Extreevaganza is an event of merriment and philanthropy. The first Friday of every December, the community comes together to raise funds for the Community Fund of the Otsego Community Foundation. The Community Fund’s purpose is to meet the ever-changing needs of the community for years to come. The OCF is celebrating Christmas in July with a special , I Love My Community Grant. In these trying times, the OCF Grant Committee added this additional granting opportunity to relieve a little of the fundraising burden on one of these selected organizations that fulfill holiday wishes.
The Otsego Community Foundation invites anyone who LOVES our community to vote for one of the following community organizations that help community members during the Christmas holiday season. The organization with the most Facebook “likes” will receive a $1,000 grant from the Community Fund.
How does it work?
Step 1. “Like” the Otsego Community Foundation Facebook page,
Step 2. Start voting on July 13th, starting at 9:00 a.m. on the Otsego Community Foundation Facebook page.
Step 3. Community members may vote for only one of the five selected organizations
Step 4. The winner will be selected based on the number of “likes” received under each organization’s logo/description, between July 13th and 20th. Voting ends at 6:00 p.m.
The winner will be announced via a Facebook Live event on July 21st at noon.
Our goal is to bring hope and joy to many children in families who are in financial need at Christmas time. A warm winter clothing outfit along with socks is given to each child in the family. We feel the new outfit of clothes when the child is returning to school after Christmas break is a great self-esteem booster.
This program has been a fixture in Gaylord and Otsego county for the past 15 years. During that time, the program has assisted more than 125 families and more than 300 children per year with winter coats and other warm weather clothes. The Coats for Kids program receives generous support from businesses, churches, and the public in cash and clothing donations, support that is crucial to its continued success.
The Gaylord Kiwanis Club, with the help of volunteers, handed out 700 food baskets last year before Christmas at the Gaylord Middle School. These baskets served around 2,500 people in the community. The food baskets contained a ham loaf, bag of potatoes, bread and canned goods. Thanks to the Gaylord Community Schools, Key Club, Walther Farms, Freeman Family, Alana Containers, and volunteers for their help.
This program provides a positive relationship between children and law enforcement officers, as well as providing the families with a little extra assistance during the holiday season. It is dedicated to pairing a law enforcement official with a child to shop for themselves and their families for Christmas. Since inception of this program, 951 local children and their families have participated. We had 82 participants last year alone.
Our program is designed to collect toys and donations and distribute to families who are struggling with financial difficulties. They may not be able to afford holiday toys for their children, and kids living in poverty situations can feel left out of a wonderful and uplifting experience that many kids enjoy. We seek help to cover the needs of 1,200 children we serve annually to give each child one gift they request, one book, and one educational game. Additional toys are given if we have them available.