No Kitty Without a Christmas is produced in part through grants from the Joseph Camden Memorial Fund, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting through the Central Educational Network and the Gnet Foundation.

Christmas time is here again and in Detroit, that means a visit from the Goodfellows.

No longer the street urchins of old, these old news boys gather at the Detroit News Building for their annual charity drive.

The money they raise will be used to buy Christmas goodies for the children of Detroit.

Spirits are high as they set out again to ensure that no kitty is without a Christmas.

A highlight each year is the Goodfellow parade.

Many people stop to watch as the Good Fellows take to the streets.

Leading the parade is the old News boy band.

200 members strong and marching proudly.

Behind come the rest of the old news boys ready once again to relive their former news.

Boy days, businessmen can't resist the plea of their fellow man.

And this old news boy gets another sale.

Get in line with the rest of the membership, and you're marching down streets that, uh, have been marched down by Goodfellows for 75 years.

You're walking in the same concrete or bricks that, uh, you know your grandparents did.

That's a, that's a thrilling feeling, and it's, it's a motivating influence To carry that flag and to march along behind the police.

Uh, with all the, uh, pomp, uh, it, it's exciting and it's a friendly day.

We know we're doing something, uh, that's quality and we're all excited about.

Hopefully a lot of people will recognize us out there and, and, uh, kind of pitch in.

And because of that, it's a happy day.

This is the way it goes.

You, you follow in the footsteps, hopefully of good things with your family, and that's why I'm here.

I think in Detroit, people are aware of just what the old news boards symbolize, and when they see you selling papers, uh, they know that you're putting it on the line in terms of, of what you believe in, in terms of helping others.

And, uh, there's always a smile coming to you.

I think a lot of people wish they could get one of those bags and, and, and be recognized.

It's almost as though there's a spotlight on someone who's doing good by being out there selling papers.

I'll pull up.

A lot of times I'll see the Lions Club will be out selling something, and then the next week the Kiwanis will be out .. something and stopping traffic on corners.

And, and I grow and complain because they blocking the traffic that God get outta the way.

I have never had anybody say, honk a horn at me or say, move or anything else.

There's a great wellspring of residual goodwill that goes with this organization that's unlike any other I've ever seen.

Good paper.

No kidding.

Without a Christmas, There wasn't a good fellows around.

There wouldn't be any Christmas.

They're part of the lights, the trees and the excitement that everything goes with it.

Part of Santa Claus Great Christmas, And I remember lots of times getting awfully upset because there was nobody around to buy for us.

I had a little baby brother that I love more than my sisters, and I used to think Johnny isn't gonna get a package or anything for Christmas, but when the good fellows came there, it was, we were always real happy to get it.

In Detroit, there is a monument, a legacy from an earlier time, a time of new industry, of great opportunity, of determination and struggle.

But here you will find no symbol of power, no instrument of war, no vision of the future.

Here the image is simple and unassuming.

It is the image of an old news boy.

And though the image has worn with time, the monument has not.

Because this is a monument to compassion and charity, a monument well known to the city of Detroit for year after year.

It comes alive on the city, streets and corners.

With the return of the old news boys, they come to sell their papers and share their hope that no child will be without a Christmas.

Their appearance has become a ritual of the Christmas season.

Their cries as familiar as a Christmas Carol Since 1914, the old News Boys Goodfellow Fund has raised over $17 million for the children of Detroit.

One of every three school children between the ages... and 13 receives a Christmas package from the Goodfellows.

Every penny raised is spent directly on the children.

It is a charity without overhead, but the impact of the Goodfellows is not eas... with an annual report.

Their spirit cannot be found in statistics and demographics for theirs is a story of family tradition and the character of a city.

A uniquely American Christmas story.

I do solemnly swear.

I do solemnly Swear that I will always adhere and I'll Always adhere To the high principles and ideals that I, high principles and ideal Of the old news Boys, good Fellows Fund of Detroit, of the Old news Boys, good fellow fund, Detroit.

It's very much an atypical group compared to the average charity because there's an intensity.

I haven't been involved in a lot of charities, but, uh, those, most of that I've been involved in.

The people work at it because, well, it seems as it's a social thi.. but the people who are really active in this group are doing it because they love to do it.

They get a really good feeling from doing it.

I shall at all times.

I shall at all times conduct myself, conduct myself in a manner that reflects in a manner that reflects honorably on the organization, honor beyond the organization.

And it's cherished traditions and it's cherished traditions.

So help me God.

So help me God.

Congratulations gentlemen.

We're glad to have you.

Since its inception, the most cherished tradition of the Old News Boys Goodfellow Fund has been to provide underprivileged children with gifts.

At Christmas time, these Christmas packages contain items of clothing, books, toys, and candy.

Well, the concern will, will be, are we giving something practical?

Are we giving something that a child wants and that's good for him?

And will it make him happy at Christmas time?

Making a child happy, a compelling wish for some, a paternal instinct for others.

But for the Goodfellows, it seems an obsession.

