For the past eight years Otto’s has donated to the Good Cheer Fund of Johnson County as a way to give back to the community we have the great pleasure of doing business in. This Holiday season we will make another charitable donation in lieu of traditional gift giving.
“Christmas is a season of goodwill and we believe that we act with our customers’ and business partners’ approval when we give generously to those in need”, explained Steve Sawa, Co-owner of Otto’s Parking Marking. “As we continue our holiday tradition, we will donate the dollar amount that we would spend on physical gifts to the Good Cheer Fund of Johnson County.”
The fund was started in 1921 by Austin Flinn and the Franklin Evening Star. That year the Good Cheer Fund was able to collect enough to feed 110 families. In 1948, Franklin Community Schools began collecting canned goods through a drive aimed at student donation. Students were rewarded for donating by receiving tickets to attend the annual charity show in Franklin put on for the Good Cheer Fund. Subsequently more community involvement began taking place. The local movie theatre gave free admission with a canned food donation and Franklin College gave free admission to their men’s basketball games in exchange for a minimum donation.
In 1994 the fund raised $22,250 making them able to feed 650 families. That same year toys were donated and given out to roughly 300 children in 90 different homes. The community was continuing to come up with different ways to get behind the cause and in 1997 Jim Rhoads began hosting an annual hog roast in the parking lot of his restaurant. The first year of the hog roast they raised $3,500 and they continue to host the roast each year.
Since the fund was established donations have increased each year and in 2016 they raised $26,000 in monetary donations. The Good Cheer Funds efforts this year hope to raise money as well as collect 40,000 canned goods to be distributed through the 800 baskets of food given out across Johnson county.
Monetary donations can be dropped off at the Daily Journal office located at 30 S. Water Street, Suite A, Franklin, IN or mailed to the Daily Journal, P.O. Box 669, Franklin, IN 46131
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