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Tree of Hope

Kemna Auto, Lions Club distribute gifts

-Messenger photo by Kelby Wingert
Kemna Auto, with help from the Fort Dodge Noon Lions Club, handed out toys and gifts to families of nearly 300 local children for the Tree of Hope on Tuesday afternoon.

The Tree of Hope’s mission is to make the holidays brighter for children in need.

The Tree of Hope is a project from the Kemna for Kids Foundation of Kemna Auto of Fort Dodge. Kemna took over the project about four years ago, according to Kemna Accounting Manager Marcie Welter.

The project was originally called the Giving Tree and was set up at the Crossroads Mall and run by Audrey Best, she said.

In 2015, Welter approached Carey Kemna, owner of Kemna Auto, to continue the tradition after she learned of Best’s 2014 passing.

“We try to fulfill what she started and that’s making sure each child has an outfit, a pair of shoes, a toy, a coat, hat and gloves,” Welter said. “That is what she wanted.”

-Messenger photo by Kelby Wingert
Volunteers from the Fort Dodge Noon Lions Club organize gifts for nearly 300 local children as part of the Tree of Hope at Kemna Auto on Tuesday afternoon.

Families can pick up an application for the Tree of Hope at Kemna Auto each year during the month of October. Starting in November, the Tree of Hope goes up at Kemna Auto and at Hy-Vee, filled with tags for local children in need.

This year, Kemna Auto was joined by volunteers from the Fort Dodge Noon Lions Club to help organize and distribute the gifts from the Tree of Hope. During Tuesday’s distribution at Kemna Auto, 282 bags of toys and clothes for local kids in need were picked up by parents and other family members.

The Retired Teachers of Webster County group were also there to hand out free books to the families.

“Fort Dodge gets a bad rep for a lot of stuff, but there’s a lot of good, not only what’s going on here, but everywhere,” Welter said. “It’s a community effort to make sure that kids in the community have Christmas.”

-Messenger photo by Kelby Wingert
Volunteers from the Fort Dodge Noon Lions Club organize gifts for nearly 300 local children as part of the Tree of Hope at Kemna Auto on Tuesday afternoon.

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