In the 1980s, they have given out between 40 and 45,000 Christmas packages each year.

In addition, the fund has in recent years expanded its efforts to provide basic dental care for children, and has begun sponsoring a summer campership program.

The figure I'm thinking of is 5,000.

What is remarkable about these activities is that they are operated without the benefit of full-time at administrative staff.

All involvement in the organization is voluntary and expenses are paid for by the members themselves.

This lack of formal bureaucracy allows the good fellows to channel all monies collected directly into their various programs.

I worked newspapers all my life and I've been looking at people wasting money all my life in government, in big business and in charity business.

And when you look at the bottom line of this organization, it's, uh, it is charity.

Without overhead, you gimme a dollar for the kids.

I spent a dollar on the kids.

Adam Allen Ackerman is our first vice president.

Frank Dewa is our second vice president, which means that I'm outta here, uh, by the end of the month, then of the next month, and Alan will be the president.

And I've got to give him something he may a lot Of in an era when charity fundraising has become big business, the work of a good fellows retains an intimate and unpretentious quality.

Yet beneath this informal atmosphere lies a deep emotional commitment that binds the organization.

Alan, your, uh, official symbol is the President of the Good Fellows for 19 89 90.

Thank you.

Thank You very much.

It works.

I never wanted to, uh, be president of anything but this organization.

And, uh, I remember four years ago when it was pretty apparent that I was gonna be there.

And, uh, my only dream was that my dad would see this.

And my dad's gonna come up this year, and he's approaching 80 and he's gonna be marching with us, and he better not march too far.

And if any of you allow him to march more in two blocks, I'll kick you up.

41 years other than my wedding and my bar mitzvah, this is the, uh, highlight of my life, and I'm really honored to be your president and be with you.

The one thing about our organization is that no one is indispensable because everyone's indispensable.

And if each of us do not continue our participation and the way we've done it, we aren't gonna survive as an organization.

We are a different type of organization.

Oh, I'm, thank you.

December 5th, 1988.

For the 75th time, the Good fellows meet in front of the Detroit News building for the taking of a group picture.

It is the traditional start of sales day, a day full of tradition and ceremony.

For 75 years, these photo sessions have provided an opportunity for the reunion of family and friends, neighbors, and business associates.

It is in the history and ritual of sales day that the true story and spirit of the old News Boys Goodfellow Fund is revealed.

And it is the group photo that symbolizes the renewal of the old Newsboys pledge of No Kitty without a Christmas.

Together, these photographs form a kind of community family album, a visual link to the past.

Each preceding year takes us closer to a time when tradition was still inspiration and old news boys still young.

The story of the Goodfellows begins In the early 20th century, Detroit, once a quiet Midwestern city had become a boom town and a gold rush was on.

Only this gold had four wheels.

And the prospectors names like Ford Olds and Dodge.

The success of the emerging automotive industry brought major changes to the city.

Civic leaders were soon boasting that dynamic, Detroit, as it came to be called, was a place where life was worth living.

And the city basked in the prosperity bought by the automakers, Rural migrants from the south and Midwest, as well as as European immigrants flooded into the city to take advantage of the newly created jobs.

In a 20 year period, the city's population increased 400% to a total of one and a quarter million people.

By 1920 to keep pace with this dramatic rise in population, Detroit became the scene of constant construction.

But even so many of the city's resources were strained to the limit.

This was a city whose population grew far faster than its housing stock.

In the first couple decades of this century, there are reports, uh, well-documented reports of, uh, people sharing 12, 14, 16 people to a small house in some of the black neighborhoods.

The Detroit Urban League recorded instances of two and even three families, families of age, or 10 people, uh, sharing the same single flat To many of the new arrivals.

Detroit was a land of opportunity, but even for those who found jobs, the early years of the auto industry brought on certain times, It's important to keep in mind in talking about the early auto industry, that this was not regularized employment.

The way we think of it today, where for the most part, people work 40 hours or more a week, year round, but there could be a two or three month spurred in which business was good, followed by four to six months in which everybody's being laid off, nobody's being hired.

Detroit found itself in a paradox common to other large industrialized cities where the excessive wealth is often neighbor to the need of poverty.

Detroit had become a city of many neighbors, a city of high profile achievement and low profile struggle.

The prosperity brought by the automobile had proven to be considerable, but not without its limits.

And for many, the reality of hard times settled upon them like a bleak December snow.

But even the coldest of winters brings with it a time of warmth and hope.

The Christmas season every child knew how it was supposed to be.

A visit from Santa Claus was the precious reward for a year of being good, or at least trying to be in.

Santa children found the kindest and most generous benefactor of all.

It didn't matter who you were.

All he required was a little faith and hope.

But for many children, as they gazed at treasures through the storefront windows, it was best not to hope.

Too much hope would only invite greater disappointment on Christmas morning.

For these children, it did matter who they were.

It mattered that their families were poor and couldn't afford to make Christmas Day different from any other.

In 1908, a cartoonist for the Detroit Journal, Tom May depicted the despair of a child without a Christmas.

