Michael Katz relaxed in a recliner in the living room of his north Keizer home while Angels wrapped gifts. The Angels are the Music Box kind, a Keizer-based non-profit that gives away hundreds of music boxes to brighten lives of those who are facing personal struggles.
Katz, a Chicago native, is an angel in his own right. He has been generous to Chabad of Salem. The gifts being wrapped are for local children, but his real impact is seeing that music boxes are delivered to people he sees out in the community who he thinks can use the joy of the twinkling music.
When he sees a person in distress, he gets their information and assures that the Angels send them a music box to brighten their day. The Keizerite estimates he has had a part in getting music boxes into the hands of several hundred people.
“I’m no saint,” said Katz, “Why should I just sit here?” He said he has spent thousands of dollars to buy the boxes of music over recent years.
“I feel for the people out there,” Katz said about those who are homeless and living on the street.
Music Box Angels is a women-owned and operated business led by CEO Faye Kirchner; their mission is to share God’s love in a world of hurting people. They gift boxes to individuals, churches and community groups. Each wooden music box has a unique design, handcrafted with origami.
The 80-year-old Katz comes to his altruism through the example of his parents, a chemical salesman and a librarian. His mother volunteered at the B’nai B’rith and Haddasah in Chicago.
When he is able, Katz donates time each week as a volunteer at the Keizer Heritage Musuem at the Keizer Cultural Center.