Mike Wolanin | The Republic JoAnn Ferguson unloads boxes of dolls she is donating to the Columbus Firemen’s Cheer Fund at the Columbus Firemen’s Cheer Fund building in Columbus, Ind., Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. Ferguson and her sister Freda Money-Riley donated a total of 192 dolls to the cheer fund.
The Columbus Firemen’s Cheer Fund headquarters looks more like a Toys R Us at the moment, with hundreds of toys eagerly awaiting to be delivered to Bartholomew County boys and girls this December.
Sisters JoAnn Ferguson and Freda Money-Riley just added to that total. This past Thursday afternoon, they delivered 192 baby dolls and stuffed animals, each adorned with its own handmade quilt, to the Cheer Fund.
“It’s a huge help. I mean, we couldn’t do what we do without great donations like this,” Cheer Fund co-chair Ben Noblitt said Thursday. “Our baby section, they tripled or quadrupled our baby section…”
The sisters began making quilts for dolls and bringing them to the Cheer Fund last year based on a suggestion from a Columbus Star Quilters meeting. Last year, they delivered 92 new dolls and stuffed animals with quilts to the Cheer Fund.
“I’m a part of the Columbus Star Quilters and this was their original idea to bring one doll to guild and make a blanket for it, and then they donate, they’ll donate like 40 or so,” Ferguson said. “So that started it, but then my husband and I would buy ten or 15 and I’d make quilts for them, but then when my sister got involved, it got way carried away.”
They began work on last year’s project in late September and worked through October. Money-Riley, who resides in Austin, Indiana, said she started work on this year’s batch of quilts last December after she and her husband arrived in Florida for the winter.
“Well they had the dolls on sale at Walmart and I went all over Daytona and I bought 20 different dolls,” Money-Riley said.
The matter is a family affair too. Money-Riley said one of their cousins crocheted a few blankets and her niece made children’s hats. Members of the Columbus Pickleball group donated a large amount of dolls as well, Ferguson said.
The Columbus Fireman’s Cheer Fund, the oldest charity in Bartholomew County, serves families in the county who have children to as old as 18. Their mission is to provide assistance to those who are in need and to ensure that every child experiences the joy of receiving gifts during the holiday, according to their website.
Over 120 volunteers with the Cheer Fund will deliver gifts on Dec. 13. Each child receives five toys, three stocking stuffers, two books and a soft item, Noblitt said.
“I believe in the Cheer Fund, I think there’s a lot of kids that wouldn’t have Christmas if it wasn’t for this Cheer Fund,” Ferguson said. “We’re just trying to guarantee that kids are having something for Christmas.”