In a poignant drawing entitled, forgotten, his stark imagery captured a sense of sadness and isolation that deeply touched many who saw it.

Almost overnight, private groups were organized to help provide for needy children and their families at Christmas time.

One such effort was The Good Fellows Fund, sponsored by the Detroit News.

The group's members would donate their own time and money.

They purchased food, clothing, and toys, and these gifts would be delivered to a selected family.

Usually on Christmas Eve.

In December, 1914, a cartoonist for the news, Bert Thomas came across members of the Goodfellow Fund, preparing to deliver Christmas packages, stopping to watch.

He overheard one prosperous looking man remark that in his days as a news boy, he wished he had been remembered with such a gift.

Thomas took this idea and used it as the basis for a cartoon.

He called the Goodfellow's Guide.

In it, he showed a man of means carrying a basket of goodfellow packages being led by the spirit of the boy.

He used to be a news boy.

One person who took special notice of the cartoon was James Brady, collector of Internal Revenue for Detroit.

As he looked into the drawing, he was certain that he saw his own life reflected in its image.

Following the death of his mother, Brady had left home at the age of seven to earn his living on the streets of Detroit.

He had survived by selling papers and shining shoes in the financial district of town at the corner of Ford and Griswold.

Life on the street had been difficult, and Brady knew from firsthand experience that many news boys went without on Christmas Day.

And like the good fellow pictured in the cartoon, he felt compelled by the memories of that ea... That same day, he began contacting friends and business associates.

He told them that he wanted to do something to benefit the poorer news boys in the city.

And with Christmas, only two weeks away, there was little time to waste.

For those who knew Jim Brady.

This kind of quick response was not unusual.

He was known as a man of action, a man who liked to get things done.

From his beginnings as a newsboy, he had risen to become an active leader in Detroit's business community.

He rode early success in the automotive industry into other ventures in railroads, manufacturing, and banking.

And by the age of 32, Brady had managed to accumulate a small fortune active in local politics.

He served as both collector of internal revenue and city water.

Commissioner asked why he held onto the job of Water Commissioner a position which paid no salary and required him to work at night.

And on weekends, Brady replied, why should I quit if I can do the job?

His was a tough and determined character.

And for Jim Brady, there was no doubt as to when he had developed such character.

It was during his days as a news the boy he used to be.

And he knew that in the years since that time, little had changed.

For the Newsboy, many were only eight, nine, and 10 years old.

And having to work at such a young age was never easy.

But the money they made was often very important for the survival of their families, especially for the newer immigrants As they came.

Many of them were very poor selling newspapers at the time.

And you had about five newspapers in Detroit, very competitive.

And selling newspapers was a very quick way to get a fast job and make some money quickly to help feed the family.

For Detroit's five competing publishers, the Newsboy provided the primary means of distribution for their newspapers.

The papers were sold to the Newsboy, who in turn made his money by reselling them to the public.

This, in effect, made each newsboy an independent merchant.

You establish yourself at a certain spot.

You established, uh, not only the fact that you sold the papers on that corner, but you also gradually build up a clientele.

A lot of people who, uh, who said, uh, well, here's Jimmy, and we're gonna buy our newspapers every day.

From Jimmy.

A good location, one that would be passed by many pedestrians, was critical to the success of the Newsboy.

But with Newsboys occupying almost every corner in the city, competition for customers could be fierce.

We'd have to pick a corner that nobody was selling, or we'd have to fight some other kit to stay on the corner.

In other words, we'd pick a corner and he had a corner, a block down while we were interfering.

'cause people that passed our corner would come down and buy a paper at his corner.

So sometime we had a fight, and sometimes we won, sometimes we didn't.

That's all The successful news Boy learned quickly how to attract attention in a crowd and how to stand his ground against the competition, and was just the type to enjoy a rough and tumble game of football.

He's got to have street smarts.

Gotta get himself a corner.

He's got to know how to handle money.

He's got to know, he's got to be sure that, uh, somebody isn't cheating him when they're, you know, uh, on that corner.

We had the corner at Griswold and Grand River.

John d Mayley, a men's clothing store was there for a lot of years.

And we had it because it was me and my brother and a couple other kids we could get together.

And if four of us had to jump one guy to get him off the corner, we did it.

Uh, there was no ethics.

We just had a fight, A tough reputation, and a quick pair of fists became vital assets to the newsboy.

And one can imagine the ferocity that he took to his corner each day when you realize that this particular exhibition was only for fun.

But in spite of the competition, a great sense of comradery developed among the news Boys and their daily responsibilities help foster a sense of discipline and maturity.

Now, you, what you're getting there is, is a, a tremendous amount of training.

Maybe it's not, you know, uh, out of a textbook, but you, you're getting that actual experience of dealing with people.

It it makes a good business man out of you.

And it teaches you a little about, uh, getting along in the world and getting along with other people.

You nice when you can be and you're not nice when you have to be not nice.

Jim Brady reflected the toughness, the discipline, the smarts, I guess you'd say that come with having to battle to, to make it on the streets of Detroit.

