Sixty years after its inception, The Argus Fund is still making an impact in the lives of children, organizers say.

And it’s doing so one sports bag, pair of shoes and winter coat at a time.

The fund, which was started by former Mount Vernon Argus publishers Steve and Wilma Mergler, collects donations from the community and gives social workers within the county a way to help children in need, said Jolene McEachran, an intervention specialist for Skagit County Youth and Family Services.

“It’s for kids, not for families,” said McEachran, who has coordinated the fund’s annual silent auction and luncheon since 2002. “It wouldn’t necessarily pay for a parent to go and do something, but it could help give a parent a gas card to help a student go to camp.”

Social workers from the local youth and family services department, as well as workers employed by the state Department of Health and Services (DSHS), can easily draw from the fund to help purchase inexpensive items that children can use, McEachran said.

“It can pay for food handlers’ permits for kids to get jobs, can buy clothing, senior pictures or pay for kids to get their GED’s done,” she said. “Sometimes it can buy presents for kids on their birthdays or holidays, or pay for driver’s (education) for them if they need to drive to work.”

Often drawn out in $20 to $100 increments, money from the funds have provided help to thousands of children in Skagit County and has been a valuable tool for caseworkers and foster parents, McEachran said.

During the past year, the Argus Fund has provided money to help 492 Skagit County youth. Since November 1, 2007, more than $15,000 has been drawn from the account, at an average of $31 per child.

Although donations are accepted year-round, the fund receives most of its dollars during the holiday season. The fund has collected about $30,000 from the public per year during the past couple holiday seasons, and McEachran said she hopes that trend will continue.

Half of those funds go to Skagit County Youth and Family Services and the other half are used by DSHS, said John White, administrator for the Argus Fund and the Skagit Valley Herald Christmas Fund.

Much of those donations come from the annual luncheon and silent auction. Patrons purchased a $10 ticket for the luncheon, which took place Nov. 21 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Mount Vernon.

White said the luncheon and auction usually nets about $10,000 per year.

Additionally, between $4,000 and $5,000 is typically collected from public donations in the form of personal checks each year, White said.

McEachran said that community members had donated about 190 items, ranging from gift certificates to local restaurants to musical instruments, toys and homemade jewelry. About 185 people signed up for the luncheon, she said.

During Friday’s event, community members began eyeing objects up for auction at about 11 a.m., filling out how much they were willing to spend on the numerous items located on tables that were set up throughout the church.

Attendees were served lunch and told about the history of the fund. Organizers then announced the winning bids and people claimed their items.

McEachran said the luncheon originally started in the early 1980s, but the event eventually stopped taking place until she restarted it in 2002. She said about 20 organizers helped coordinate the event this year.

Donations to the Argus Fund can be mailed to P.O. Box 578, Mount Vernon, WA 98273 or dropped off at Skagit Publishing, 1000 East College Way, Mount Vernon. Checks should be made to “Argus Fund.”

Staff writer Adam Rudnick can be reached at 360-855-1641 or .