfellow Fund served over 12,500 needy Tarrant County school children this holiday season. The organization’s Executive Director Richard Greene stressed this was thanks to many generous hearts donating to the cause.
Once again, the Exchange Club of Fort Worth was a leader, donating $87,000 from their members.
“Our thanks to Bill Landreth, Jim Eagle, and his guest Lance Barrow and all the members of the Exchange Club of Fort Worth for the enjoyable program and fund-raising luncheon,” Greene said.
“And thanks to the many, many legacy donors, individuals, civic clubs, churches, and neighborhood associations that contribute each year. I wish each one could experience what our volunteers and I see daily during the applicant interview process.”
Greene said the helping never grows old, and he suspects it never will. One reward stands above all, he said.
“It is personally seeing the smiles and hearing the very sincere and usually quiet thank-you from the parents that continue to validate the good work the Goodfellow Fund contributes to our community,” Greene said. “Many times, there are a few tears, both from the mother and on the face of our volunteers.
“I’d only hope that each donor could personally experience the sincerity and appreciation of each these families. The experience really makes you reflect on how fortunate many of us are.”
Long history of Goodfellows
The Goodfellow Fund began as an offshoot of the first newspaper charity drive in the United States, started by the Chicago Tribune on Dec. 10, 1909. A Chicago city attorney wrote a letter challenging his friends to donate the money they would have spent on holiday partying to charity.
A couple years later, the Advertising Club of Fort Worth staged the first local Goodfellow campaign. On the day after Thanksgiving in 1912, Publisher Amon G. Carter brought the tradition to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
New and additional donors are welcome and needed. The Goodfellow Fund accepts donations throughout the year.
To find out more, or to learn more about helping, visit goodfellowfundfw.com. The post office box for donations and correspondence is P.O. Box 149, Fort Worth, TX, 76101.
“How very generous, from every corner and every walk of life our community has been for 112-years in supporting the Goodfellow Fund,” Greene said. “The support and generosity of the community is humbling.”
This story was originally published December 25, 2024 at 6:00 AM.