And he made it, uh, started making it, selling newspapers fundamentally, Once a newsboy, always a newsboy.

Once a good fellow, always a good fellow, once a newsboy most positively, a good fellow with these words, Jim Brady Harolded A new direction for the Good Fellow movement.

Inspired by Thomas' Cartoon, he proposed a plan whereby former news boys, now businessmen in the city, would return to their original occupations for a day, money would be raised for the Goodfellow Fund through the sale of newspapers.

Brady asked, can you imagine the enthusiasm that would be created by Detroit's most prominent men going forth with bundles of papers?

And then he added, I'm not ashamed of having sold papers for a living when I was a boy.

Those were the happiest times of my life.

He issued a call for any former news boy to contact him if they wish to be involved in the old Boys newspaper Day.

Response to this request was immediate, and each passing day brought new members to the cause.

On December 18th, the first official meeting of the old News Boys took place at Jim Brady's office.

The 68 men who attended the meeting spent much of the time trading stories from their youth friendly challenges were issued back and forth regarding the upcoming sale.

And before they had sold a single paper members voted to make the sale an annual event.

On Monday, December 21st, 79 men gathered in front of the Detroit News building, then located on Shelby Street to help identify the men as legitimate old Newsboys.

Each was given a hat band and streamer badge, bearing the name Goodfellow before leaving for their corners, they posed in the snow for a photograph, said Brady.

It's just the sort of day for this thing.

Christmas is in the air, but then who cares what kind of weather we have when we are doing a good work Extra here.

We're extra good.

Paper extra here.

We're good.

Philip paper, you a good Fell.

Get your paper here.

Good paper.

I had paper.

Be good.

Fellow Xray Xray, help the kids at Santa won't visit Anything you care to give.

Thank you.

And Merry Christmas For two and a half hours.

The old News Boys became young again with arms outstretched and voices strained.

They sold their good fellow papers and said hello again to the city.

Traffic.

Typical of the renewed rivalries were the competing shouts of Jim Brady and his boyhood rival David Brown.

My father sold newspapers at Fort and Griswold and David Brown, who remained his bestest friend for years, sold papers across the street.

Now, this is when they were kids, and apparently sometimes Papa's customer would be on David Brown's side of the street, and he would buy his paper from David, or the next day the thing could happen in reverse.

And I guess those two kids, as soon as the traffic cleared, were out in the middle of the street, just pummeling the daylights out of each other because somebody had taken the other kid's customer.

And I think they did this in 1914, because they both sold papers in the identical spots that they had as children.

And one had to yell louder than the other to get Mr So and So or whoever, because at that time, they knew everybody in Detroit.

And I, I think this was just a happy time to see, to see how much money I can make more than you can get today, and was just a competition thing from beginning to end with particularly the, the men who had been kids together, Sales totals went over $2,000 for the day far beyond anyone's expectations.

Jim Brady led the way taking in over $400 himself, thanks in part, to the $100 he received for a single paper sold to David Brown.

It had been hoped that the sale might raise as much as $400 altogether.

And prospects for the sale were so uncertain that Brady had withdrawn that amount from his own savings, just in case I didn't want to cheat, he said later.

But I was going to see to it that we had $400.

But by all accounts, the sale had been an unqualified success, and the proceeds were turned over to the Goodfellow Fund the following day.

Another Bert Thomas cartoon appeared this time.

He showed that the goodfellow from his earlier drawing had found his way back home.

And so he had, It was more than coincidental that most of them, if not all of them, had their early beginnings as newsboys.

And when they were chatting their clubs or reminisce about their early experiences, it would always come back to the time when they were delivering papers or selling papers, how they thrived and how much it meant to them, whatever they earned, and how they used their early earnings in, in, in financing themselves, later in education or in schooling.

And, uh, I think that was a common sort of experience that all of our early, um, members of the Goodell Fund, they shared Hustling for sale, fighting for a corner, learning to count by making change.

These were some of the experiences shared by the founding members of the Old News Boys.

In one way or another, each felt a part of the American dream.

Some were bankers, others, doctors and judges.

There were politicians, merchants, and clerks.

They had gone beyond their early struggles to become men of influence.

And like Jim Brady, they rallied to the idea of using their influence for the benefit of the children of Detroit.

They made no pretense of removing poverty itself from the city.

Instead, they sought to alleviate its suffocating effect by offering the charity that Faith and Hope deserved the money they raised, bought simple things.

But what they really gave was the message that somebody cared.

And they wanted all children to know the joy of Christmas that they themselves had missed.

It was a gesture born of high ideals nurtured by the same energy and fervor that had served the men so well.

As youngsters being a news boy had once meant giving up a part of their youth, but now it meant gaining it back again.

And for these men, each sales day became something more than an act of charity.

It became an opportunity to remember the past and celebrate the fulfillment of their own hopes and dreams.

The second year of the sale in 1915 saw the first appearance of an old News boys band.

This development was accompanied by the edition of a parade to the day's activities.

