Milton Friends Spread Joy This Holiday Season

Back by popular demand, the Milton Friends of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is once again spreading joy throughout town this holiday, one mailbox at a time.

The annual “Milton Mailbox Brigade Holiday Fundraiser,” which this year raised a record-breaking $23,000 to benefit Children’s, brings together dozens of volunteers who work diligently between late November and early December to adorn mailboxes in and around Milton.

Fresh greenery, berries, magnolia, and bright red and white bows are telltale signs of a “Friends Mailbox,” as well as a laminated card affixed to each arrangement that explains the beneficiary, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

The Mailbox Brigade was created in 1990 by Brookhaven resident Toni Rhett after her 9-month-old daughter, Alix, had a one-week stay at Scottish Rite Hospital (now part of Children’s). Because the hospital made such a positive impact on Toni and her family, she decided to find a way to give back; she created a Mailbox Brigade in her neighborhood to raise money to support Children’s. Now, more than 250 Friends chapters exist in and around Atlanta and implement this annual event.

Local residents were invited to support the 2025 Mailbox Brigade this past fall, and support it they did, with 350 families purchasing greenery, a record for the Milton Friends. A simple drive down any Milton road will undoubtedly reveal at least one of the beautiful arrangements, each custom made, on site, by trained volunteers.

Milton’s 2025 Holiday Brigade Co-Chairs Aliesha Porto and Beth Moon did a phenomenal job recruiting and training 50 volunteers for this year’s undertaking. Owner and founder of AP Interiors, Porto’s eye for beauty has certainly carried over into the design of the arrangements, with donors raving about the stunning results!

To keep the arrangements cohesive, Porto and Moon shared videos and photos and provided detailed instructions with volunteers, many of whom had no prior decorating experience. Ribbons and wire were provided by Children’s while clippings were picked up from local retailers. Materials were dropped off at different pickup locations in Milton, with many volunteers happily adding extra touches from local foraging – magnolia branches, holly berry, pine clippings and more – all of which made the mailboxes fuller, more festive, and incredibly personal.

“I’m so thankful for the holiday spirit our volunteers brought to this project. Many decorators have reached out to say how much they loved being part of the experience and how they’re already looking forward to helping next year! We have filled our community with joy, generosity, and holiday magic; I couldn’t be more grateful to have worked with Beth and so many passionate volunteers within our Milton Friends Chapter to lead this special project,” said Porto.

Many volunteer decorators chose to include their children, grandparents, friends, and even family members who are not local to Milton, turning this into a meaningful family holiday tradition.

Hayfield resident Ashley Edmonds embraced the opportunity to work directly with her daughter, Audrey, as they adorned mailboxes in her subdivision; another first-time decorator took both her mother and daughter along to decorate during the Thanksgiving holiday, thus sharing the heartwarming experience.

Another exciting addition to this year’s Mailbox Brigade was the inclusion of local teenagers. Milton High School student McKenna Leach founded “The Milton High School Friends of Children’s Junior Group” this fall, with a goal of working closely alongside the Milton Friends on service projects such as this one.

Jennifer Linn, 2025-2026 Co-Chair of the Milton Friends of Children’s commented, “The success of this year’s Mailbox Brigade, and the incredible growth we’ve absorbed for this project just over the past year, has been a phenomenal demonstration of teamwork and community at its finest. The volume of greenery that needed to be picked up, sorted, and delivered to our drop spots around town was not a small undertaking; our junior members jumped in wholeheartedly and made such a positive impact.”

She continued, “The impeccable planning of our Mailbox Brigade Co-Chairs was incredible, as was the willingness of our dedicated volunteers to work through many challenging weather elements. Ultimately, though, to hear such positive feedback from our donors who love their beautifully decorated mailboxes, and to know that our efforts will support one of the nations’ top pediatric hospitals is the ultimate gift to everyone associated with this project.”

The Annual Holiday Mailbox Brigade is one of several fundraisers hosted each year by the Milton Friends. As a not-for-profit organization, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta depends on the generosity of community members like the Friends to help provide specialized pediatric care to kids.

The Milton Friends was founded in October 2022 and has raised nearly one million dollars since that time to support patient programs such as Specialized Summer Camps, Music and Artist in Residence Programs and Children’s “Fund a Need” program.

There is no fee to become a Milton Friend of Children’s. The group meets monthly at retailers and small businesses around town to help support our local economy. To learn more about how you can become involved, please follow the Friends on Instagram (@friendsofchoa_milton) or email friendsofchoamilton@gmail.com.