Donations continue despite economy's toll on gifts

The Post and Courier Good Cheer Fund has been presented with very special gifts this holiday season. A contribution of $8,337.93 has been received from the joint estate of three sisters — Mrs. William (Clara) Schirmer, Mrs. Matthew (Evie) Hertz and Miss Maud Seel. They are the daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Louis Seel.

It was the desire of these three women to provide a substantial annual gift to the Good Cheer Fund and in doing so, they bequeathed more than $600,000 of their combined estates to the fund.

Additionally, The estates of Mary Stuart, Florence E. Goodwin and the Mellichamp estate contributed $1,576.53 to the fund.

It is the interest earned from these estates that is contributed yearly to the Good Cheer Fund. Unfortunately, because of the slump in the economy, the donations are considerably less than in previous years.

The Good Cheer Fund final total recorded last year on Dec. 31, was $368,763.87. Today's total reflects a much lower amount. In addition to the diminished returns on the estate earnings, this year's daily totals cannot be compared directly with last year's totals for the same day. The reason is that this year's Thanksgiving Sunday, which marks the beginning of the Good Cheer Campaign came five days later than it did last year. That means five fewer days to receive contributions. But there is still time to make a donation, as well as a difference in the life of someone in need in our community.

Christmas is a time of joy and hope, and hope remains even now that the final total for the Good Cheer Fund 2008 will continue to rise. Lowcountry residents have through Monday, to make contributions to the fund that will be published in The Post and Courier on New Year's Eve.

Every cent of every donation received is donated to six local charities including The Salvation Army, Star Gospel Mission, Association for the Blind, Carolina Youth Development Center, Catholic Charities and Lowcountry Food Bank. There are no administrative or overhead costs involved.

If you have been blessed this year and want to share your blessings with others in our community, and start the New Year with good cheer, please send your contribution to The Good Cheer Fund, c/o The Post and Courier, 134 Columbus St., Charleston, SC 29403-4800.

CONTRIBUTIONS

The joint estate of the late Mrs. William (Clara) Schirmer, Mrs. Matthew (Evie) Hertz and Miss Maud Seel 8,337.93

The estate of Mary Stuart, the estate of Florence E. Goodwin and the Mellichamp estate 1,576.53

In honor of Andy Anderson's 24 years of leadership and service at Evening Post Publishing, from Wachovia Bank 1,000.00

In honor of Emma L. Lesesne 50.00

Begonia, "Your everlovin" 25.00

To my brothers from Diesel 25.00

Patty and William H. Masche 25.00

Susan and Douglas Mellichamp 25.00

In honor of our precious grandkids: Christopher, Caitlyn, Cassidy, Stephanie, Leigh, Zoe, Emma, Isaiah and Anna-Mae, from Cecil and Ruth Mills 50.00

Thankful for our granddaughters Regan, Tatum and Rory 25.00

In honor of John and Catherine Buchanon, from Johanna Tuleikis 250.00

In honor of Jim and Kathleen Courtney, Rob and Betti Lee and Claire Mitchell 60.00

In honor of Ken Burger from Donald Caughman 50.00

From family members of the Pendarvis and Steele families of Dorchester 250.00

In honor of organ donors and their families, thank you for my gift of sight, from Colleen 25.00

In thanksgiving for my many blessings 25.00

In lieu of gifts, Merry Christmas to our children, Tracy and Kristen, from Betsy and Frank Carrese 100.00

With heartfelt gratitude for the faculty and staff at St. Johns Catholic School, especially Mrs. Jones, Mrs. Kramp and Miss Carol Anne White 250.00

In honor of Tom, Dave, Cynthia, Colleen, Doug, Ellen & Cathy 100.00

To honor the men and women of our Armed Forces 100.00

In honor of loved ones, from Erin and Pat Mellen 50.00

In honor of our troops serving to keep us free from Mike and Chris Murphy 50.00

Given in thanks for family and friends and our many blessings, from Yolanda and Lindsay Payne 75.00

Stephanie 25.00

Patrick, Robin, Ian, McKenna and Riley Young 100.00

Michael and Gail Maginnis 500.00

William and Mary Durst 50.00

Francis Marion Hotel 1,000.00

In honor of our family and friends, from Ann and David Morris 500.00

Martin, Andrea, Ellington and Jack Deputy 1,000.00

"The Barrel Poker Team" 100.00

In honor of Mary LaBoone, from SMF 25.00

In honor of Debby Tudor Clifton, from Mom, Dad, Rose, Marko and Will 75.00

In honor of all my family, from Justin Hoffman 75.00

In honor of the faculty and staff at Porter Gaud, from Jack and Kathryn Lucas 125.00

In honor of the faculty and staff at the O'Quinn School, James Island, from Dee Dee Lucas 125.00