The parade served as a means of catching people's attention and alerted them to the fact that sales day was about to begin.

In 1919, the Goodfellow Fund became the Old News Boys Goodfellow Fund.

And two years later, the fund was officially incorporated as a nonprofit organization.

In 1923, the Goodfellows made the cartoon forgotten their official emblem.

In the years to follow, it would become a well-known symbol appearing on the group's letterhead and promotional material.

But perhaps the most significant development during this early period was the relationship between the Goodfellows and the people of Detroit starting out as somewhat of a novelty.

The old Newsboy soon became a familiar part of the Christmas season in the city.

The atmosphere of sales day often approached that of one great straight party crowds would gather to listen to bands and make their donations.

It was as if the city rejoiced in the chance to share some of the good fortune that had come.

Its way.

Whenever possible members return to the same spots each year, making it easier for their favorite customers to find them.

Each old newsboy paid for the papers he sold, and these he purchased from the regular Newsboy at his corner.

Participating in Sales Day seemed to hold an almost religious significance for the old news boys.

And many went to great lengths to return to their corners each year, often rearranging their schedules and postponing other business.

My grandfather, Jacob Ghar, was suffering from a, uh, bout of the flu and, uh, was really quite ill in 1923 and the Christmas of 1922, really, which was his last day of selling newspapers.

He went out against the advice of his doctors and went out on the corner to sell newspapers with my father and my uncle Henry.

And William.

Uh, his flu, uh, uh, turned into a very serious, uh, case of pneumonia.

And, uh, he never recovered.

It meant so much to him.

It meant so much to him as it did to others in those days, that to it was just inconceivable that they would miss an opportunity to be out there to help the youngsters.

Although the fund was a charity, first and foremost, a keen sense of competition was never far from the surface.

And a great amount of pride was taken in knowing that some of the Old Street savvy remained fueled by this enthusiasm.

The Goodfellow Fund thrived in the first 11 years.

Sales day receipts increased from some $2,000 to over $54,000, and the number of children receiving Christmas packa... from 3,300 in 1914 to over 28,000 by 1924.

During these early years, Jim Brady embodied the youthful spirit of the old news voice, and his actions reflected the best qualities that each of the members saw in themselves.

A strong will to succeed tempered by an equally strong concern for others.

He obviously had a very charitable nature, because I do remember my mother also saying that for the first few years after the Goodfellows started, they had Christmas dinner interrupted because someone would call and say, Jim's, I just found out that such and such a family wasn't taken care of, weren't their names weren't turned in, or whatever.

And so he would get some grocery he knew on the phone, and they'd go over to the store and I suppose interrupted the groceries dinner too.

And they'd pack up a basket and he would take the food over to the house and then come back and eat the cold mashed potatoes.

He served as the group's first president in 1914.

And though a different man took that position each year, Brady's influence as the guiding force of the old News boys was unmistakable.

His challenge to the others was simple and direct.

Those who were able had a responsibility to help those who could not help themselves.

If it was a question of just one Christmas or a few hundred dollars, he could have stood that himself, but he had a vision of something that would grow into something big to take care of more people than one man could handle, or to five men could handle.

Although he was the leading fundraiser each year, his greater contribution came through inspiring others to participate in the Fund.

And Brady relished the close relationships that typified the organization.

Once asked about his own personal wealth, he responded, I am the richest man in Detroit because I have more friends than any man here.

In 1924, he sold papers for the last time.

The following June, he died at the age of 47.

Four years later, his friends placed a statue of Brady on Bell Isle, the memorial indicated the extent to which people identified with his compassion for the children of Detroit, a resolution at the time of his death read to those of us who have worked with him in the old News Boys Goodfellow Fund and who loved him as a brother, his passing means much.

We are resolved that in the years to come, our efforts shall be guided by his spirit.

Just as during the old days, they were guided by his forceful personality and sterling character for the Goodfellows and the city of Detroit.

It was the end of an era.

I can still see that great big policeman, you know, looking back, I don't know whether he was five foot three or six foot four, but in my mind today, now, he was a big man.

And, um, he said, Merry Christmas to my mother from the good, from the Goodfellows.

And I said, Goodfellows, who's that?

And he said, you mean you don't know who the goodfellows are?

Well, we didn't, we had only been here a couple years.

And he said, well, they are people, they are men that feel that they what they have to share, they want to share with some others at Christmas time and particularly children.

And so we brought some gifts for the children and for, and some food for the family.

My mother said, oh, I can't accept that.

I can't.

So he kept talking to her, said this jovial looking guy.

And finally he looked at me, he said, you tell your mother that she ought to accept this from us.

It's done with the goodness of a lot of people's hearts.

So I think it's inside her heart.

My mother wanted to, but felt embarrassed to do it, and she finally did.

Well, you could imagine, you know, you don't forget.

So even as I talk to you right now, it it, it, the emotions that come back to me are tremendous because of t...

I will never forget it.

And the Goodfellows came again for maybe, I dunno, two, three or four years until I was old enough to be working.

And, uh, I was the eldest of four girls.

