By Christine Price
Columnist
Amidst all the stress, anxiety, craziness and bad news, my goal is to spotlight and share the good news in our community.
Disco is back in Lake County!
This year, the Christ Child Society of the Western Reserve is turning up the sparkle for its annual Red Wagon Luncheon.
The event will be complete with shimmering disco balls, a lively dance floor and DJ “Wild Bill” McCabe spinning feel-good classics from the Golden Age of Disco.
This beloved annual fundraiser promises an afternoon where generosity meets pure 70s fun.
Guests may arrive for the cause supporting children in need, but once the music starts, don’t be surprised to see a few channeling John Travolta and strutting straight out of “Saturday Night Fever,” proving that helping kids and hitting the dancefloor make the perfect pair.
Disco at the Red Wagon will be held Wednesday, April 29, at Regovich Catering, 33150 Lakeland Blvd. in Eastlake. Doors open at 10 a.m., with luncheon service at noon.
Proceeds from the luncheon, along with support from The Clothing Cottage, the Daisy Golf Classic, Designer Bag Bingo and Hogs and Hot Rods, help fund the many programs of Christ Child.
How Christ Child Society began
The Christ Child Society was founded in 1887 in Washington, D.C., by Mary Virginia Merrick, whose guiding belief still inspires members today: “Nothing is ever too much to do for a child.”
Locally, the Western Reserve chapter began in the summer of 1983, when Helen Dineen, Patricia Bringardner, Flo Dietrich, Muncie Demeter, Kay Leonard, Mary Ann McCann, Key Redmond and Barb Spittler gathered in Helen’s backyard, recognized a need in the community and set out to help Lake County children.
Today, the organization includes more than 200 dedicated volunteers who keep children as their number one priority.
Their outreach touches families throughout the county.
Christ Child partners with Crossroads Health and Early Head Start programs to provide birthday party supplies so children can celebrate their special day.
For more than 30 years, the group has also helped send local students to summer camps.
In 2023 alone, 63 children attended 12 different camps.
The Christmas Giving Program supports Lake County families in need with food gift cards, books and funds to purchase holiday gifts.
In 2025, 58 families, reaching 199 children, received assistance.
Through referrals from social workers, Head Start and St. Vincent de Paul, the Clothing Committee provided clothing for 486 children in 2023, distributing more than $33,000 in support.
Other initiatives include Crates for Kids, which provides essential household items for youth aging out of foster care, eye screenings for preschoolers and hygiene bags for every 5th-grader in the Painesville City School District.
The Society’s signature layette program, begun by Merrick and shared by all Christ Child chapters, provides newborn essentials including clothing, blankets, books and parenting information.
Layettes are distributed locally through UH TriPoint Medical Center, Birthright Lake and WIC.
In September 2025, Birthright Lake presented the Christ Child Society with a certificate of appreciation recognizing decades of faithful support and noting that the layette gifts have wrapped generations of newborns in love, hope and dignity.
Another important source of funding is the Clothing Cottage, located at 9324 Mentor Ave. in Mentor, which sells new and gently used clothing and accessories for the whole family.
The shop is open and accepting donations Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with proceeds supporting the Society’s service programs.
“And what could be better than helping the children of Lake County?” said Cathie McAdams, Disco at the Red Wagon chair. “It is so gratifying to give these kids a hand up in the early stages of life.”
So dust off your dancing shoes and get ready for a lively afternoon of music, community and giving back.
The event will feature raffle baskets, a silent auction, a 50/50 raffle and a table raffle – all while helping Lake County children.
Tickets for Disco at the Red Wagon are available at www.christchildwesternreserve.org.
When you see good news, and you will, please let me know. I would love to share it. Please include your name, phone number and city you live in and email.
