CAIRO — A holiday fundraiser is looking to spread Christmas cheer to low income children in Grady County.

Mayor Booker Gainor said he has partnered with the Grady County Help Agency and I Can of Cairo to create Cairo-themed Christmas tree ornaments. The two-sided ornaments will have an image of the city’s location in Georgia on one side and a message from the mayor on the reverse.

Ornaments can be purchased for $10 at I Can of Cairo at 123 South Broad Street beginning Monday, Dec. 2 until Friday, Dec. 20.

Proceeds from the sale will be directed toward the Help Agency’s efforts to purchase and distribute presents to underprivileged children on Christmas Eve.

Gainor previously partnered with the Help Agency for the mayor’s ball in raising funds for utilities assistance that lasted for more than year.

“I figured they were good stewards of the finances that we provided them,” the mayor said. “They did a great job of managing those funds, and now we can do something for families and children as well.”

Gainor said the city’s high poverty rate, and in particular the children living below the poverty line, is a major concern of his.

“I just feel as though no kid should wake up and feel as though they can’t celebrate Christmas the same way as someone else,” said Gainor, also a teacher at Washington Middle School.

“(Kids are) not only our future, they’re our present as well,” he added.