Press Room
The following articles regarding Operation Holiday Cheer have appeared in the cited newspapers and television newstories:
September 12, 2007 - Portland Press Herald Column by Award-winning journalist
Bill Nemitz:
Kiwanis has wish list for military kids
Marc Badeau is a certified public accountant, not a soldier. But he knows a thing or two about being stuck in one place while your kids are someplace far away. "Before I moved to Maine three years ago, my job was split between New York and North Carolina," Badeau said Tuesday. "I'd spend three days at home and then have to leave for three days." Meaning Badeau, the father of two, knows that look in a child's eyes when Dad says he won't be around for awhile. "And the worst thing my kids had to worry about," he noted, "was whether I'd come home with a paper cut." Thus when Badeau moved to Maine in 2004 and saw wave after wave of soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines departing for Iraq and Afghanistan, he found himself looking beyond their sacrifice to the truly unsung heroes in these still troubled times. Military children. "I couldn't even begin to imagine what these kids go through," Badeau said. But he could figure out a way to show them that people care. Badeau is president of the Gorham Kiwanis Club, which didn't even exist before last January. Since that time, he and fellow Kiwanians have come up with the perfect answer to those who look at the latest headlines out of Iraq and Afghanistan and ask, "But what can I do?" It's called Operation Holiday Cheer. And it's disarmingly simple. This holiday season, Badeau wants to put a "first-rate gift" into the hands of every Maine boy and girl under the age of 16 who has a parent in the military. Active duty, National Guard, the Reserves -- it doesn't matter. Nor does it matter if they are, or have been, deployed overseas. "Any one of (their parents) could get the phone call that says, 'You're off. You're leaving,'... " Badeau said. "These kids live with that every day." The fundraising -- Badeau figures it will take upwards of $250,000 to get the job done -- has netted about $125,000 so far from businesses and individual donors. Based on his contacts with various branches of the military, Badeau estimates that 9,200 military children live in Maine. Of those, he hopes, at least 7,000 will receive hand-wrapped gifts from Operation Holiday Cheer this December. "There will also be a letter saying this is a gift from the Kiwanis and the following corporate sponsors -- and from the citizens of Maine," Badeau said. Which is where you come in. First, you can register a child at www.kiwanisoperationholidaycheer.org or by calling (207) 221-0296. "The biggest hole we're facing right now is (active duty) people," Badeau said, noting that there's no in-state organization like the National Guard or Reserves to steer those military families toward the program. Second, you can call or go to the Web site and put your money where your heart is. "One woman at a bagel shop told me, 'I don't have a lot of money, but I really want to give to this,'... " Badeau said. To those who would bristle at all of this because they oppose current U.S. military policies, Badeau would only say that you're missing the point. "This isn't about politics," he said. "This is about kids who don't get nearly enough appreciation for the sacrifice they're making." Columnist Bill Nemitz can be contacted at 791-6323 or at: bnemitz@pressherald.com
September 7, 2007 
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