But that had one of the greatest impacts of my life, because it was going to be such a sad holiday.

It is a story that many people in Detroit can tell.

The year may change and circumstances vary, but the message is always the same.

In the midst of the depression, somebody remembered, somebody cared.

The hardship of the depression years made Detroiters painfully aware of the fragility of the city's economic health.

For the most part.

During this century, Detroit being tied to one major industry, like the automobile industry, has meant that Detroit, when it is prosperous, has been very prosperous indeed.

And when the economy falters, whether it's the Great Depression, or whether it's any of periodic recessions, and that one industry, the automobile industry has hurt, the city suffers more.

Uh, many people in Detroit like to quote an old saying that when, uh, the economy gets a cold, Detroit gets pneumonia.

The impact of the depression was reflected by a dramatic increase in the number of children receiving Goodfellow packages.

In 1929, the total number of recipients was 40,000.

The next year, 1930, the number jumped to 60,000.

And by 1939, the total climb to a high of 70,000 recipients.

To meet this increased need, the good fellows began to rely more on community help.

Civic groups were enlisted to provide the manpower necessary to organize the large volume of packages.

By this time, items for the packages were being purchased before sales day to allow adequate time for processing, and packages had become standardized.

According to the sex and age of the child, the Board of Education assumed primary responsibility for the investigation of potential recipients.

And in addition to their Christmas activities, the Goodfellows began providing shoes for children to wear to school.

The police department volunteered to take over h... of the packages and began selling newspapers with the Goodfellows.

Each year, the income from Sales Day was supplemented by other fundraising activities.

In 1938, the Goodfellows began sponsoring the city High School championship football game.

The game would provide revenue for the fund.

For three decades before being discontinued, a citywide contest was held each year to dress dolls for packages going to young girls.

In 1934, the Detroit Free Press initiated a contest to dress a human doll.

The promotion was coordinated under the Ruth Alden column in the free press, and provided thousands of dresses each year.

During this time, the old News Boys Goodfellow Fund helped to bring people together.

And there was something reassuring about seeing the Goodfellows at their corners each year through economic hardship and even the uncertainty of war.

The people of Detroit could always depend on the return of the old newsboy.

As I look at some of the pictures that have been taken in the past and, uh, also in the present, um, you can almost feel the enthusiasm of the membership.

They, they almost fight for a spot so that they, they're sure to be in that picture because it's, it's something that they treasure, something that they'll hand down to their, their children and their children's children.

And I think that that's what has kept us together as a unit.

In an early history of the Goodfellows published in 1938, a passage reads, who will carry on for the years to come?

I do not know, but I do know with an almost positive degree of certainty that no one living today will, will witness the decline or discontinuance of the Old News Boys Goodfellow movem.. For a time, it seemed as if some of the old news boys would carry on forever themselves.

Their commitment was so complete that it became difficult to imagine a Christmas season ever again without them.

Some of the old news boys, the old, old news boys were unable to walk, were unable to march, and they would have an open car first following them because they would walk as far as they could.

Then they would get in the car and ride the rest of the way.

Bitter, cold, snowing or what?

So that has to be pride in what they were doing.

It has to be a happy day because their hawking those newspapers was really something to see.

And many times, I think you could picture them as little boys hawking their, their wares.

In the end, only time could prevent many of the old news boys from returning to their corners.

And when it did, the loss of a kindred spirit was often noted with a song and a moment of silence.

During the parade, the last of the original group, Herman Lieberman, continued to sell papers until his death in 1964.

And with him went a bit of a fighting spirit of the early organization.

But for those who carried on, the spirit of charity remained intact.

And the challenge of No Kitty without a Christmas continued to inspire for the needs of the children, never seemed to change.

Each Christmas found their hope just as fresh.

Their smiles just as rewarding.

The Traditions of Sales Day continued relatively unchanged, and the continuity was due in large part to the important role the family had come to play in the organization.

My dad used to take out his good fellow bags with all of his badges, and he, the next day he was gonna go down and sell newspapers, and then I would see his name in the paper because he collected money with my Uncle Paul.

Uh, it was exciting for me that my father was doing this, and I asked him why, and he said, because it's helping the needy, it's helping the poor kids.

I recall when my dad, who was Joseph W. Brady, he was a brother of James J. Brady, was president of the organization in 1927.

And occasionally if I was able to, uh, make myself available, I'd go down and, and, uh, visit with my dad on the corner.

My mother would go down, um, uh, several of our relatives would be there to give him moral support because this was a big day.

I remember looking forward to coming down to the corner and to, to be a part of the organization.

It was inherent in the family.

We, uh, we knew who founded it and we respected him.

And, and we just loved the, the background of the whole, whole organization Coming as it did during the Christmas season.

The work of the Goodfellows often involved the entire family.

And for them, a trip to the corner on Sales Day was as normal a part of the holidays as trimming the Christmas tree for the Goodfellows, it was an opportunity to share the special feeling of the day with those they loved for their children.

It was a chance to help out and be a little bit like Dad.

