News Briefs: Holiday bureau unit seeks monetary donations to aid families

Holiday bureau unit seeks monetary donations to aid families

PORT CLINTON - This year the Port Clinton Unit of the Otttawa Count Holiday Bureau is celebrating its 59th year of helping families during the holiday season.

While in previous years the Port Clinton Unit of Holiday Bureau was able to secure donations of food and supplies from schools, community groups and individuals, because of COVID-19 the unit no can no longer accept this kind of donations.

Last year and again this year the unit will give families gift certificates for groceries.

Therefore, the Port Clinton Unit is only able to accept monetary donations. Last year the unit helped 212 families which included 625 individuals including the elderly and children.

The unit helps those in need in the City of Port Clinton and Bay – Erie – Portage Townships. Donations may be mailed to Ottawa County Holiday Bureau, Port Clinton Unit, P.O. Box 713, Port Clinton 43452.

Mortgage company donates $100,000 in memory of Soviak

CLEVELAND — Cleveland-based CrossCountry Mortgage (CCM) donated $100,000 to Milan Edison High School in memory of U.S. Navy Corpsman Maxton W. Soviak, a 2017 Edison graduate who died while assisting in the evacuation of Americans and refugees from Afghanistan in August. The gift was announced during an on-field ceremony at Sunday Cleveland Browns “Salute to Service” game against the Detroit Lions at FirstEnergy Stadium.

Soviak, one of 13 U.S. service members killed in a suicide bombing at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, grew up in Berlin Heights and was a member of the Edison Chargers football, wrestling and track teams. He joined the Navy after graduating in 2017.

The 22-year-old corpsman died while providing medical assistance to a mother and child during Operation Allies Refuge, the U.S. military operation that evacuated more than 120,000 non-combatants in the closing days of the war in Afghanistan. In recognition of his sacrifice, Soviak was posthumously awarded the Navy Purple Heart and Fleet Marine Corpsman warfare badge and his rank was advanced to U.S. Navy Fleet Marine Hospital Corpsman Third Class. He is survived by his parents, Kip and Rachel Soviak, and 12 siblings.

During the ceremony, CCM Chief Brand Officer Laura Soave presented a $100,000 check to Kip Soviak and Edison High School Football Coach Jim Hall. The gift will be used for enhancements to the school’s athletic facilities in Maxton’s honor.

This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: News Briefs: Holiday bureau unit seeks monetary donations to aid families