For 31 years, the Milwaukee Repertory Theater has ended every performance of A Christmas Carol with a heartwarming tradition: cast members ask audience members for donations that are then given to a local charity.Watch: Milwauke e Rep's 'A Christmas Carol' raises donations for Jewish Family Services Milwaukee Rep's 'A Christmas Carol' raises donations for Jewish Family ServicesThis years chosen charity is Jewish Family Services, an organization that provides support to families in need throughout the community.I was there when Jenny from the Rep and Jenny from Jewish Family Services celebrated the generosity of the community, which is providing gifts for families in need this holiday season. Behind the scenes at Milwaukee Rep, volunteers were busy wrapping presents for their A Christmas Carol Families program. The initiative aligns perfectly with the theaters mission of creating positive change in the community.This goes right to our mission of creating positive change in the community, and when were doing a play like A Christmas Carol, what better show to be able to use the themes from that production of generosity and compassion over greed to make sure that were walking the walk as well when we are saying, Hey community, we should be doing this, right? So this is one example of how we can create that change in the community as well, said Jenny from Milwaukee Rep.The donations collected from theatergoers will make a significant impact for families served by Jewish Family Services, which has been operating since 1867.Its going to make such a huge difference. These are families facing the harshest of circumstances. Weve been in existence since 1867, but this year we have such extreme need from all the families we serve, said Jenny from Jewish Family Services.Even small contributions from audience members attending the beloved Milwaukee holiday tradition add up to meaningful support for local families.To everyone who went to see A Christmas Carol, which is such a holiday tradition here in Milwaukee, and made a donation maybe it was just $1 or a couple bucks here and there it all adds up and really is community showing up for community, I said.Were so grateful to have been chosen this year, and to align our missions like this with the Rep is just a community outpouring of support that is going to go directly to benefit some people who will be very grateful, said Jenny from Jewish Family Services.The longstanding tradition demonstrates how the theater continues to give back to Milwaukee, extending the spirit of the holiday classic beyond the stage and into the community.This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.Its about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for TMJ4 on your device.Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.Report a typo or error // Submit a news tip ...read more read less