When I was a child, I had, uh, I had one image of the, of the Old News Boys, and that was the image of these, these, uh, grand Crusaders who were making this, this noble effort to do what they could so that all children had a chance to participate in the joy of Christmas.

Over time, Goodfella Traditions became cherished.

Family traditions and the family's emotional attachment to the ceremony of Sales Day helped to insulate it from drastic change.

As the membership turned over and as new members joined, they were just as likely to involve their own children.

Adding further to the cycle, this family atmosphere typified the overall approach the fund had taken through the years because this was a charity where the members cared as much for each other as for those they helped.

And just like a family reunion, sales day was a time to renew acquaintances and celebrate a common heritage.

Even the relationships with those who contributed to the fund became an extension of this family experience.

Early on, the old News Boys recognized the importance of personal contact with their customers.

It was really no different than their experience.

As news boys, people were more likely to give to someone they knew.

Many donors developed their own tradition of visiting a corner to make a contribution.

To encourage this members sent out personal letters each year reminding their customers of the upcoming sale.

Each member maintained their own mailing list, which could be passed on to new generations of good fellows.

Over the course of time when my father, uh, retired and moved to Florida, that, uh, he, uh, passed on to me the responsibility of corresponding with those people that had been so loyal to the organization and to encourage me to enhance that list with people that I knew, uh, that I had come in contact with.

Through my day-to-day experiences, Added to this heritage of family participation, came new members to the organization who had themselves received good fellow packages when they were children.

I always had this thing about being difficult with shoes.

I would wear shoes out.

My mother would, uh, she would kind of humorously say that what I needed was some iron shoes because I did a lot of ripping and running as she would say it.

I never knew what ripping and running was, but she said I did a lot of ripping and running.

And, uh, Goodfellow time came, man, I always look forward to getting those shoes.

I always look forward to getting the Good Fellow shoes.

Well, over the years, I always contributed, even when I, I mean young, even if it was 50 cents in the beginning until finally, I, I did have a good job.

And so I always sent money in, but never did I dream that someday the Good Fellows would ask me to be a member.

It came many years later and I thought, what a wonderful thing to do.

Maybe I can somehow do for someone else what the Good Fellows did for my family.

At that time, December 5th, 1980 8, 75 years after they first gathered the Old News Boys meet again to continue the work of a good fellow fund.

It is a reunion of family and friends, neighbors and business associates.

And though it is a scene by now, warmly familiar, there is new excitement, new anticipation for like the arrival of Santa Claus.

The return of the Goodfellows gives reason for a renewal of the hope and faith of Christmas.

This is the best part of all of it.

Sure.

This is just marvelous because, uh, you know that today by this, by our, these funds that we're collecting and the money we're raising, we know that in a matter of a few weeks that there are people out there, children out there that are gonna really be, have a marvelous feeling similar to I am.

Maybe they'll come along and do the same thing I'm doing.

I think in any organization, be it charitable or whatever, uh, if you, if you don't replenish it with new blood, uh, it's gonna die out.

And that's what was happening with the old News Boys until we got, uh, the younger members in and they really have gotten enthused and brought new members in.

And the whole thing has been revived again.

And I used to look out at these guys with their news bags and the badges denoting the number of years that they have done it.

One badge with each year marked on it.

And I'd say to myself, God, when we lose these old guys, you know who's gonna be there?

And they're getting a little, you know, they're getting a little gray out there.

And, uh, it's, these winters are a little tougher on them.

And now I look out and I say the gray-haired guys and the guys I knew and the guys I grew up with in this town.

And, and the guys I've, I've worked with all my life.

But I also see young people, uh, city officials, judges, uh, people, the age of my children In gentle procession.

The Goodfellows make their way through the downtown streets reminding Detroit of the approach of yet another sa...

I guess it's, uh, saying hello to Detroit, say hello, how are you?

We're here again, just like our forefathers have been.

And we hope to be here again year after year, and if not us, someone else to march down these same streets and to, uh, to make the organization carry out ... uh, for another year.

You create a lot of compassion for others by going through that parade, seeing the men that you sow papers with, getting older, getting aged and do time.

I suppose the good Lord will take him.

A lot of us are missing that traded, we'll say the last 25 years, but we still continue on with new men and new life hoping that these children will benefit by what we do.

He was a little naughty because he walked a little bit too far.

You know, I only go two blocks, but he went six or seven.

I could have walked another five miles.

I felt so happy and enjoyed it, but I would make an issue of it.

And the boy says, go ahead, do what your son says.

You go over and don't walk so much.

I guess that's the passing of the guard when the son tells the father what to do instead of the father telling the son, No Kenny without a Christmas.

How about a paper served?

Who wants a newspaper?

Everybody who help the big kitties help the gut fellows Once more, the old news boys are at their corners, beginning again, a ritual that quietly blends past and present.

Thank you.

I don't, how have they changed?

Oh, anything at all.

Just gotta help the kitties.

We know we're gonna get out together and ride around and drive through the old neighborhoods from where we were born and see the kind of the, uh, growth of our lives together as a family.