In honor of all our friends, family and medical staff who helped us through my cancer treatment, from Tim and Joanie Teel 50.00

In honor of the nurses and staff at Roper Hospital, from Dr. Chris Hawk and Dr. Stan Wilson 500.00

In honor of the fans, staff, and players of the Charleston Battery 5,000.00

In honor of the guests and staff of The Hampton Inn, Daniel Island 5,000.00

In honor of the customers and staff of McCrady's 5,000.00

In honor of the customers and staff of Queen Anne's Revenge Restaurant 5,000.00

In honor of the customers and staff of The Buccaneer Restaurant 5,000.00

In honor of my four grandchildren C.J., Katie, Scotty and Danny 75.00

Mr. and Mrs. William Reid 20.00

Benton and Mary Atkins 25.00

Rontrella Elliott 20.00

Sharon Klein 25.00

Robert and Joyce Potter 100.00

Olsten Staffing Services 250.00

In honor of the wonderful nurses and staff of the Cardiac Care Unit on 4th W, Roper Hospital 100.00

In thanksgiving for Sazee Lu 12.50

In honor of Mrs. Ramona Hale, love Sonya O'Malley 25.00

In honor of MeMom Stephens from Pat R. Ross 25.00

In honor of my grandchildren Will, Matthew, Andrew, Caroline, Hayden, Patricia, and Ansley 100.00

To honor my wife, Mary Hope, I love you, Harry 100.00

In honor of our sister Fran, we love you, Ken, Sally and Harry 100.00

To honor my mother Mildre Lee Shuler, her loving daughter, Mary Hope 100.00

In honor of Mary Gail and Bratton Riley Jr. 50.00

Merry Christmas, Mary Beauchene 100.00

In honor of all military, past and present-job well done! 50.00

In honor of Katherine Campbell from Randy, Nedra, Madison and Hayden 10.00

ANONYMOUS

500.00

50.00

100.00

100.00

100.00

100.00

25.00

1,000.00

202.00

IN LIEU OF CARDS

Kim and Lewis Hay 100.00

UK-Southwind Sailmakers Inc. 50.00

Theodore and Lila Rapchick 55.00

Rudy Matzner 50.00

IN MEMORY OF

Mary Callahan 100.00

Our parents James Petigru Lesesne and Helene McCrady Lesesne, with love Betsy and Jimmy 100.00

Cousins, Sonny Lesesne and Bonnie McCrady 50.00

Perry Metts Fant, husband and father, by Sarah B. Fant and Susie Lesesne 100.00

My beautiful brother Arthur "Tony" Clark 40.00

Billie Nees Neal and Robert Neal 100.00

Mr brother Guy 25.00

Dad and Jeanne 200.00

Coot Brown 50.00

Lucille and Samuel Graham, from your children Ida, Naomi, Lorraine, Samuel, Stella, Lucille, Debra, Cecelia and Gerald and other relatives & friends 100.00

Leo B. duFort 25.00

Timothy M. Evans 25.00

William K. Perry 25.00

Richard W. Perry 25.00

Kathy Wagers, Katie Wagers, Virginia Igoe, Bob Kasell, Anne and Ted Villeponteaux, Archie Jenkins, Frances and Scrap Tindall, Joe Cannon, Jennie Johnson, Mary Ann Talbert, Buddy Sirisky, and Lee Pittillo 50.00

Happy Jett, John Van Dorsten, Bobby Jones, Eric Warrer, Steve Moore, Trey Sanders, Charlie Ratledge, Price Oulla, Ryan Staubes, Michael Rawl, Peter Beck, Billy Richardson, Joshua Rosen, Tradd Gibbons, Dirk MacDowell and Jonathan Greer 25.00

Katherine Thomason, Millicent Bradsher, Julie Simonds, Burney Fair, Heidel Lentz, Leslie McCravy and Lizzy Fleming 25.00

Thomas P. Lesesne, III 100.00

Thomas P. Lesesne, Annie B. Lesesne, Thomas P. Lesesne Jr., Mae A. Clary, Miles V. Clary, Mary Kent Dean, James L. Rogers Jr. and Anne L. Pinckney 100.00

Ben Burris, James Holcombe, Kirk Kessler, Harold Newton, Chris Purvis, Jamie Richards, Tim Trouche, Bubba Walker and Stewart Walker from Bachelor's Society of Charleston 50.00

J. Preston Warren 28.77

Col. C. Ayer from Elinor Kessel 25.00

Suzanne Clement, from George and Hilda Hamrick 100.00

Dr. John Thomas Stone and Dr. JulIe Ann Baucom, from Daniel and Sage Stone 25.00

Richard Squillace from Susan Squillace 100.00

Helen Regan 100.00

Our parents, Jerry and Lee Hazard and Claire and Jean Austill, from John and Karen Hazard 400.00

