Dates back to 1935: Rosalia Garden Club keeps cheer baskets tradition going
December 27, 2018
Rosalia Garden Club members gathered at the Rosalia Methodist Church basement to assemble 50 cheer baskets. They were intended for people who recently experienced a death in the family, illness or an accident.
Mary Ann Bowman, long-time Rosalia resident, was seven-years-old when her mother began delivering the cheer baskets in 1935. They included several sweets and Christmas related items.
"There is a need for cheer at Christmas time," Bowman said. She noted cheer basket recipients are often by themselves, so the baskets give them something good to look forward to.
Since 1935, about 50 cheer baskets have been delivered throughout the community each year, and there has not been a year without them, she said.
The Rosalia Garden Club began helping the Bowman family with the cheer baskets in 1986, Bowman said.
Each Garden Club member contributed something unique for the baskets, such as homemade goods, popcorn, fudge, candy canes and more. The paper bags holding the items were hand-stamped by the Rosalia Girl Scouts.
After the baskets were assembled, Garden Club members delivered them.
Bowman said the cheer basket tradition has been carried down for many years, and she hopes it continues for many more.
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