And it's, uh, it's a lot of hugging and, uh, talking and reminiscing.

And, uh, our sisters come out and join us and, and, and my mother in the past, before she died, would come out and give her a little contribution.

So it's a fun time, it's an exciting time, and it's something we look so much forward to each year.

Good fellow newspaper here.

God bless.

God bless you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Figure that she waved me down and thought, what you walking by?

I even asked, but I had to come down here to get one because I know what it's About.

Thank you, honey.

That's awfully nice.

You're right.

God bless you.

God bless you too.

Today in Detroit, the work of the Good Fellows still brings a feeling of unity to the city.

For theirs is a purpose that everyone understands and a goal that everyone can share.

Each goodfellow paper, an invitation to share in ... No Kitty without a Christmas.

And it's particularly meaningful for us because we see that very best side of the city.

We see that sign of the city that's devoted to charity.

We see that side of the city that responds to our request to help the children.

And we see a dimension of the city of Detroit that others don't see.

There's a giant alumni out there, and I think that's where a lot of the funds come from as well.

I'm not too sure that they, you know, the, uh, people who benefit from the Shriners Children's Hospital are, are going around making donations to the Shriners Children Hospital.

You know, this one, this is someplace that people can identify with either their cousin or uncle or mother.

Somebody got packages when they were kids, particularly the Depression era.

Kids like me.

Happy Christmas to you.

No child.

Well, thank you.

No child without a Christmas.

Thank you.

Unfortunately, the newspapers and the television only show the bad things of our society, but really the charity is, is what people are all about.

People do love each other.

People are good to each other.

I've always felt that most of the people out there in our society are good.

Most of 'em are good.

And, and, and so treat them in that way and they'll treat you back good.

You know, it's, it's hard to fathom though, uh, a, a situation without having news points where everything is electronic and, or it comes out of a box where you put the dimes in.

Nowadays your newspapers are out of machines, or at best, a kiosk where they sell candy bars and other things as well.

So the, the concept of a kid standing on a a corner hawking papers has changed.

And, um, probably in 20 years, newspapers as such won't even exist, will probably be in some kind of electronic or computerized home delivery on your television set.

But the, the reality of what the News Boys symbolize won't have changed Today, where News boys once stood full of life and inspiration, sit news newsstand, lifeless and cold in most places, the Corner News Boy is now about a memory, but it's unlikely that this will bring an end to the Old News Boys Goodfellow Fund for theirs is a solid foundation built on love and concern.

And as time goes on, the name Old News Boy may lose some of its original meaning.

Perhaps then it will mean simply someone who cares for the children of Detroit.

Good Fella Paper.

I would say that the city would be lost without the Old News Boys.

Can you imagine that many children being denied... because the old News boys didn't exist?

It'd be tragic.

I hope that organizations such as the Old News Boys Good Fella Fund do run out eventually.

That there comes a time when economic strength in this country is enough so that everyone will be able to say, I have a job.

I have a chance to work and buy the presents and the shoes and the things that my families need Till the day that I can't do it any longer.

I will always be part of raising money for the Good Fellows.

It's that simple because I'm proud to do it and I know what it's gonna do for somebody else.

It's a sense of paying back society.

It's a sense of, of giving back to God.

Part of what some of the talent that is given to us, it's, uh, part of the thing of giving anonymously, which is, uh, very good.

But I, I really think, I don't, we don't give to the good fellows.

The good fellows give to us because they give us a good feeling about ours..

If you look at us, we're, we're Detroit.

We're people who are just off the boat in one way or another, whether it's from Europe or from the South.

We're here from somewhere else.

We're all, and very few of us have parents who were in Detroit's over 60 years ago.

But there's a certain dignity that we present in ourselves that we wanna help society without worrying about the tax write off.

Just do it because it's the right thing to do.

You talk about a great American family.

This is one of the things that I think through the Old News Boys has been passed on for generations and God willing, it goes on, on infinitum.

It was just a seed.

You take a little seed, it's a tiny little thing, and you plant it, and then you come back in 20 years.

It's a big tree.

And this is Old news.

Boys is the same way.

It started out as a seed.

Today, it's a big tree.

There is a monument in Detroit, a legacy from an earlier time, a time of new industry, of great opportunity, of determination and struggle.

And though the image has worn with time, the monument has not.

For this is a monument to compassion and charity.

And year after year, it comes alive on the city streets.

With the return of the old News boys, they come to sell their papers and share their hope that no child will be without a Christmas.

Their appearance is a ritual of a Christmas season.

Their cries as familiar as a Christmas Carol, Thank you very much, child Without a Christmas.

Thank you, sir.

Hello dear.

Good fellow Paper here.

No Child without a Christmas, whatever you wanna give.

Oh, news Boys.

Good fellow fun special edition.

No Child Without a Christmas.

No Kitty Without a Christmas is produced in part through grants from the Joseph Camden Memorial Fund, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting through the Central Educational Network and the Gnet Foundation.