Charleston furniture maker E.H. "Boyd" Smith and his grandson Phillip Boyd Smith 25.00

Momma, Dad, Nema, Edward, Toes, Macajiah, Charlie, Zeke, and Miss Kitty 100.00

Lucy Huguenin Foster, William Ball Foster, Eleanor Lucas Gaillard, J. Palmer Gaillard, Lucy Foster Gaillard, J. Palmer Gaillard, Jr., John Morrison Freeman 50.00

Our parents, Grady and Louise Wofford Lancaster & Robert and Lillian Stuart Clements 30.00

Birt, Nannie, Mom and Dad 100.00

Lt. Phillip Moog and Cpl. Michael Graves, KIA, Vietnam, 1966 and Lt. Harvey Mitchelson, KIA, Normandy, France, 1944, from Grady Hendrix 50.00

Carl, Henry, Billy, Howard, Ernest, Clayton, Dennis, Joe and Jimmy from Heath Springs, S.C., who gave their lives in WWII, from Grady Hendrix 100.00

Our great grandparents, Louise and Lombard Downs & Doris and Ed Etheredge and our great uncle James Etheredge, love Katlyn, Ashley, and Jarob McKinney and Elizabeth and Amy Palmer 40.00

Dear friend CWO Scott Jamar, KIA, Iraq, 2003 and my Citadel host cadet, 1 Lt. Joshua Booth, KIA, Iraq, 2006, from Colleen Santiago 30.00

Anne G. Snowden, J.W. Snowden, Anne S. Bryan, Dr. W.M. Bryan Jr., Pauline S. Simons and G.R. Simons 100.00

Julian V. Brandt Jr. 50.00

Our daughter, Stacy 100.00

Margaret and Harris Mims, love Margie 25.00

FLP, HRP, NLB, and MSB 100.00

Our son, Billy 50.00

Mary Moore Wanamaker 25.00

Mae Tassin 25.00

Jane Buskirk 25.00

Bob Chinn 25.00

Liza Lu 12.50

My daddy, Henry A. Pettersen by Sonya O'Malley 25.00

My brother, Don Ray, Ruth Rhoden Craven and David Shelton, from Pat R. Ross 100.00

My loving husband, Francis White 100.00

Joan and Virginia Matzner 50.00

My father, Otis Shuler, with love, Mary Hope 100.00

Our father Dr. K.O. Fields, with love, Ken, Sally, Fran, and Harry 100.00

My grandparents, Harry and Sara Matthews, with love, Ken, Sally, Fran, and Harry 100.00

Bama and Grandaddy from Fran, Sallie, Scott, Hattie, Liza, Bissell, Thomas, Barbara, Morgan, Rob, James, Archie, Ashley, McLain, Michael, Annie, Baker, Locke and Cordes 200.00

Our husband, father, grandfather and father-in-law, Thomas H. Hart from Nora, his children and their spouses and grandchildren 1,000.00

Moma, Dorothy Mae Gordon LeBlanc, S.C., Granny Mama Ada Bell Sheppard Welch Gordon, S.C., 2 uncles Raymond B. Welch, S.C. and O'Dell L. Welch, S.C., 2 great uncles Walter Cecil Sheppard, S.C., and Edward Eugene Sheppard, S.C., aunt Helen Welch Punia Buckner, N.Y., daddy Merrill Ray Atkins Jr. (Buddy), N.Y., father-in-law Fred Benjamin John Crawford, S.C., mother-in-law Jessis Malvinia Gaskins Crawford, S.C. and beloved Aunt Myrtle Purvis Welch, Ga., by Janice Marie Atkins Crawford and Fred, Greg & Brian, St. George, S.C. 20.00

My father James, brother David, wife Erika, mother Nora, daughter Cathy and in-law Daniel, given by Tom O'Shaughnessy 175.00

Robert B. Scarborough from Elizabeth M. Scarborough 500.00

FCT from JBT 50.00

Costa, Herman, Harold and Tom, good friends gone 50.00

Our parents John and Allie Bridges & John and Stella Poupalos 100.00

Mildred Narvacon, from The Campbells 10.00

Faye and Werner Bridge, from Randy, Nedra, Madison and Hayden 10.00

Mike Campbell, from Randy, Nedra, Madison and Hayden 10.00

Gary Schulman, from Randy and Nedra Campbell 10.00

Our parents, Bill and Elizabeth Clair and Joan and Tanny Budds

TODAY'S TOTAL $51,360.23

PREVIOUS TOTAL $226,487.26

YEAR TO DATE $277,847.49

LAST YEAR TO DATE $142,221.79

CHRISTMAS DAY LAST YEAR $344,192.87

LAST YEAR FINAL TOTAL $368,763.87