The Madison Eagle Christmas Fund is a key part of the town of Madison. With it being such a big part of Madison’s community during the holiday season, the Christmas fund has a decorated history.
The Madison Eagle Christmas fund all started with 2 women in September of 1973 named Barbra Valk and Louis Easton. Easton was new to Madison and right when she met Barbra Valk, they thought it would be a great idea and they would be into making it a successful thing together.
The Madison Eagle christmas fund has been going strong now for over 50 years, and a part of that success is both Easton and Valk. Just recently in 2024, it provided help to 118 families and over 100 senior citizens. This wouldn’t have been possible without Easton and Valk never started this charity.
Valk passed away in 2012, at the age of 82, but her legacy will carry on and she will always be a part of the Madison Eagle Christmas fund. Valk would have definitely been proud to hear how well the Christmas fund was doing, if she was still here. Her son Chris Valk agreed when asked about what her thoughts would be currently.
The fund became so successful that after 10 years it had already 70 volunteers that were able to deliver 250 gifts to people of Madison. The Christmas fund became a staple of the community and also, there would be familiar faces every year according to Valk’s son Chris Valk.
Easton, is currently still alive and still contributing to the fund she started all those years ago. Her husband passed away in 2020, and he was 96 when he passed.
The successful Madison Eagle Christmas fund all began in 1973 when Valk and Eastin got together and made it become possible. Now, after 50 plus years of its existence, the Christmas fund has seen great success each year it has existed, being able to take care of hundreds of families and hundreds of senior citizens each year.
This wouldn’t have been possible without Valk and Easton’s contributions and many other families becoming contributors every year.